My Take on Writing

On a regular basis I get messages from readers asking for tips or advice on writing. I've found myself saying a lot of the same stuff over and over. So, I thought if I wrote some of this stuff down, when new people ask I could just say, go read that thing I wrote. This would save me a lot of time...time that could be spent....(wait for it)....writing! Speaking of time...

Time

Writing takes time, a lot of time, so if you're not willing to put in the time, don't expect a lot of results, good results or a finished book. Everyone knows there are thousands of first chapters on Wattpad that have been abandoned. When someone asks me to read the start of their story and let them know if it's any good, and I go and they have like ten chapter 1's, that is a big red flag for me and I probably won't spend a lot of time or energy with them because they're not serious about writing. They don't have the drive or the staying power to complete anything.

I'm not saying that they won't ever and they should abandon writing, but they should think about if they're ready now or not. When I was 16 I was that one chapter starter, eventually I lost interest and didn't write again until 2 years ago (and no, I'm not telling you how many years were in between!).

Writing is great fun, but it's also tedious, hard work. Everyone can write a great scene, but the real talent can connect many great scenes cohesively and with continuity into a great book. That is the part that's hardest for me and I envy those writers that seem to do it with ease, and there are a lot of them here, some of whom I'm proud to call friends and whose example keeps me writing.

So we all struggle with it, but that's part of the job. But when you finish a book and click that 'completed' button, well, there's no better sense of accomplishment. Even just when I finish and post a chapter, there's that elated feeling. Writer's High. It's one of the best 'highs' there is. And it's why we write.

Will you read my book/help me?

I've had people come to me, telling me what a bad and horrible writer they are, they are the worst writer ever, but can I look at their book. This is really hard for me because I have really limited time with working full time, being in a relationship and a just a very busy life. There are a few writers I am very close to and who I am working with and it is truly something I enjoy. There is a little part of me that's a closet teacher/mentor and editor, so I wouldn't trade the time I spend working with those few people for anything. I also collaborate with a select few writers, again, really close friends and we've been supporting each other for a while. I love them! There is only so much of me to go around though, so when a stranger private message's me and asks me to read their story and give them ideas I get a little frustrated because I'm really bad at saying no. Some are very polite about it, some just outright ask without even a please and it comes off very rude and demanding. But the bottom-line is, if I did that for everyone who asked, I'd never get any of my own writing done, and ultimately, that's why I'm on wattpad.

The worst times are when the story is a genre I don't even like. I've gotten requests to read horror stories - I hate horror stories. Someone asked me to read their story and it was a fanfic about a Korean boy band I'd never heard of and it was apparent from the start that you had to know these guys intimately to understand the story. So I'll say it right here, my tastes are very singular :) (did you catch that reference?) For the most part I like boyxboy, some werewolf (especially if its boyxboy), some Sterek and a little bit of 1D and some boyxboy bdsm too (except the real abusive stuff, I'm not into anything with a lot of abuse). If your story doesn't fall into those genres I have a suggestion for you. It's how I started out when I was first writing a werewolf story on my old account. I joined one of the wattpad clubs that was devoted to werewolf stories. Writers in this club shared their books and gave each other feedback. It was really great because in the club, they highlighted 2 stories each week and the members read them and left comments. There are clubs for nearly every genre so it's a great way to start and get your book noticed.