There's only one person who can answer that, and it's you! Firstly, it has to be said that self publishing is not the easy way out and it's not just for authors who have been rejected by agents and traditional publishers. That being said, anyone can - and does - self publish which means you have to do something to make sure your book is good enough to rise to the top of the pile. And to start with, you need a good story! Once you've got that, edit [...]
Throughout my life I have always been told how to write. Throughout elementary I always had a teacher telling me the wrong way to write. Writing was, to me, frustrating, boring, and pointless. Jump forward to Jr. High & High School. It was in these years that i started getting my own voice. I was told to write essays and book reports but to use my own words to describe everything. Although I was given some freedom it still wasn’t enough to motivate me to write on my [...]
If you are thinking about writing a story, maybe a full length novel, then I hope I can help inspire you. I've looked back at the experiences I've had between now, and when I was a kid, and compared it to some other people's experiences, and I think I have five tips, which honestly, I think other people have shared with me from time to time, which will help you. They can help you write a better story to share with others, whether it is your own life [...]
Self-editing is a double-edged sword that will certainly test not only the mettle, but the integrity of an author on many levels. To self-edit your own work, you must be prepared to be your own best and worst critic. That means reading your work over and over to the point where you can see the words dancing in your head when you are doing things not related to your editing. When that happens, you will see the good, the bad, the ugly, and the otherwise that you feel [...]
We all know that in order to be a good writer you need to write. The question is how many words a day is a good day, or how long should I write? Everyone is different and there’s no magic number. You have to find your spot and go from there. If you’re in the moment and find that the words are flowing then why would you stop? Keep going. I try and write at least 8-10 hours a day. That’s normal for me but if you’re a [...]
You are well on your way to completing the first draft of your manuscript. You may even have it completed. Now, you ask yourself, “Do I really need an editor? After all, I wrote it and I know what it’s supposed to say.” Did you know it is nearly impossible to catch all of your own mistakes? Yup. Just because your brain knew what you meant to say, doesn't mean it’s actually what made it to the page. That means you need some outside editing help. But what [...]
According to the dictionary, to critique something is to give your opinion and observations. If you are a member of a writing group that offers critiques, you can expect to hear a variety of opinions about your work. This is a good thing, as you want to know how readers are reacting to your writing. What you should not expect, however, is an edit of your writing. I have heard writers complain about critique groups because the members of the group did not understand what critique meant. Sometimes [...]
April is recognized as poetry month and poetry itself has many defining moments in its history. That is recognized in many languages too. The earliest well known poems are anonymous British verse like the late 14th century Middle English piece, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and also the Old English heroic epic poem, “Beowulf” which is now most widely understood than ever since Gaelic writer, Seamus Heaney, translated it into more approachable and understandable verse. Many of the earliest poems weren’t even written out in printable form, [...]
If you’re reading this you’re probably an author, or at least you want to be. I bet you have wondered how you get there. How do you go from wanting to be a writer to being an author with your name on the cover of a book? How do you get to wear one of those t-shirts that says “Ask Me About My Book – Published Author.” Don’t you need to know what you’re doing? Don’t you need a college education? Don’t you need a history of writing [...]
I think this question has been asked to every author at every book signing, literary event and convention since time immemorial. But it is an honest inquiry. Why do authors choose to do this? What was the first spark? Personally, I started writing when I was a kid. I remember going to the movies and left wondering what happened after the lights came up. Did they all really live happily ever after? What about the bad guys? Did the surviving ones see the error of their ways? So, [...]