Writing Tips for Novice Authors
In the event you are reading this article then you certainly have asked yourself at some point in your life, “Do I have what it takes to become an author?”I think that successful authors, those who actually write And finish that novel, or book of poetry, or even that book of short tales, And see it all the way to publication, have sure characteristics.
Characteristics of Authors
1. They like to sit for hours in front of a computer screen (or with pen And paper), typing (writing) away.
2. They think about their book, even when they are not writing.
3. They are motivated to finish their book.
4. They are motivated to proofread, edit And revise their completed book until it is the best it can be.
5. They are motivated to publish their book.
6. Two times they publish the first book, they are already working on the next one.
In the event you answered yes to someone of the above, then you have a lovely chance of attaining your dreams of becoming an author. Don’t listen to those individuals who say it is a competitive market out there. Don’t listen to those individuals who say they have written four books And haven’t had one published yet.
And don’t listen to those individuals who send you back your manuscripts! Listen to yourself. Listen to that inner voice, the one that is whispering now. But wait until you start. Two times your book is written And published, that inner voice will be roaring! And the whole world will listen to about it.
I do know, I do know. I tend to be the optimist. But they have so plenty of pessimists in the book business, they sure need some more optimists around!
For you, the novice writer who would like to start writing that first book, the best way to start is to start writing. Yes, sit down And do it. Cease the other activities, the TV, the reading, the shopping, the chatting on the phone, And find the time to devote at least one hour a day to writing.
What’s one hour a day in the technique of things? It comes And goes like this, poof! What do you need to show after an hour of tv? A lazy yawn? If that same hour were spent on writing, then there would be a product in your hands, something that will be shared, hopefully, one day with others.
So, go ahead, shut the door to the remainder of the world for one hour (or more) And make yourself comfortable in front of the computer screen (or pen And paper). Let’s take the first step to becoming an author.
How To Start
Foundation like a construction company which builds a foundation to a home, you also need to prepare a foundation for your career in writing. Don’t skip this step, it is important.
Your “foundation” will consist of basic writing skills. Keep in mind those English courses you took in high school And college? In the event you don’t keep in mind anything from those courses, then it would not be a bad idea in the event you found your elderly English textbooks, dusted them off a bit, And looked through their pages to refresh your memory.
In the event you haven’t taken any courses in creative writing, you might think about signing up for one. Check along with your local community college. They often offer weekend And evening classes, And sometimes even online classes. If you are on a budget, then visit the public library And sign out books relevant to writing.
In addition, it would be useful to join a writing group (online or in your local area) that critiques your work And gives you the chance to critique also. The group provides amazing support And an avenue to sharpen your skills as you gain experience in writing, as well as exposure to other people’s writing. For example, Writing.
com is a lovely example of an online resource that provides plenty of opportunities to share your writing, And get your work rated And reviewed. In the event you need to join a critique or review group, it offers that also.
The second step to becoming an author, is to have the right tools.
Tools NeededBesides a comfortable chair, plenty of lighting, And a calm room, you will need a computer with a word processing program (e.g., Microsoft Word), a printer, And plenty of paper.
Why a computer? Initially, publishers usually will request a replica of your files sent to them on a floppy disk. More importantly, working with a word processing program will aid you in plenty of ways towards becoming a published author. It will provide the chance to save your work as a Word file, without having to make use of up tons of paper (as with a typewriter). This greatly aids you in keeping your work organized.
It also gives you the flexibility to edit And re-edit large sections of your work quickly by allowing you to utilize the copy And paste functions.
Other advantages of using a computer word processing program is that it provides spell check capabilities, And also helps you count the number of words per page. In addition, when you need to spice up your vocabulary (For example, in the event you like to make use of the word “walk” often, And are getting worn out of that word), place your cursor on the word “walk”, hit shift F7. It will give you a list of synonyms you can select from – like stroll, amble, etc.).
The time saved by using a computer is valuable. It gives you more time available to write! Of coursework, in the event you don’t have the above materials, don’t let that cease you from writing that book! Using a pen And paper is perfectly fine. Books were written with these two basic tools for hundreds of years.
Let’s assume you are using a computer And a Word processing application. Initially, before you start writing, form a subdirectory that you can add all of your chapters to. Possibly you know the title of your book already. Fine, then form a subdirectory using the name of the title. After you finish writing that first chapter (oh joy!), save it as Chapter 1 under the subdirectory. In the event you are writing a book of poetry, then you may need to save each poem as a separate file.
When I write my chapters for my novel, I format them in double space mode, with a Times New Roman 11 font. All the margins are at least one inch. This way it will be prepared for manuscript submission.
Try not to add your page numbers until the final revision. Page numbers constantly change when you’re revising, so wait until the finish.
Finally, another reason for having a computer is for Net access.
As a writer, you will have opportunities to submit your fiction online, such as http://www.Writing.com, or even your articles online for e-zines, such as http://www.articlecity.com. Any chance you can get to write online, do it. As long as it doesn’t take much time away from your book. It is as well as a free way of promoting yourself before the book is even published.
So you need to balance your time in writing that book, honing your writing skills, submitting your work along the way for others to critique, And promoting yourself. Are you able to do it? Of coursework you can!
The third step to becoming an author is:
What to Write
In the event you are planning to write a novel, it would help to know what general section your book is going to be in. Will it be in the romance, mystery, or science fiction section? In the event you don’t know, take some time And give it some thought.
Read some books in those genres. Which books appear to attract you the most? It’s highly likely that you’ll be writing in the section that you like to read. My preference is romance because I read those types of books the most. Two times you select the section, then you are closer to writing that novel!
For poetry, you might start by writing a poem And submitting it to a poetry journal, or a poetry contest. Gain exposure for your poetry. Join a critique group so you can sharpen your poetry skills. A chapbook usually consists of about 25-35 poems. For a poetry book, you’ll need at least 60 pages of poetry, if not more.
Types of Novelists
I have found over time, that there’s two types of novelists. The first type is the writer who prefers drawing up a proposal or plan of what they will write about. The second type prefers to write whatever comes in to their mind at that moment.
You select which writer you will be.
Type 1 Novelist
They start by describing the characters, their names, personalities, And sometimes their motives. Then they select when And where the setting will happen. When will it happen? If it takes place before the 1900’s, then it will be thought about historical. Also, will the setting be in the country, in a city (which city?), in a house (whose house), on a cruise ship? That needs to be defined also.
Two times those decisions are made, they write brief sketches of each chapter. It could be a page or two long. Two times all this is completed, then the actual writing begins. If this technique works for you, then feel free to make use of it. It may take some time, but you will become more confident about what you’ll write two times you go through this preliminary method.
Type 2 Novelist
What if you’re the type of one that doesn’t need to spend all that time writing proposals And character sketches? What if you’re like me, who prefers to write whatever comes in to your head? Then do it! Sit down And start writing. Write anything.
As the story develops, something amazing begins brewing in your mind. Something called creativity. I’ve caught myself hours after I completed writing a chapter, And I’ll be preparing dinner, or walking somewhere, And a scene from my novel will start to unfold. It’s called creative issue solving. My mind is working to solve the issue that the writing presents it, although I’m not actively writing. When I get those urges, I immediately cease what I’m doing And jot down my thoughts. It’s helped me plenty of times, when everything clicks together.
How Long Will It Take?
It took me two years to write And discover a publisher for my first novel, Lipsi’s Daughter. For other people, it may take longer or shorter, depending on the amount of time they permit for writing And how plenty of pages they are writing. I do know of authors that took four, three, up to twelve years to write their first book. I also know of a famous author who writes two novels a year!
So unless you start writing that first page of your book, you’ll never know how long it will take you to write it. Go ahead, make that first step, And lovely luck!