If you are reading this article then you probably have asked yourself at some point in your life, "Do I have what it takes to become an author?"
I believe that successful authors, those who actually write and finish that novel, or book of poetry, or even that book of short stories, and see it all the way to publication, have certain 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're not writing.
3. They are motivated to finish their book.
4. They are motivated to proofread, edit and revise their finished book until it is the best it can be.
5. They are motivated to publish their book.
6. Once they publish the first book, they are already working on the next one.
If you answered yes to anyone of the above, then you have a good chance of attaining your dreams of becoming an author. Don't listen to those people who say it's a competitive market out there. Don't listen to those people who say they've written five books and haven't had one published yet. And don't listen to those people who send you back your manuscripts! Listen to yourself. Listen to that inner voice, the one that is whispering now. But wait until you get started. Once your book is written and published, that inner voice will be roaring! And the whole world will hear about it.
I know, I know. I tend to be the optimist. But we have so many pessimists in the book business, we sure need some more optimists around!
For you, the novice writer who would like to start writing that first book, the best way to begin is to start writing. Yes, just sit down and do it. Stop the other activities, the television, the reading, the shopping, the chatting on the telephone, and find the time to devote at least one hour a day to writing.
What's one hour a day in the scheme of things? It comes and goes like this, poof! What do you have to show after an hour of television? 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 rest 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 Begin
Foundation
Just 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's important.
Your "foundation" will consist of basic writing skills. Remember those English courses you took in high school and college? If you don't remember anything from those courses, then it wouldn't be a bad idea if you found your old English textbooks, dusted them off a bit, and looked through their pages to refresh your memory.
If you haven't taken any courses in creative writing, you might consider signing up for one. Check with your local community college. They often offer weekend and evening classes, and sometimes even online classes. If you're on a budget, then visit the public library and sign out books relevant to writing.
In addition, it would be very useful to join a writing group (online or in your local area) that critiques your work and gives you the opportunity to critique also. The group provides wonderful 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 good example of an online resource that provides many opportunities to share your writing, and get your work rated and reviewed. If you want 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 Needed
Besides a comfortable chair, plenty of lighting, and a quiet room, you will need a computer with a word processing program (e.g., Microsoft Word), a printer, and plenty of paper.
Why a computer? First of all, publishers typically will request a copy of your files sent to them on a floppy disk. More importantly, working with a word processing program will aid you in many ways towards becoming a published author. It will provide the opportunity to save your work as a Word file, without having to use 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 want to spice up your vocabulary (For example, if you like to use the word "walk" often, and are getting tired of that word), place your cursor on the word "walk", hit shift F7. It will give you a list of synonyms you can choose from - like stroll, amble, etc.).
The time saved by using a computer is very valuable. It gives you more time available to write! Of course, if you don't have the above materials, don't let that stop you from writing that book! Using a pen and paper is perfectly fine. Books were written with these two basic tools for centuries.
Let's assume you are using a computer and a Word processing software. First of all, before you begin writing, form a subdirectory that you can add all your chapters to. Maybe 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!), just save it as Chapter 1 under the subdirectory. If you are writing a book of poetry, then you might want 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 ready for manuscript submission.
Try not to add your page numbers until the very last revision. Page numbers constantly change when you're revising, so wait until the end.
Finally, another reason for having a computer is for Internet 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 too much time away from your book. It's also 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. Can you do it? Of course you can!
The third step to becoming an author is:
What to Write
If you are planning to write a novel, it would help to know what general category your book is going to be in. Will it be in the romance, mystery, or science fiction category? If you don't know, take some time and think about it. Read some books in those genres. Which books seem to attract you the most? It's highly likely that you'll be writing in the category that you like to read. My preference is romance because I read those types of books the most. Once you decide the category, 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 are 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 into their mind at that moment.
You decide which writer you will be.
Type 1 Novelist
They begin by describing the characters, their names, personalities, and sometimes their motives. Then they decide when and where the setting will take place. When will it take place? If it takes place before the 1900's, then it will be considered 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.
Once those decisions are made, they write brief sketches of each chapter. It could be a page or two long. Once all this is done, then the real writing begins. If this method works for you, then feel free to use it. It may take some time, but you will become more confident about what you'll write once you go through this initial process.
Type 2 Novelist
What if you're the type of person who doesn't want to spend all that time writing proposals and character sketches? What if you're like me, who prefers to just write whatever comes into your head? Then do it! Sit down and start writing. Write anything.
As the story develops, something wonderful begins brewing in your mind. Something called creativity. I've caught myself hours after I finished writing a chapter, and I'll be preparing dinner, or walking somewhere, and a scene from my novel will begin to unfold. It's called creative problem solving. My mind is working to solve the problem that the writing presents it, even though I'm not actively writing. When I get those urges, I immediately stop what I'm doing and jot down my thoughts. It's helped me many times, particularly when everything clicks together.
How Long Will It Take?
It took me almost two years to write and find 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 allow for writing and how many pages they are writing. I know of authors that took six, seven, 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 begin writing that first page of your book, you'll never know how long it'll take you to write it. Go ahead, make that first step, and good luck!
About The Author
Patty Apostolides is author of the novels "Lipsi's Daughter" and "The Lion and the Nurse," and poetry book "Candlelit Journey: Poetry from the Heart." She has also written several articles and poems. More information can be found on her website, including excerpts of her works at http://www.pattyapostolides.com
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Sunday, 14 February 2010
Should You Do a Writing Course?
First, let's tackle the question that is uppermost in many aspiring writers' minds: "Do I need to do a writing course to sell my writing?"
No. Absolutely not.
I have never done a writing course (the kind with assignments and feedback). Yet I've now had published (or have in production) around 56 books for children, half a dozen ghost-written titles, a co-written book on networking and self-promotion, dozens of articles, short stories, and even short poems for kids. Besides that, I've written promotional material for businesses and business professionals, speeches, blurbs for posters, educational materials, web site copy and more... the list is long.
How did I do it?
I always loved to read. Like most readers, I tend to 'absorb' the rhythms of the language, correct grammar and punctuation, and the conventions of many different writing genres - mystery, romance, suspense and so on. (There's a very good reason for so many people advising you to write what you like to read - you "know" the genre without having to study it!)
I started buying "how-to" books on writing and marketing early in my career. You can learn pretty well everything you need to know from these books. The trick is USING what you learn. There are a lot of would-be writers out there who have groaning shelves full of how-to-write books - but who do very little actual writing.
I subscribed to industry magazines such as The Writer's Digest and The Writer. I photocopied and filed the articles in relevant categories. Over time, I built up a considerable collection of 'how-to' articles.
I attended writing workshops and joined professional associations. I volunteered to be on the Committee of one of these professional associations. In that capacity, I made lots of contacts - editors, agents, and authors.
I joined writing support groups. I never actually started one of my own, but that's not a bad idea if you want to have the support of a critique circle.
I WROTE. I experimented with fiction, articles, non-fiction and fiction. I wrote for adults and children. I found out what I liked to write and what I didn't like to write.
I treated writing as a business. I've always invested in my writing career - by buying books, attending workshops and conferences (in Australia and overseas), buying good quality equipment and, in recent years, establishing an internet connection.
Should YOU Do A Course?
What was right for me, however, may not be right for you. I had always excelled in English at school. I loved to write stories, from the time I was a child. I knew I had a good grasp on the mechanics of the English language. I was fairly certain that I could "teach myself" to write.
As it happened, I was right. BUT - If I had done a course, and received quality feedback on my work, I may have started getting my work published a bit sooner. A course involving carefully structured lessons and good feedback can show you what you're doing right and where you're going wrong early in your career.
As a tutor for several correspondence courses in writing, I have seen countless variations of the following comment: "I thought I knew how to write. But when I kept getting rejection letters, I decided to enrol in a course to see if that would give me any insights into why... I found out there was a lot I didn't know! Some of the mistakes I was making seem so obvious now!"
So, even though you think you know how to write, you may discover that:
Your style of writing is somewhat outdated.
You haven't fully grasped the requirements of the particular genre for which you're writing.
You are making mistakes in grammar and punctuation that you weren't aware of.
A few simple 'tricks of the trade' can take your writing to a whole new level very quickly.
The fact is, many of us can't "see" what we're doing wrong - until it's pointed out to us. And this is the case even if we've read advice about that very thing in a writing "how-to" book! If you are not having a lot of luck with your submissions, then a writing course could be just what you need to speed you on your way.
What Kind Of Course Would Be Best?
If you do decide to do a course, then shop around to find out what would be best for you. Don't rush into a decision. You'll find that writing courses vary in length, in quality, in mode of delivery, and in cost. For example, some "courses" on the Internet are free - but they're pretty much the same as reading a how-to book, because you don't get any feedback on your writing. These courses are really more like mini-seminars.
University Courses
There are plenty of university-level courses around. You may need a certain level of education to be eligible. These courses are useful if you want to have a university qualification on your CV (say if you want to use your writing skills to obtain a job or career position). If you attend regular lectures and tutorials, you also have the benefit of face to face interaction and immediate feedback on your writing.
The downside (for some) is that you could take years to get through the course, and you may have to take other subjects of very little interest to you to achieve that final qualification. And (it has to be said) some writers who want to work on "commercial" or popular fiction find that other students are only interested in literary fiction, and literary snobbery becomes a problem.
Short Writing Courses
There are a number of writing courses that let you pace your work to suit your lifestyle. For example, the company that markets the writing courses that I have written (I'm not going to name them here because this is not an ad - it's a general discussion of what's right for you!) allows students to take up to 5 years to finish the course. However, if you want to move through it quickly, you can do the course in 12 weeks. (One tutorial and assignment per week.) There are plenty of writers with talent and drive who can complete the course in this short time. They can then move on to advanced courses or just write up a storm and start marketing their work!
Internet Options
The internet is an incredibly fertile source of information and learning for writers. (For example, you subscribed to this free tipsheet!) Free information is everywhere. You can, however, also buy e-books on writing and enrol in structured writing courses with assignments and feedback. The fees vary.
The advantage of using the Internet is that you can work on the lessons at a time that suits you. You can email assignments away at two in the morning, if this is when you work best! Most courses allow you a fair bit of flexibility in the amount of time you take to finish the course.
The disadvantage of doing a course via the Internet is that some courses on offer have been around only a few months or a year. I recommend shorter courses, because if you decide to do a course over an extended period, you may find that the provider has shut up shop!
Community Colleges
Six- or eight-week courses in writing are often on offer through community colleges or night classes. These can be general in nature (Creative writing) or more specific (Writing for Children). Try to ensure that the person delivering the course has the expertise you require. It's your money! The benefits of these courses: they're short; they offer face-to-face interaction; they can provide you with the nucleus of a critique group if you all get on well.
Bottom Line
You don't have to do a writing course to get published, but it can certainly help. If you are at the stage where you need feedback on your writing before you can move on, then it's probably a good investment. But do your homework first - ask for testimonials and ask about the qualifications of the tutor. Check on how long you have to complete the course, and what happens if a family disaster takes you out for several months. Make sure it's the right course for you!
(c) copyright Marg McAlister
Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at http://www.writing4success.com
No. Absolutely not.
I have never done a writing course (the kind with assignments and feedback). Yet I've now had published (or have in production) around 56 books for children, half a dozen ghost-written titles, a co-written book on networking and self-promotion, dozens of articles, short stories, and even short poems for kids. Besides that, I've written promotional material for businesses and business professionals, speeches, blurbs for posters, educational materials, web site copy and more... the list is long.
How did I do it?
I always loved to read. Like most readers, I tend to 'absorb' the rhythms of the language, correct grammar and punctuation, and the conventions of many different writing genres - mystery, romance, suspense and so on. (There's a very good reason for so many people advising you to write what you like to read - you "know" the genre without having to study it!)
I started buying "how-to" books on writing and marketing early in my career. You can learn pretty well everything you need to know from these books. The trick is USING what you learn. There are a lot of would-be writers out there who have groaning shelves full of how-to-write books - but who do very little actual writing.
I subscribed to industry magazines such as The Writer's Digest and The Writer. I photocopied and filed the articles in relevant categories. Over time, I built up a considerable collection of 'how-to' articles.
I attended writing workshops and joined professional associations. I volunteered to be on the Committee of one of these professional associations. In that capacity, I made lots of contacts - editors, agents, and authors.
I joined writing support groups. I never actually started one of my own, but that's not a bad idea if you want to have the support of a critique circle.
I WROTE. I experimented with fiction, articles, non-fiction and fiction. I wrote for adults and children. I found out what I liked to write and what I didn't like to write.
I treated writing as a business. I've always invested in my writing career - by buying books, attending workshops and conferences (in Australia and overseas), buying good quality equipment and, in recent years, establishing an internet connection.
Should YOU Do A Course?
What was right for me, however, may not be right for you. I had always excelled in English at school. I loved to write stories, from the time I was a child. I knew I had a good grasp on the mechanics of the English language. I was fairly certain that I could "teach myself" to write.
As it happened, I was right. BUT - If I had done a course, and received quality feedback on my work, I may have started getting my work published a bit sooner. A course involving carefully structured lessons and good feedback can show you what you're doing right and where you're going wrong early in your career.
As a tutor for several correspondence courses in writing, I have seen countless variations of the following comment: "I thought I knew how to write. But when I kept getting rejection letters, I decided to enrol in a course to see if that would give me any insights into why... I found out there was a lot I didn't know! Some of the mistakes I was making seem so obvious now!"
So, even though you think you know how to write, you may discover that:
Your style of writing is somewhat outdated.
You haven't fully grasped the requirements of the particular genre for which you're writing.
You are making mistakes in grammar and punctuation that you weren't aware of.
A few simple 'tricks of the trade' can take your writing to a whole new level very quickly.
The fact is, many of us can't "see" what we're doing wrong - until it's pointed out to us. And this is the case even if we've read advice about that very thing in a writing "how-to" book! If you are not having a lot of luck with your submissions, then a writing course could be just what you need to speed you on your way.
What Kind Of Course Would Be Best?
If you do decide to do a course, then shop around to find out what would be best for you. Don't rush into a decision. You'll find that writing courses vary in length, in quality, in mode of delivery, and in cost. For example, some "courses" on the Internet are free - but they're pretty much the same as reading a how-to book, because you don't get any feedback on your writing. These courses are really more like mini-seminars.
University Courses
There are plenty of university-level courses around. You may need a certain level of education to be eligible. These courses are useful if you want to have a university qualification on your CV (say if you want to use your writing skills to obtain a job or career position). If you attend regular lectures and tutorials, you also have the benefit of face to face interaction and immediate feedback on your writing.
The downside (for some) is that you could take years to get through the course, and you may have to take other subjects of very little interest to you to achieve that final qualification. And (it has to be said) some writers who want to work on "commercial" or popular fiction find that other students are only interested in literary fiction, and literary snobbery becomes a problem.
Short Writing Courses
There are a number of writing courses that let you pace your work to suit your lifestyle. For example, the company that markets the writing courses that I have written (I'm not going to name them here because this is not an ad - it's a general discussion of what's right for you!) allows students to take up to 5 years to finish the course. However, if you want to move through it quickly, you can do the course in 12 weeks. (One tutorial and assignment per week.) There are plenty of writers with talent and drive who can complete the course in this short time. They can then move on to advanced courses or just write up a storm and start marketing their work!
Internet Options
The internet is an incredibly fertile source of information and learning for writers. (For example, you subscribed to this free tipsheet!) Free information is everywhere. You can, however, also buy e-books on writing and enrol in structured writing courses with assignments and feedback. The fees vary.
The advantage of using the Internet is that you can work on the lessons at a time that suits you. You can email assignments away at two in the morning, if this is when you work best! Most courses allow you a fair bit of flexibility in the amount of time you take to finish the course.
The disadvantage of doing a course via the Internet is that some courses on offer have been around only a few months or a year. I recommend shorter courses, because if you decide to do a course over an extended period, you may find that the provider has shut up shop!
Community Colleges
Six- or eight-week courses in writing are often on offer through community colleges or night classes. These can be general in nature (Creative writing) or more specific (Writing for Children). Try to ensure that the person delivering the course has the expertise you require. It's your money! The benefits of these courses: they're short; they offer face-to-face interaction; they can provide you with the nucleus of a critique group if you all get on well.
Bottom Line
You don't have to do a writing course to get published, but it can certainly help. If you are at the stage where you need feedback on your writing before you can move on, then it's probably a good investment. But do your homework first - ask for testimonials and ask about the qualifications of the tutor. Check on how long you have to complete the course, and what happens if a family disaster takes you out for several months. Make sure it's the right course for you!
(c) copyright Marg McAlister
Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at http://www.writing4success.com
Saturday, 13 February 2010
Why You Should Learn How to Write Books Quickly (And How to Do It)
You can easily learn how to write professional full-length novels, nonfiction books and e-books in a fraction of the usual time, without compromising on quality, quantity or your artistic integrity. In fact the words in your book will be exactly the same, whether you spend two weeks or two years writing them. Here are 12 reasons why you should learn the fastest ways to write good books. At the end of the article I'll tell you how you can learn to do it.
1. You can fill a gap in the market as soon as you spot it, and beat your competitors into print
In a case like this, time really matters. The first book to reach the market is usually the one that dominates it, and if you can write your book in days or weeks while everyone else takes months, you'll have the market to yourself for a very long time. Not only will yours be the only book available, it'll have plenty of time to establish itself as the "industry standard".
2. You can latch onto current trends before they go out of fashion
If you start writing about something that's in fashion now but you take a year to finish it, by the time your book is ready the market will have moved on and you'll have missed out. Once again, time really matters - you need to hit the market while it's still growing or at its peak, not when it's waning. You can also write books about forthcoming events and have them on sale in plenty of time.
3. You can make a lot of money in a short time
This is especially true of e-books. You can quickly write a ton of e-books and sell them via your website. Or make them available on ClickBank.com where thousands of people are looking for great products to sell on your behalf. And the great thing about e-books is they cost you nothing!
4. You can produce a lifetime's work in a couple of years
The average writer takes an entire lifetime to write one shelf of books, and most don't even manage that many. They soon come to realise that one lifetime just isn't long enough to write all the books they have plans and ideas for. Frustrating isn't it! But if you knew how to write books ten times faster, that wouldn't be a problem. (You still won't run out of ideas though!)
5. You can fit your writing around your busy lifestyle and reclaim your freedom
Many writers shut themselves away from their friends and family for months at a time and give up much of their social lives completely. (I've done it myself.) While everyone else is out enjoying themselves, the poor writer stays at home and slaves over a hot computer*. And they only write one book a year. By learning the fastest ways to write your book you won't need to shut yourself away at all. You can reclaim your social life, rediscover your friends, and still write several books each year.
(*By the way your computer will run a lot cooler - and often less noisily - if you clear the dust from the air vents and fan once a year.)
6. Freedom from guilt
Are you missing out on quality time with your children or other members of your family? Did you miss your child's first steps or first words because you'd shut yourself away to write? Do you feel guilty about not being able to spend as much time with them as you should? Do they ask you to read to them or help with their homework, but you're too busy writing? If you knew a much faster way to write your books you could start putting things right before it's too late.
7. You're never too busy to write a book
You can easily find enough time to write several books a year if you go about it in the right way, no matter how busy you life is. Seriously. You don't need to make any drastic changes to your lifestyle, and any small changes will only last a few weeks at most until you've finished your book. For example you can cut down on the cleaning, record TV shows, save up your newspapers and magazines, and skip a couple of gym sessions. Catch up with it all when your book is done.
8. Massively increased chance of getting published - or becoming a bestseller
Some of your books will undoubtedly sell much better than others. Some might not do very well at all. But if they only took a few days or weeks to write it really doesn't matter - it's not as if you slaved over your book for a year or more only to have it flop. You'll write plenty of others that will more than make up for it, and perhaps even have a couple of bestsellers. With all those books on the market you're vastly increasing the chances that one or more of them will hit the big time. If you haven't yet found a publisher, all those books circulating between publishers and agents will also increase your chances of being discovered and accepted. And of course you'll be adding more and more books to those in circulation as you write them, which will certainly get their attention! Even if you don't find a publisher, you can always publish them yourself or turn them into e-books.
9. Increased rate of learning
As any writing tutor will tell you, the more you write the better you become. You'll get there a lot sooner if you learned how to write your books ten times faster.
10. Readers will buy more of what you write
Each book acts as a sales tool for the others. If you have two books on sale, you double your market exposure - someone who comes across one of your books might well buy the other one too. (This is why publishers like signing up authors for multi-book deals.) But what if you had ten or twenty books out there? Or more? Readers will be far more likely to discover you, and many of them will buy several of your books, if not the complete set. If you don't know how to write books quickly then writing this many books could take you a lifetime. But if you know the secrets you could easily have the whole lot written and on sale within a year or two.
11. Writing quickly buys you the freedom to write slowly!
Many writers enjoy the luxury of taking their time over their books. They like to let their characters find their own way without following any kind of outline, and if things don't work out they can scrap it and backtrack. They like to tinker endlessly with the text, rewrite it over and over, spend days finding the perfect word or phrase, try out different writing styles, and so on. But this really is a luxury, and something you can only do if you have another source of income. If you want to write like that, my suggestion would be to learn how to write books quickly, get several books out in the marketplace earning you money, and then use that money to fund your more leisurely writing.
12. There's no time to get bored
Thousands of people start writing a book each year, but most never finish it -or even get close to finishing. Why? Simply because it takes so long that they get bored with it and want their social lives back. The story might actually be an excellent one, the writing insightful and the characters compelling. But the world will never know. If they knew about the fast way to write their books, they'd get their books finished, they'd enjoy writing them, and there wouldn't be time to get bored - and they might even write some more!
By now I'm sure you're eager to learn the fastest ways to write great books, as well as how to come up with good ideas, combine them into a workable outline, edit your books quickly, and how to sell them - while avoiding writers block, finding plenty of time to write, and perhaps even persuading other people to do some of the work for you. This entertaining, inspiring and very readable book tells you exactly how to do it: The Fastest Way to Write Your Book - available in paperback or e-book from www.ideas4writers.co.uk (Be sure to check out the reviews!)
Dave Haslett is the founder of ideas4writers.co.uk (the ideas and inspiration website), and i4w2.co.uk (the award-winning ethical publishing service).
1. You can fill a gap in the market as soon as you spot it, and beat your competitors into print
In a case like this, time really matters. The first book to reach the market is usually the one that dominates it, and if you can write your book in days or weeks while everyone else takes months, you'll have the market to yourself for a very long time. Not only will yours be the only book available, it'll have plenty of time to establish itself as the "industry standard".
2. You can latch onto current trends before they go out of fashion
If you start writing about something that's in fashion now but you take a year to finish it, by the time your book is ready the market will have moved on and you'll have missed out. Once again, time really matters - you need to hit the market while it's still growing or at its peak, not when it's waning. You can also write books about forthcoming events and have them on sale in plenty of time.
3. You can make a lot of money in a short time
This is especially true of e-books. You can quickly write a ton of e-books and sell them via your website. Or make them available on ClickBank.com where thousands of people are looking for great products to sell on your behalf. And the great thing about e-books is they cost you nothing!
4. You can produce a lifetime's work in a couple of years
The average writer takes an entire lifetime to write one shelf of books, and most don't even manage that many. They soon come to realise that one lifetime just isn't long enough to write all the books they have plans and ideas for. Frustrating isn't it! But if you knew how to write books ten times faster, that wouldn't be a problem. (You still won't run out of ideas though!)
5. You can fit your writing around your busy lifestyle and reclaim your freedom
Many writers shut themselves away from their friends and family for months at a time and give up much of their social lives completely. (I've done it myself.) While everyone else is out enjoying themselves, the poor writer stays at home and slaves over a hot computer*. And they only write one book a year. By learning the fastest ways to write your book you won't need to shut yourself away at all. You can reclaim your social life, rediscover your friends, and still write several books each year.
(*By the way your computer will run a lot cooler - and often less noisily - if you clear the dust from the air vents and fan once a year.)
6. Freedom from guilt
Are you missing out on quality time with your children or other members of your family? Did you miss your child's first steps or first words because you'd shut yourself away to write? Do you feel guilty about not being able to spend as much time with them as you should? Do they ask you to read to them or help with their homework, but you're too busy writing? If you knew a much faster way to write your books you could start putting things right before it's too late.
7. You're never too busy to write a book
You can easily find enough time to write several books a year if you go about it in the right way, no matter how busy you life is. Seriously. You don't need to make any drastic changes to your lifestyle, and any small changes will only last a few weeks at most until you've finished your book. For example you can cut down on the cleaning, record TV shows, save up your newspapers and magazines, and skip a couple of gym sessions. Catch up with it all when your book is done.
8. Massively increased chance of getting published - or becoming a bestseller
Some of your books will undoubtedly sell much better than others. Some might not do very well at all. But if they only took a few days or weeks to write it really doesn't matter - it's not as if you slaved over your book for a year or more only to have it flop. You'll write plenty of others that will more than make up for it, and perhaps even have a couple of bestsellers. With all those books on the market you're vastly increasing the chances that one or more of them will hit the big time. If you haven't yet found a publisher, all those books circulating between publishers and agents will also increase your chances of being discovered and accepted. And of course you'll be adding more and more books to those in circulation as you write them, which will certainly get their attention! Even if you don't find a publisher, you can always publish them yourself or turn them into e-books.
9. Increased rate of learning
As any writing tutor will tell you, the more you write the better you become. You'll get there a lot sooner if you learned how to write your books ten times faster.
10. Readers will buy more of what you write
Each book acts as a sales tool for the others. If you have two books on sale, you double your market exposure - someone who comes across one of your books might well buy the other one too. (This is why publishers like signing up authors for multi-book deals.) But what if you had ten or twenty books out there? Or more? Readers will be far more likely to discover you, and many of them will buy several of your books, if not the complete set. If you don't know how to write books quickly then writing this many books could take you a lifetime. But if you know the secrets you could easily have the whole lot written and on sale within a year or two.
11. Writing quickly buys you the freedom to write slowly!
Many writers enjoy the luxury of taking their time over their books. They like to let their characters find their own way without following any kind of outline, and if things don't work out they can scrap it and backtrack. They like to tinker endlessly with the text, rewrite it over and over, spend days finding the perfect word or phrase, try out different writing styles, and so on. But this really is a luxury, and something you can only do if you have another source of income. If you want to write like that, my suggestion would be to learn how to write books quickly, get several books out in the marketplace earning you money, and then use that money to fund your more leisurely writing.
12. There's no time to get bored
Thousands of people start writing a book each year, but most never finish it -or even get close to finishing. Why? Simply because it takes so long that they get bored with it and want their social lives back. The story might actually be an excellent one, the writing insightful and the characters compelling. But the world will never know. If they knew about the fast way to write their books, they'd get their books finished, they'd enjoy writing them, and there wouldn't be time to get bored - and they might even write some more!
By now I'm sure you're eager to learn the fastest ways to write great books, as well as how to come up with good ideas, combine them into a workable outline, edit your books quickly, and how to sell them - while avoiding writers block, finding plenty of time to write, and perhaps even persuading other people to do some of the work for you. This entertaining, inspiring and very readable book tells you exactly how to do it: The Fastest Way to Write Your Book - available in paperback or e-book from www.ideas4writers.co.uk (Be sure to check out the reviews!)
Dave Haslett is the founder of ideas4writers.co.uk (the ideas and inspiration website), and i4w2.co.uk (the award-winning ethical publishing service).
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
Writing Books For the Children - How to Get Ideas and Inspiration
Writing an engaging story for young readers means you need to create a world that's going to hold their interest and characters they are going to relate to. So where can you get your ideas from? We talk to successful children's book author, Anna Fienberg, about drawing from her own life - and how you can tap into your imagination.
Nearly all of Anna's books have been listed as Notable Books by the Children's Book Council. Anna's most recent book for older readers is called Number Eight, about a boy with a passion for even numbers and who despises odd numbers.
She admits that it's partly based on her son. "He particularly loves the number eight," says Anna. "Very often... if he was chewing, he'd have to chew twice on one side and twice on the other and have to count his peas on his plate before he ate them and so on. And so everything took quite a while but I'm glad to say he seems to be over this now."
Drawing on fairytales
Anna is most known for her Tashi series of books. There are now 15 in the series; the latest is called "Tashi and the Phoenix". Anna says she often draws on fairytales which influence the adventures of her lead character Tashi. "I think they actually they do draw on fairytales quite often," says Anna. "There's such a rich variety there you know to look at and interpret in new ways. So I think we all in some ways rewrite ideas according to our own world. For instance, I love that character of the evil grandma from Russian and Czech and Polish fairytales. And the Forbidden Room was actually based on Bluebeard and The Magic Flute, where the stranger comes to town and there's a locust plague.
"Fairytales, although they're fantasy, they obviously really highlight real human dramas and conflicts, don't they?"
However, inspiration doesn't only come from fairytales. It can also come from real life. "I remember Tashi Lost in the City came quite directly from the day when my son was about eight and he was lost just for seven minutes at Darling Harbor but it was the most horrifying seven minutes I think of my life... You sometimes tend to work out your angst through stories."
A difficult journey
While many people think that writing for younger readers is all "sweetness and light", it can also be a difficult and dark process. That's what Anna experienced when she wrote Borrowed Light, about a 16-year-old girl who falls pregnant and feels alienated from her family. It was her first young adult book.
"That was actually a really difficult book to write," she says. "I really wanted to write about adolescence and that search for self... I tend to write from the inside... so you push yourself there and I was back at... being 16 and thinking about how it felt, how life felt at that stage. I'd written mainly fantasy before then but I wanted to write a real-life story. But I just couldn't find my way in or out of that you know rather gloomy place."
While this book was anchored in angst and real life, many of Anna's books include magical ideas and experiences. "I think magic, for me, has always felt very much like the dream world," she says. "I love the way it's a more Freudian look at [the world]. You might be dreaming about the sole of your shoe but really it's your soul. I feel that magic and fairytales and so on are weighty with symbols - like dreams are. And so, in a sense, I think I have used symbols of my own dreams - and what I've read and think about - to relate to the character's real-life experiences. I try to get them to reflect that."
Living in the world you have created
When you're inhabiting the world of the character you've created, it can be disappointing when the world finally ends - when you've finally completed your story. Anna says she craves discovering and inhabiting the next world in her writing. "I read about writers saying that while they're writing one book they've got ideas for the next," she says. "[But] I have long periods of drought in between the major novels. You know, I'm still grieving for the last and thinking about the next - but it's so wonderful when it arrives you know.
"It is like falling in love. You know when you've seen someone at a bus stop you know and you're sort of looking at their face - and you know your world's going to change you know. Well it's a bit like that. It drops out of nowhere. And I'll just know."
As a profilic writer, Anna understands the importance of discipline when it comes to her craft. However, she also has some unexpected rituals in her writing routine. "I always thought I had to wipe down the kitchen sink; that was really important; and have things in order you know. Because otherwise I feel chaotic and I've left things in a mess before I go into this other world," Anna confesses. "It's a bit of a ritual with the kitchen sink and now I walk my dog too. The act of walking is lovely actually. It frees you, it's almost like a passage from the real world into the imaginary world."
Be kind to yourself
For aspiring writers, Anna says "be kind to yourself". "I feel like I've spent years with this critical voice on my shoulders saying you know, 'Call that a sentence? Why do you even bother writing for?'
"I think writing's a bit like dreaming while you're awake and you need to do the dream in order to then have the material there. And there's the excitement and the discovery of editing it back into shape and so on. And if that editor on your shoulder comes in too much and too strongly, it can really inhibit that flow and the whole reason for writing."
About the author: Valerie Khoo is director of the Sydney Writers' Centre - one of the world's leading centres for writing training. You can learn in person or online here: http://www.sydneywriterscentre.com.au/ To find out more on how you can learn about how to write children's books through our online courses, visit here: http://www.writingchildrensbooks.com.au/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Valerie_Khoo
Nearly all of Anna's books have been listed as Notable Books by the Children's Book Council. Anna's most recent book for older readers is called Number Eight, about a boy with a passion for even numbers and who despises odd numbers.
She admits that it's partly based on her son. "He particularly loves the number eight," says Anna. "Very often... if he was chewing, he'd have to chew twice on one side and twice on the other and have to count his peas on his plate before he ate them and so on. And so everything took quite a while but I'm glad to say he seems to be over this now."
Drawing on fairytales
Anna is most known for her Tashi series of books. There are now 15 in the series; the latest is called "Tashi and the Phoenix". Anna says she often draws on fairytales which influence the adventures of her lead character Tashi. "I think they actually they do draw on fairytales quite often," says Anna. "There's such a rich variety there you know to look at and interpret in new ways. So I think we all in some ways rewrite ideas according to our own world. For instance, I love that character of the evil grandma from Russian and Czech and Polish fairytales. And the Forbidden Room was actually based on Bluebeard and The Magic Flute, where the stranger comes to town and there's a locust plague.
"Fairytales, although they're fantasy, they obviously really highlight real human dramas and conflicts, don't they?"
However, inspiration doesn't only come from fairytales. It can also come from real life. "I remember Tashi Lost in the City came quite directly from the day when my son was about eight and he was lost just for seven minutes at Darling Harbor but it was the most horrifying seven minutes I think of my life... You sometimes tend to work out your angst through stories."
A difficult journey
While many people think that writing for younger readers is all "sweetness and light", it can also be a difficult and dark process. That's what Anna experienced when she wrote Borrowed Light, about a 16-year-old girl who falls pregnant and feels alienated from her family. It was her first young adult book.
"That was actually a really difficult book to write," she says. "I really wanted to write about adolescence and that search for self... I tend to write from the inside... so you push yourself there and I was back at... being 16 and thinking about how it felt, how life felt at that stage. I'd written mainly fantasy before then but I wanted to write a real-life story. But I just couldn't find my way in or out of that you know rather gloomy place."
While this book was anchored in angst and real life, many of Anna's books include magical ideas and experiences. "I think magic, for me, has always felt very much like the dream world," she says. "I love the way it's a more Freudian look at [the world]. You might be dreaming about the sole of your shoe but really it's your soul. I feel that magic and fairytales and so on are weighty with symbols - like dreams are. And so, in a sense, I think I have used symbols of my own dreams - and what I've read and think about - to relate to the character's real-life experiences. I try to get them to reflect that."
Living in the world you have created
When you're inhabiting the world of the character you've created, it can be disappointing when the world finally ends - when you've finally completed your story. Anna says she craves discovering and inhabiting the next world in her writing. "I read about writers saying that while they're writing one book they've got ideas for the next," she says. "[But] I have long periods of drought in between the major novels. You know, I'm still grieving for the last and thinking about the next - but it's so wonderful when it arrives you know.
"It is like falling in love. You know when you've seen someone at a bus stop you know and you're sort of looking at their face - and you know your world's going to change you know. Well it's a bit like that. It drops out of nowhere. And I'll just know."
As a profilic writer, Anna understands the importance of discipline when it comes to her craft. However, she also has some unexpected rituals in her writing routine. "I always thought I had to wipe down the kitchen sink; that was really important; and have things in order you know. Because otherwise I feel chaotic and I've left things in a mess before I go into this other world," Anna confesses. "It's a bit of a ritual with the kitchen sink and now I walk my dog too. The act of walking is lovely actually. It frees you, it's almost like a passage from the real world into the imaginary world."
Be kind to yourself
For aspiring writers, Anna says "be kind to yourself". "I feel like I've spent years with this critical voice on my shoulders saying you know, 'Call that a sentence? Why do you even bother writing for?'
"I think writing's a bit like dreaming while you're awake and you need to do the dream in order to then have the material there. And there's the excitement and the discovery of editing it back into shape and so on. And if that editor on your shoulder comes in too much and too strongly, it can really inhibit that flow and the whole reason for writing."
About the author: Valerie Khoo is director of the Sydney Writers' Centre - one of the world's leading centres for writing training. You can learn in person or online here: http://www.sydneywriterscentre.com.au/ To find out more on how you can learn about how to write children's books through our online courses, visit here: http://www.writingchildrensbooks.com.au/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Valerie_Khoo
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
