How to start writing

I will be able to spend some time today working on the new novel, but I wanted to answer the question here that I answered in an email for someone. The question was, “How do I get started in writing?” My first reaction was to say, “Just do it.” I then began to think back to how I got started. There are still many weekly “newspapers” that are mostly advertising but are looking for little human interest items. It is the way that I started. The first things I wrote were restaurant reviews. I was living in the Philadelphia area and I was single. Going out and having dinner with the date was a great way to gather material. I wrote for a company that owned several of these advertising papers around the Philadelphia area. At first, I was paid nothing. When they would publish a restaurant review of mine, I would compare it to the one I submitted trying to figure out why they made certain changes. I did not have the benefit of talking to whoever was doing the editing. After a few months, they asked me if I would review restaurants they wanted reviewed. They were willing to pay for the meal and any other expenses I accrued. I accepted because it meant one free dinner every week. If I really like the restaurant, I could then take my next date to it. It was like killing two birds with one stone. Those assignments gave me credibility as a writer because I was a paid restaurant reviewer. It all simply came about because I had been willing to work for nothing at first and used it to improve my writing. If you live in a small town where restaurant reviews are possible, you could do a cooking column. It is something that almost any of the advertising newspapers will use. You write your first columns using recipes you like and asking for others to submit their recipes. You can add interest simply by interviewing those people who send you recipes. They do not have to be extensive but they add a great deal to the column. Here is a bit of a sample – “Jane Doe says this cake recipe is a favorite in her household of three children and a hungry husband.” You will find people very much appreciate a sentence or two about them when you use the recipe. I hope this gives you some ideas. I hope this answers the question of how to get started in writing – just do it! I wrote for a company that was