“What shall I write today?” That is the question writers often find themselves pondering. And yes, the reply often comes back: “Write What You Know”. But is this always the best guiding principle? I don’t think it is. I reckon you should first of all write about what you ENJOY. Write about what you are enthusiastic about and would like to read about yourself. All the information you need to KNOW can be found with research. The library, your own bookshelf, the Internet (if you’re careful), interviewing. Get a handle on what gives you a lift first. Think about a subject that satisfies you and gives you pleasure to think about. Then find an angle or an aspect of the subject that you haven’t read about or that you personally would like to know the answer to. Then get writing. You should also ask yourself this question: “Do I want to write for fun or do I want to write for funds?” Get your motives sorted before starting to write. If you say ‘funds’ then you need to make sure there is a market for what you want to write. Go to references such as the Writers and Artists Yearbook in the UK - every library has one - and spend some time looking through it for a publication that sounds right. Having found a magazine that looks promising, drop the editor a line, or an email, with your idea and ask if they are interested. Don’t be put off by a negative response, just give a mental shrug, take it on the chin and move on to the next magazine. If you continue to draw a blank, then maybe your idea is, shall we say, ahead of its time? Back to the drawing board, then, and work on something else. When you’ve got something you’re reasonably happy with, take it to your local writers circle and share it there. The other members will give you a fair appraisal of your article or story and may even suggest places to send it to. If there is no writers circle near you try one of the many online circles which can be a great source of help and inspiration, too. One word of caution: it’s probably best not to give it to a friend or relative for an opinion. They will tend to tell you what you want to hear rather than the unvarnished truth, and in any case, do they really have the experience to know what an editor actually wants? If you’re writing for fun, that’s great. Keep doing it. Choose a subject that you love and write about it. Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, write something to please yourself. So keep writing, and then one day you’ll have something that suddenly hits you and you’ll say, “Hey! This is really good!” That’s when you should start thinking about writing for funds! Finally, remember the ten-minute rule. Every day sit down for just ten minutes and write something. And write about what you enjoy. Mervyn Love is the webmaster of ,writersreign.co.uk a web site providing the writer with help, encouragement, resources, links, competitions and more…

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