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People sometimes say, "I've always wanted to write." Well, I think, what keepeth thou from writing? The truth is, writing is a complicated business and getting published can be an exercise in frustration. Many a would-be writer, best seller pulsating in his right brain, is convinced that it’s just a matter of putting the story on paper and sending it out to a publisher.
“Writing is easy; all you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead.” wrote author Gene Fowler. It’s sometimes seems that way. Think of your initial draft as a big block of misshapen stone. You’re the sculptor. Chisel and hammer in hand, you chip away at the mass until something beautiful emerges. Writing, editing and rewriting is like that.
Novice novelists and nonfiction writers, stymied by the intellectual and emotional blocks they encounter and their lack of knowledge about the business end of writing, often lay a good story idea aside. Fantasies of appearances on morning TV shows as the author of the hot book of the week soon fade and it’s back to the daily 9 to 5 grind.
If you’re a new writer, stay on your day job, at least for now. But you can quietly begin to learn and master your craft, a step at a time. Writing, like anything else, is part formulaic. Story idea + characters + research + writing + brutal self-editing + mastery of the business end of writing = success. Writing is a craft that develops over time, with perseverance and dogged determination.
Start with basics. Keep a steno pad with you at all times. Jot down impressions, thoughts and story ideas. Write little scenes and conversations. Develop the characteristics of a successful writer. Be relentlessly curious. Study human nature. Find a place where you can people watch without alarming anyone. Go to the mall, a street corner cafe or the lobby of a popular movie theater. Pick someone and create a little story in your head about him.
Master the mechanics of writing. Brush up on the latest punctuation and spelling rules. Read obsessively. Never waste a minute that can be spent reading. Keep a basket of magazines, short stories and even Reader’s Digests in the bathroom. Listen to audio books while driving. Prowl libraries and the Internet. Read Web site content. Visit book superstores. Choose a book you’d never buy. Have a cup of espresso and read a couple of chapters. If you’re a woman, leaf through an Esquire magazine to find out what one segment of the opposite sex is thinking about. Men, familiarize yourself with Cosmopolitan and McCall’s.
Be aware of everything in the world around you. Steep yourself in good writing. Wallow in it. If you think Shakespeare is for snobs, take the plunge and read a few pages. To get a grasp on what elegant, understated prose is (the best kind) read Alice Walker, William Faulkner, Gustav Flaubert and Truman Capote. Collect samples of bad writing and kitsch literature (writing done in dead earnest that is so bad, it’s good.) You’ll learn valuable lessons from it.
Create a few characters. Don’t worry too much about story development at this point; your characters will help you write it. “Watch” your characters stroll around in your head until they become as real to you as your best friends. Eventually they’ll start doing things on their own. Really.
Western writer Louis Lamour understood the value of research. His attention to story and place helped make him one of the most prolific and successful writers of the modern era.
Research endlessly. Know everything about the era you’re writing about. Describe in detail the clothing, shoes, cosmetics, music, literature, food, medicine, education, morals and religions of the time. Be familiar with the sights, sounds and smells of your characters’
environments. “Hear” your characters laugh.
Get tough. Train yourself to accept criticism and rejection. Take writing courses at a nearby college. Trade written pieces with classmates and ask for constructive feedback. Accept criticism gracefully, even if it hurts.
Once you’ve begun to master your craft, just for practice, write 20 short, related pieces on a subject that interests you (about 700 words each).Query a publisher about producing the collection as a book.
Submit elegantly written, simple and clear query letters. Keep them to one page. Print them on good quality bond paper in cream, light blue or pale gray paper. Use only black ink and a 12 point type. New Times Roman is a good font choice. Double check for spelling, typos and grammar usage just before you mail your query. Enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
Invest in the latest edition of Writer’s Market. Learn the proper way to submit manuscripts. Don’t send out unsolicited manuscripts. (Write that query letter first!) Double spaced pages, 1” margins, pages numbered and your name, address and phone number as headers on each manuscript page are basics. Never staple a manuscript; place it in a sturdy, sealable envelope or box.
Don’t wait around for the acceptance or rejection letters; move on the next project. Remember, you’re a writer now!
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