Fame1977 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Does anyone have any advice on how to be an author? I have ideas. And I know how to organize. And have been on the internet. to find other ideas. This is going to sound bad, but how do you start? I mean anytime I start writing it sounds like a stream of consciousness. I want to get away from that, or do I start with that and massive edit? Please help. Link to comment
mhowe Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Take a writers workshop. Because writing is a discipline...not a stream of consciousness. That is a diary. Link to comment
Fame1977 Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Thank you. I have written things before, and everyone says I'm good at it. Link to comment
mhowe Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 I didn't say you weren't good at it. I said it is a discipline and there are in fact "rules" that need to be followed if you want to be published. Link to comment
Liraele Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Pinterest has tons of author-friendly pins and how-tos. Join groups on LinkedIn. (Aspiring Writers is one that I'm a member of, for example.) Write. Practice. Write some more. Edit. Edit more. Edit EVEN MORE. It is a discipline, true. It's also one of those things that you have to sit your butt down and do. Find your voice. Find your niche. Write what you love. Read. A lot. Both what you want to write and things that are completely unrelated to it. Participate in writing competitions, especially those that will give you feedback. Don't be discouraged by rejection. (This one is big.) Not everyone who wants to write is going to be super at it... but you can improve, and you can grow as a writer, and you can get better for it even if you never get published. Link to comment
Fame1977 Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 I wasn't arguing. I was stating a completely unrelated thing. I understand the "rules" as well. I just haven't the discipline part of it down yet. That's where I'm getting lost. Does a workshop teach discipline? I was more inclined to believe that they teach how to get published and the details about writing the buck like character development. Link to comment
mhowe Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 They teach everything....but the discipline is up to you! Set a time. If you have to leave the house and go to a library or coffee shop. And it doesn't matter WHAT you write. It matters THAT you write. Link to comment
Liraele Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 People can try to teach you discipline, but ultimately it is up to you. I wouldn't necessarily want to pay someone for that. There are a bunch of websites that encourage you to write a certain # of words per day... if motivation is your issue, maybe joining one of those would help. Getting into the practice of writing regularly is sometimes the hardest part (it is for me, anyway.) link removed is one example. Link to comment
Fame1977 Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 I did Nanowrimo one year, that was pretty awesome finishing that. I need that channeled into complete discipline. Link to comment
Liraele Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Yes, I have done that also. It is a pretty awesome feeling. Link to comment
Liraele Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Oh oh oh. You might start a blog, too. It makes for good practice. You don't have to write about writing... but you can. Write about anything you want. Link to comment
Fame1977 Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 I'm on the right track. I'm outlining the first chapter. And I am told a key is to write down anything that strikes you as a good idea. Link to comment
Liraele Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Yeah, that's a good habit. It's frustrating to have an a-ha moment about a good story... and then be unable to recall the idea later. Link to comment
journeynow Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Join a writing group that meets regularly to share and critique each other's writing. I know a number of authors and writers who do this. Blog, and post regularly. Helps with discipline. Some published authors started out as bloggers, their blogs became popular, and they ended up compiling posts into printed books. (examples are Leo Babauta, Chris Guillebeau, and perhaps Seth Godin) Liraele is absolutely right: " Write. Practice. Write some more. Edit. Edit more. Edit EVEN MORE." Write a lot, and edit, edit, edit. Good editing skills are very important. Starting out, it may be stream of consciousness writing, but then you edit, edit, edit. Eventually you'll gain some self-editing and self-organizing skills. You could also use mind-mapping to organize your thoughts before starting your writing. If you are on LinkedIn join one of their writing groups and participate in discussions. Some books that might help: "Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life” by Anne Lamott “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” by Stephen King “Writing Down the Bones” by Natalie Goldberg “If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit" by Brenda Ueland "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk Keep reading great literature that has stood the test of time. Link to comment
journeynow Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 This is going to sound bad, but how do you start? I mean anytime I start writing it sounds like a stream of consciousness. I want to get away from that, or do I start with that and massive edit? Please help. Read the "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. She is a successful writer (books and screenplays) and recommends doing stream of consciousness writing first thing every morning, first thing, for 3 full pages. Not necessarily for editing or refining later, but to get the flow going and the jumble out of your head and to help clear your thoughts. The book has been around for a long time and is a classic. Link to comment
Liraele Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I would add to the editing - have other people edit for you, too. I do some freelance editing, so I am fairly good at it in the general sense. I suck at editing my own writing. Just sayin'. Link to comment
Fame1977 Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 Thank you for the advice. I got started the other day and I'm 390 words into it. It doesn't seem like a lot, but it's a start. I plan on finishing chapter one this weekend. I don't know if you guys help with this as well, but I have this idea (read: big moment in book) and cannot decide what happens next, and I cant decide on an ending. Do you have suggestions on moving plot along ans well as choosing endings? Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.