So you wanna be a writer? That’s great! But a more important question to ask: what kind of writer do you want to be? It’s one of the first questions you should ask yourself and one of the first journeys you should go on before sitting down to a blank document.

Let’s begin the journey.

Find your genre

While this may seem like an easy decision for many writers, it’s one I seem to flip-flop on frequently. The options are vast and finding your genre might take a more thorough thought process to figure out what you want to write about. It’s also very possible to switch between genres as you mature as a writer.

Think long and hard about what genre fits you best. You may have a passion for all things historical. Or maybe there’s something about humorous chick-lit that calls to you. It could be that you have always known that you want to write about teenagers. Whatever it is, make sure it is a genre that you love.

Decide whom your audience will be

Choosing your genre will give you a good indication who your audience will be. Chick-lit usually targets women between their 20’s and 30’s. Historical romance targets the older generation. Teen fiction, obviously, targets preteens and teenagers.

Choosing who you want your audience to be will help immensely when you begin to brainstorm about your story. By knowing this, you will be able to determine what issues these groups are interested in and what they will want to read.

Find your topic

So you’ve figured out all the little details. You have established your genre and your audience. Now it’s time to find your topic – what is your story going to be about? This is the fun part. You get to make up characters and set scenes. You get to build backgrounds and find controversies.

Building your story is a long journey. It’s filled with ups and downs, triumphs and tribulations. But the only way you’ll ever see your name on the spine of a book is to begin writing. So go for it! Go write. I promise it will be a journey well worth taking.