Now what???
Thank you for sticking with me through this labor of love as I’ve explored the five Ws of writing:
Who – as in
Who are YOU as a writer?
What – for
What do you want to write?
Where –
location, location, location.
Why – what
drives you?
When – what
the best time to write?
But I often here one more question that I’d like to address.
How do I get started?
I actually saw a post on a writing site where
someone asked, “I want to be a writer. What do I write about?” As usual, trolls
bashed the person. To me, it seemed like an odd question because I’ve always just
written. Words come out. I turn them into stories. I’ve never stopped to think
about what to write or even how.
In the beginning…
Like me, some people are struck by inspiration continuously.
I have binders of ideas waiting for when I’m finished my current work in
progress. But how do you get started? One of the best ways I’ve found is to get
a book of writing prompts or use Google to search for “writing prompts.” When I
started in the writing group there was a standard list of writing prompts for
starting writers, “What I remember is…”, “What I forgot was…”, “Why I want to write.”
A Few Guidelines
We all need a plan, so I’ve included a brief outline
of things to think about in order to get started.
· Find a nurturing writing
environment.
· Schedule writing time – even a
half hour a day in a hectic day can help.
· Create an outline of what you
want to do, or just write!
· Focus on writing your book one
chapter at a time, even if you write chapter one then chapter twenty then go
back to fill in the rest.
· Maintain focus. Get that book
done!
· Deal with writing distractions
before they get out of hand. Put your phone face down. Ask your family to
respect your writing time. Sit somewhere alone with everything you need to
write.
· Start writing…Keep writing…don’t
give up!!
Keeping the Motivation
Life throws us distractions. That’s a fact. We get
sick. Kids get sick. We have to work overtime at work. All of these throw off
our plans for writing. As a mom of three who wrote from the time they were
little, fitting a little me-time in the day wasn’t always easy. But I did it.
My first book was published when my kids were still young. Plus I worked two
part-time jobs.
I wrote because I loved to write. Because it kept me
sane when life sometimes spun out of my control. To sneak in writing time, I
carried a small notebook everywhere I went. I wrote on napkins when I didn’t
have paper. I also wrote while I ate lunch and before the kids got up in the
mornings.
I know so many people who have started short
stories, started novels and have yet to finish them many years later. One quote
I found somewhere was “what makes you an author is the ability not to start a
project, but to complete one.”
Anyone can be a writer. All you have to do is write.
Starting something – pretty much anything – is easy.
You need to find the tenacity to sit and finish your story or your book. Whether
you give yourself a daily or weekly word count, have a beta reader who will expect
to see a chapter on certain dates, or hold yourself accountable by giving
yourself a gold star or some other reward for each day you write. Whatever
keeps you going back to work on that next page.
One thing not many people will tell you is to expect
negative feedback. Even the biggest name writers get trolls and others who say
things that are hurtful. Don’t take these seriously. If you get nine out of ten
readers repeating the same criticisms (i.e. typos or unbelievable storyline or
characters) do listen and see if those are things you can change in your next
book.
Think of Book One as your first child. You don’t
have things 100% figured out. There will be mistakes or things you could have
done better. Let it be a learning experience. Listen to the suggestions and
take the ones you think will make your next book even stronger.
Before you publish, it’s very important to have your
book edited by someone who knows what they’re doing! Not your Aunt Jenny,
unless she’s a professional editor. Editors are great for giving advice and
pointing out things that you won’t see because it’s your baby. Just like with
raising kids, when we read our own books, we see what we want to see and ignore
the bad stuff. To us, it’s perfect.
Once you’ve written that book and had it thoroughly edited,
you have two things left to do.
1. Find a publisher, either
traditional or the many self-publishers who are out there. Just be wary of the
vanity presses. Those are the ones who ask you to pay thousands of dollars
upfront in order to create your work. Many of these are scams and you could get
stuck with a garage full of books. DO ready their websites very carefully to
find out what genres they publish, what they require for submissions, and who
you need to submit your work to.
2. Write your next book.
Good luck!!
Diane
Bator
Author
of Wild Blue Mysteries, Gilda Wright Mysteries and Glitter Bay Mysteries
Mom of
3 boys and 2 cats and one less mouse... He’s been evicted.
You can find me at: http://bookswelove.net/authors/bator-diane-mystery/
