Writer's Disclaimer #1: All this is my opinion, based on my own experiences and tendencies. Your results may vary. Check for colorfastness before use.
For years, I tried to make the "For Writers" section a clean, clear and organized area of the site, with a table of contents and a logical arrangement that suggested forethought and planning, but the fact is... my brain doesn't work that way. When it comes to writing, I am not organized, logical or particularly into planning.
My number one piece of advice to would-be writers is, "Write first. Edit later." When I'm editing, rewriting and revising, I plan like crazy. I outline, I make notes, I draw plot diagrams. My first drafts, on the other hand, are messy, seat-of-the-pants affairs. I have been trying to make the section on writing a final draft, and forgetting my own advice. Write first.
Welcome to the writing blog. You may use the archive to the right to navigate between pages, which will appear whenever I am inspired to cover them.
Frequently asked questions I would most like to eventually answer here include:
- "What made you decide to become a writer?" (DONE!)
- "What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?"
- "How do you start a novel?"
- "How do you finish a novel?"
- "What do you think of NaNoWriMo?"
- "How do you edit a novel?"
- "Will you read my writing?"
- "How did you get published?" (DONE!)
Note that "How do you publish a novel?" is not on the FAQ list. This isn't because I don't get the question a lot; it is because I don't have a good answer, beyond: "Do research. Don't trust any one source. There are no quick, guaranteed ways to be successful in publishing. Reputable agents take a percentage; real publishers pay you, not the other way around. Self-publishing isn't evil, and may be the way to go for some people, but if your writing is the kind of thing your normally see on the shelves at Barnes & Noble, self-publishing is probably not the way to start. Don't let people take advantage of you. DO YOUR RESEARCH." There is a little more detail covered in the Publishing part of "my story," but that's the summary.
That said, this section will be dedicated to the process of writing and revising, not publishing or publicity (probably- no promises). If you can't find what you're looking for here, you should check out the writing group on the message board for many more tips, as well as a place to chat, rant, or gossip.
