CHAPTER CONTENTS
One: Writing
Two: Tools
for the Trade - Helpful Books
Three:
Capitalization, Compound Words, Numbers, and Parentheses
Four: Tricky
Words
Five: Points
of View, and Tense
Six: What
a Story Comprises
Seven : Story
Structure
Eight: Writing
Your Story
Nine:: Non-fiction
and Articles
Ten: Characters
and Their Development
Eleven: Writing
Dialogue
Twelve:
Writing Characters' Thoughts, and Other Punctuation
Thirteen: Things
to Avoid
Fourteen: Preparing
for Publication
Fifteen:
Being Published
Sixteen: Self-publishing,
Promoting and Marketing
Seventeen:
Conferences and Workshops
In Summary
Useful
Books Shopping List
Useful
Links
Poem by
Vin Francis: May Day Surprise
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- Sample Chapter
and Practice
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- Chapter One
- Writing
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- Writing,
especially creative writing, is an emotional sort
of thing to do and requires true personal
involvement. By that I mean, it will take up a
lot of time and require your commitment.
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- In my travels, I
meet people who tell me they would like to write
a book, and yet I know they never will. I would
be the last to censure them though because it's
easy to be a procrastinator, especially if you
write at home. There is always something to
clean, a meal to cook, or another load of laundry
to see to. For those of us who love the outdoors
or like gardening, nature is always beckoning.
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- If you have a
family, are a student, or work outside the home,
your available writing time will be curtailed.
Your social life can also be
distracting—it's so much easier to talk
about writing than actually sitting down to do
it.
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- So before you
begin, make the decision; do I really wish to do
this? Am I willing to give it the commitment it
deserves? If the answer is yes, then go ahead. If
your answer is no then perhaps you might look for
another vocation, because for many people who
write, what begins as a hobby becomes a vocation.
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- There are
natural-born writers, and there are writers who
are not. Some writers succeed, and some do
not—although defining writing success is
hard because it means different things to
different people. Whereas some people are
gratified after writing one book and will go onto
other things, others will continually strive to
reach their potential. For them, writing will
become a passion and they won't be able to get
enough of it.
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- No matter which
category you fit in, you will still need certain
attributes to reach your goal. These include
having persistence, being able to work hard, and
being self-disciplined. You also need to enjoy
solitude. If you own these personality traits,
you are half-way there.
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- A good knowledge
of the language you are writing in is also an
essential. If you lack in this area you can take
a course to brush up on your skills. There is
also plenty of help on the Internet (see Useful
Links at the end of the book).
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- Being an avid
reader is also a must. Whether you read paper
books or ebooks, or even listen to audio books,
paying attention while absorbing what you read
will help you create balance and form in your own
work. You can learn a lot from seasoned writers.
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- You will also need
to practice writing. For many writers, their
'overnight success' actually took ten years. This
is because everyone has to do an apprenticeship,
no matter which craft they attempt.
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- It's sometimes
difficult to give yourself time to write if you
have other commitments, but most writers agree
that it's good to have a regular writing routine
if you can arrange it, so that you can write
without interruption.
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- Establishing this time
might bring on a little guilt. In this world of
ours, where emphasis is placed on making money,
and where money equals worth, it isn't
unrealistic to feel guilty when pursuing creative
activities that don't create an income. Don't let
this stop you though, because without practice
you will never improve. And if you don't improve,
you won't reach the publishing stage, which is
when you will begin to make money.
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- In summary,
writing is not for the lazy or faint-hearted. It
takes patience, effort and stamina, and most of
all, persistence. Often, the only difference
between a wannabe author and a published author
is that the latter didn't give up!
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- Arrange your life
so that you have some regular writing time. Avoid
answering the phone or email at this time. Close
your door. Hang a notice on it that says Writer
at Work.
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- Being a writer is
like being a trapeze artist. No one gets right up
on a wire and swings effortlessly without hard
practice. Have expectations and set goals, but
not so high or so far that you can't achieve
them. Taking little steps is better than taking
no steps at all, and you're doing fine as long as
you keep heading in the right direction.
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- Begin thinking of
yourself as a writer, and you'll become one.
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- Practice One
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- To validate what
I've said—and what you are about to discover
for yourself when you begin to write—read
what other authors say about being a writer.
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- If you go to http://www.readersread.com/features/ you will find some
interviews with best-selling authors.
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- Or type 'author
interviews' into a search engine. Take particular
note of what an author says about any particular
stumbling blocks you might have personally.
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