I didn't get to read the books I was interested in for class, and analyzing them one after another made me forget the sheer joy and entertainment that comes from curling up with a book. So make time to read the books you love, and never be ashamed of them, even if they're considered uncool or unintellectual.
Go to museums, take art classes, see movies you have no interest in seeing Take the time to observe people: how they talk, how they move, how they interact. Keep your eyes open wherever you go, because you never know when inspiration will strike. Take a creative writing class they're not as scary as you think! Being able to accept and incorporate criticism is one of the hardest things to do - and one of the most crucial to our professions. Learning to accept it will only help you in the long run - and will help your writing improve.
Okay, this is mostly just related to writing fantasy, but you'd be surprised by how much my history classes have helped out my writing. I frequently kick myself for not paying more attention in high school - and for not taking more history classes in college. I shouldn't say this, but I wrote during my classes only math and excruciatingly boring seminars, I swear!
I also wrote on weeknights after homework , weekends, holiday vacations, trips to various parts of the world No matter what I was doing, no matter where I was, I always made time to write. Not because I felt like it was an obligation or requirement, but because it was something I HAD to do - because my stories were something I HAD to get out of me, had to write down.
People will tell you not to write. Don't listen to them. They will tell you your writing isn't good, and that you shouldn't be writing the kind of stories that are in your heart believe me, as a fantasy author, I've gotten that a LOT.
It's tough to get over these common writing mistakes. Writing is a personal thing, and not something you can fake or dial in. If you want to finish writing your book and become a successful professional writer, you'll fail many times before you get there. The writing craft can take a lifetime to master and often involves making many mistakes.
Use these as learning opportunities that help you reach a goal. Instead of wallowing in self-defeat, though, salvage what you can, and use the experience as a lesson to improve your craft. Wondering if you've got what it takes, blaming your editor and suffering from a martyr complex won't help you write a better book next time. Feedback is invaluable. It's your chance to learn how to become a better writer for free. Neil Gaiman offers lots of tips on becoming an author.
Whatever it takes to finish things, finish. You will learn more from a glorious failure than you ever will from something you never finished. Besides, when you finish writing 62, words, your career gains momentum. You become the kind of author who thinks of an idea, fleshes their idea out, edits, rewrites, polishes and the rewrites some more, then presses publish. One new writer emailed me to say she worried what would happen if her book was a success and she became famous.
After asking for more tips on becoming an author, she said:. I want to tell stories, and I want people to read them and get joy and satisfaction from them, I just don't want to become a subject under a microscope!
Yes, your imagined answers to these questions may feel embarrassing, but your real problem isn't what people think. The prospects of becoming Malcolm Gladwell-famous for your work are slight.
That said, it's natural to worry how those around you will react to your book. Well, it's impossible to please everyone, so if some people aren't comfortable with your success, that's their problem. If you succeed, you'll discover a new side to yourself and your craft, which will only enrich your life.
After all, you will regret not having the courage to see your ideas and your book through later. So hold through to your values, and finish writing your book. Years ago, a young writer had to learn how to write a book, find and agent and land a book deal. Traditional publishing is a tough gig to break into when you're starting out with no name recognition.
These days, you can write and self-publish a book on Amazon for several hundred dollars. Technically, you can do it for free, but I'd recommend budgeting for working with an editor, proofreader and cover designer. Self-publishing a book will teach you how the process works and help you discover the types of titles you want to write in the future.
It may even land you a traditional book publishing deal as happened with Hugh Howie, author of Wool and E. James author of Fifty Shades of Grey. Wanting to become an author can feel like a strange writing goal if you're not spending much time in the company of other creatives. On the other hand, spending a few weeks or months in the company of aspiring authors may inspire you to work harder on your craft. What's more, you could form connections with future professional authors.
A few years ago, I spent a year taking creative writing classes in the Irish Writer's Centre in Dublin. At least one student went on to become a published author with a traditional book deal. Writing a book can take months or even years if you don't have a plan and money to keep the lights on.
To avoid this problem, I recommend trying different types of writing including technical writing and copywriting. You could also try working as a freelance writer. Although these types writing jobs won't help you write a book directly, they will pay the bills while keeping your foot in the door of the creative work. As an author, your job doesn't end when you submit a manuscript to a publishing house or upload it to Amazon. Whether you've got a traditional book deal or not, you still need to sell more copies.
Many publishing houses write off the cost of book deals because they don't believe a book will sell. Others simply don't do a great job of selling a book of behalf of their clients. To avoid this problem, learn the basics of author marketing.
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