I’ve had the pleasure of writing, later publishing for a few years, and decided to take this opportunity to share some of the lessons I’ve learned in my journey. I expect much of this will be familiar to other writers and authors, but perhaps you’ll still garner a useful nugget. I know when I started out, I wish I’d had much of this information.
1. Write. The most important thing you can do is write. It doesn’t matter how bad, cliché, or otherwise unsatisfactory anything you put to paper or the screen appears. Write. Odds are, the only person who will ever see your initial efforts are yourself. Once you have something down, you can go back and begin the process of polishing and editing you clumsy prose. That’s not possible unless you write.
2. Don’t delete anything. No matter how bad, keep what you’ve written. It’s likely the ideas remain good, and may be used as inspiration at a later date. My earliest efforts have served to aid later works, and if nothing else, encourage me as I rad what I thought was alright, and can reflect on how my craft has improved.
3. Get Beta-readers. A beta-reader is someone willing and able to read what you’ve written and offer comments for improvement. They’re worth their weight in gold. Everybody has blind spots, no matter how practised or successful. Every author needs other sets of eyes to comment, suggest and improve their finished masterpiece. If possible ensure your beta-reads aren’t friends of family unless those persons are also accomplished writers or authors. Friends and family tend to provide encouragement, but can’t help improve your skill. Reach out to other writing groups, in person and on line for beta-readers. You can also provide that same support for others and improve your ability to polish and edit.
4. Get an Editor. Starting out, the cost of a professional editor is daunting. Most beginning authors skip this step. I did, and it’s possible to do so and still self publish. However, obtaining the services of a professional editor will ensure a much better book. As authors, I know we all want to produce a work we of which we can be proud. If unsure where to get this type of help, contact the folks at Raspberry Press. They’re good, reasonably priced, and take Canadian dollars.
5. Some general tips:
a. Don’t overuse adverbs. You can check your work by searching ‘ly’. You might be surprised at the results.
b. Write from the viewpoint of your protagonist in each scene / chapter. When writing description, concentrate only on what’s important to the character and ignore everything else. As an example, does a person person rushing to a door notice the floral pattern of the drapes, or whether that door is open, ajar or closed?
c. Use an economy of words. Get to the point.
d. Punctuation can be used to convey emotion. Draw your reader in with curiosity, excitement and empathy.
e. Focus on writing, not on other things. Set 25 minutes to write, then 5 minutes break. Discipline and consistency.
f. Read out loud for cadence and flow. What sounds good in your mind may not be so smooth to the tongue.
g. If possible, play back what you read aloud.
6. Fish or Cut Bait? It’s been said that no writer is ever finished improving their own work. Eventually, you have to stop the process of polishing and editing your masterpiece and take the plunge to publish.
I trust anyone who has taken the time to read my ramblings finds something they can use. I’d be interested in the thoughts of others. Happy writing! -Dragonshadowed
These are fantastic tips Dragonshadowed! Thank you for sharing! I particularly like the setting time aside each day to write and the importance of discipline and consistency. Also the importance to not censor what you write immediately. Like you indicated, there will be time for editing. Initial draft writing is more about allowing the words to flow through you and onto the page.