Need a Little Writing Advice? Here are My Top 5 Tips From Other Writers
When I decided to become an indie author, I became obsessed with “doing it right”.
I scoured Google for articles, signed up for lectures, and tried to apply all of the things to my author platform.
I soon found myself drowning in a list of “do’s” and “don’t’s” that made my writing completely inauthentic.
To get back on track I focused on keeping things simple. I whittled down my list to 5 pieces of writing advice.
Ready to find out what they are?
Let’s go!
1. Know Your Weakness
Writer or not, everyone has a hole in their game.
It’s the one thing that you know you need to work on, the one thing that you struggle to get just right.
One of my weaknesses is description.
Every first draft I write is literally missing description of any kind. You’ll get some good dialogue, but will you have any idea what the characters look like?
Nope.
For whatever reason, writing description is difficult for me. I’ve learned to be okay with it, in fact, I’ve even made it part of my drafting process (hello round 3!).
You likely already know what your weakness is as a writer—even if you don’t want to admit it aloud.
I’m here to tell you that it’s time.
Don’t be scared! Identify and own it, because you’ll never improve on what you refuse to admit is true.
2. Pay Your Dues
When we pick up a book, we don’t often think about how much work went into every single word that appears on every page.
What we don’t see, is that the author has 13 other novels under their belt. They’ve been rejected by agents, publishers, editors, and more, at least 100 times.
To get where you want to go in the writing world, you need to put in the work. You need to write, re-write, and get rejected.
Just like every writer that came before us, we all need to pay our dues.
3. What Else You Got?
Finished a novel-length work? You are an incredible human being!
Wrote a short story and it won an award? Let us high five from a distance.
Now that we’ve celebrated your hard-earned, well-deserved win (which is important!) take a breath and tell me: what’s next?
It’s a good question, especially in this day and age of instant gratification.
If you’re seeking an agent, they’re going to want to know if you’ve got anything else they can pitch. After all, their job and goal are to get you published.
If you’re an indie author, your super fans will want to devour everything they can get their hands on.
Make sure you can deliver.
4. Keep Going!
I remember sitting in a session with Susanna Kearsley at the Surrey International Writer’s Conference (SIWC).
During the Q&A portion of the session, she said something that turned the flicker of hope I carried into a bright, burning flame.
appalachianmagazine.com cialis order on line However, overdose with such medicines can increase the risk of cardiovascular problem. This condition may even affect your urethra. tadalafil canadian pharmacy According viagra pill uk sale to the survey, lots of main gaining the benefits of this drug and get success in having satisfactory sexual life, you may be disappointed knowing about some sexual problem that silently enters the life. Being a teacher comes with a lot of soft tabs viagra interest towards the medicine Kamagra.
Kearsley stated that everyone she knew who wanted to be an author became one eventually. They sign that agent, they publish, and they see success.
But the writers she knew who didn’t make it?
They just quit too soon.
So, you (yes YOU!) need to know your weakness and pay your dues. You need to write, submit, and get rejected.
Quit now, and you’ll never get where you want to go.
Don’t quit too soon. Keep going.
5. It’s Never too Late
“. . . But I’ll never finish a novel. So why bother trying?”
It might surprise you to learn just how many people say this after telling me they’ve got a great story idea, or that they’ve always wanted to be a writer.
Back in 2018, I attended the Henley Literary Festival. I randomly picked a few author interviews I thought might be interesting.
This is how I discovered, Anne Youngson.
Youngson is in her 70’s. She had signed an agent and published her debut novel (Meet Me at the Museum) while also earning a Masters’s Degree.
When asked how it felt to be a published author at 70, she mentioned how it hadn’t been her intention to write or finish a book.
She wrote because it brought her pleasure.
Youngson takes a different approach to life. She mentioned that if she wanted to become a pilot, she would just jump in and learn, without worrying about whether or not she would ever earn her license.
Why should writing be any different?
Don’t talk yourself out of doing the thing before you start. Just start!
It’s never too late.
The Right Writing Advice
Overwhelming myself with writing advice turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
I wanted other writers to tell me that there was a magic formula to success.
I learned that no amount of research would ever unearth a secret writing hack. The most important thing to discover as a writer is what will work for you.
(That, and like most situations, less is always more!)
Get involved! What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received? Let me know in the comments below.
Want more? Check out Eve’s Return (Book One of the Book of Eve Series), an epic fantasy adventure that will have you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.
