Published: What They Don't Tell You In English Class

Study Your Craft And Read A LOT

You're motivated. Ready! But... where do you start?

First, I think it's critical to understand your craft and your market. 

In order to understand your craft, you're going to have to write. A lot. 

Don't be discouraged when you feel great after finishing your first draft and someone (maybe an editor) tells you that it is, more or less, terrible.

Chances are, it probably is. Never fear–storytelling is an art that improves over time. Looking back, I'm not afraid to tell you. My first manuscript was doggie poop and smelled like it, too. (I just couldn't see that at the time.) But, I took the nuts and bolts from the story after my voice developed and, voila, it's lovely after a second draft. 

If you're going to write, you have to let go of the need to be perfect. Just write. You'll learn.

Some books to help you learn your craft:

1) Writing Fiction For Dummies - Randy Ingermanson

2) Techniques Of The Selling Writer - Dwight Swain

There are a ton of other books on writing craft out there, but as far as I'm concerned, they're a waste of money compared to these two.

Next, learn your market. I'm still learning a lot of this myself. 

 It's critical for all aspiring authors to understand that publishing is a business. If a publisher chooses to print your book, they're taking a huge risk that they won't make a profit on your debut book. Hence it's so difficult for new authors to land a traditional book deal. And some writers don't even want a traditional book deal. That's why it's critical to know your options and figure out what's out there.

You write Young Adult (YA)? Then read all the best-selling YA stories you can. 

It should be like this for any genre. Publishing is a competitive business, and you, aspiring author, raise your chances of success if you know what's out there. Don't be ignorant when you approach editors and agents.

As if I haven't created a long enough aspiring author check list, check out these additional things that really benefited me:

1) Make connections with people. You'll find that if you genuinely want to learn and grow, people will want to help you. Always be ready to ask, "How can I get better?" But also remember that agents, editors, publishers–they're busy people, just like you, and sometimes they won't have time to give you feedback. That's okay!

2) Which is why it's important to develop a thick skin. Realize it now–you can't make everyone happy. Not everyone will love your writing or care about what you have to say. But someone will, and I promise, even if there's only one person who lets you know you made a difference in their life, it'll mean the world to you. All that criticism and rejection will suddenly be worth it.

3) Join a critique group/local group of writers. You'll make some great friends and find encouragement when you need it!

4) Invest in Publisher's Weekly, Writer's Digest, Writer's Market, and Writer's Digest University courses that interest you. If this is your dream, fight for it. Don't let the flame die. For me personally, my Writer's Market subscription came as a bonus with a manuscript (MS) critique course with an agent that I chose to take through Writer's Digest University. (It was one of the much pricier classes at $200, but I've never once said I regretted it. In fact, just the opposite. I'd have regretted NOT taking it, because it gave me the push I needed to publish Chase.)

5) Ever thought of flash fiction? There are some great sources out there that give you feedback and build your audience, don't take much of your time, and it's FREE. (Not to mention way too much fun.) Sometimes you can even win prizes. Look for Visual Verse, Spelk, Mini Bookends, Three Line Thursday... Some of these competitions come and go quickly, so you might have to ask Google. Writing flash fiction is an excellent way to master story structure.

Remember, all of this is helping you with the NUMBER ONE THING publishers want...

That awesome, bone-chilling, seat-gripping story. At the point of submission, your manuscript (MS) should be as flawless as possible. If you're a part of critique groups, get their help. If you feel like you'd benefit from hiring an editor to help you get started, invest.  See if you can get some friends to be beta readers for you. (That just means they're reading your first draft for plot hiccups and they don't have to be professionals.)  As I once heard it said to me, "This [story] is your future. This is YOU. Don't skimp on you."

A note about using Wattpad for beta readers: I do very much consider Wattpad a great place to get beta readers. The risk with using Wattpad is that if you want to publish traditionally and don't end up getting an offer through Wattpad, then your work can be considered "previously published," which could easily cause an agent or editor to refuse your work. However, if you're going to self publish, then Wattpad could be a great jump start for your story, and you wouldn't have to worry about it being previously published because you're in charge of all of that.

Wherever you find yourself on your journey, remember that you have two appetites. You can feed I-Want-To-Be-An-Author, or I'm-Not-An-Author. 

This is your dream, and you're worth the time and investment. Believe in yourself and don't give up.

*~*

Questions? I'd love to write a section addressing someone's question... Don't be shy. :)

Here are some things I'm thinking of saying next:

1) How to find agents/editors to submit to, and how to do it wisely so you don't get cheated. (There are a TON of scandals out there.)

2) Twitter pitch fests - meaning you tweet the story of your book in 140 characters and see if an editor or agent picks you up.

3) The different types of publishing - traditional, self, hybrid...

What say you?