Blog
Alumni Career Advice
A Writer’s Three Great Gifts
By Sabrina Pike ’20
March 18, 2022
![Sabrina Pike '20](https://s3.amazonaws.com/mediacdn.hamilton.edu/images/4:3/400/spheadshotjpg.jpg)
Tags Arts & Entertainment
My name is Sabrina Pike and I am a young adult novelist. I fell in love with writing and decided to pursue it as a career after I wrote my first novel in tenth grade. I graduated from Hamilton in 2020 with a double major in creative writing and archaeology. When I graduated, many job opportunities in my fields were shut down due to the pandemic. For the past year and a half, I have been at home working on a young adult fantasy trilogy. I actually got the idea for my series from one of the short stories I wrote in a creative writing class I took at Hamilton.
Writing should be treated as seriously as any other career when it comes to the time and effort you put into it. My daily routine can change depending on when I’m inspired to write, but it’s helpful to follow a writing routine so it can become a daily habit. I keep goals for what I’d like to accomplish by a certain deadline. I usually brainstorm in the morning about what I would like to work on that day. I find most of my productivity happens in the afternoon or evening so I'll often deal with other things earlier on in the day so I can focus solely on my writing later. If I keep up with my daily goals, it’s much easier to meet the deadlines I set for completing my work.
A big part of my writing process is having someone read my work. I have a friend who I exchange pieces of writing with every week. Providing a different perspective, as well as getting feedback and critique from someone you trust, is an essential part of writing. It helps you see what works in your story or doesn’t, what sections resonate with the reader the most, and help guide your story in the right direction.
Passion about what and why you write is at the heart of writing. In my opinion, a writer’s three greatest gifts are reading, knowledge, and experience. The key to being a good writer is being a reader. Read what you love. I have found that what I love to read is also what I love to write. Books provide ideas for the structure and narrative of my stories and I often take inspiration from what I enjoy reading. Knowledge and experience are also helpful for writing: traveling, watching plays at the theater, going on walks, trying new things, exploring! Even just Googling places, history, new foods, or exotic plants can inspire you. Learn anything and everything you can! There is a whole world of knowledge and new ideas out there. Have it inspire your work.
You’re the only person who can tell your stories. There are people out there just waiting to read them. The world needs more stories. Keep writing.