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When I started writing or better yet finished my first manuscript, I had a slew of questions from what to do next, where to start, to how was I going to know if I would be taken? What I would like to do here is to answer these questions and more from my perspective and experience. The first and most important piece of information is that my answers are my personal opinions and experience. There are many roads that will carry you to the same destination. You may choose which road or even the type of transportation you would like use. Many times in my early writing career, I wanted to know too much information. The old adage you eat and elephant one bite at a time is very apropos to becoming a published author. What do I mean? Let’s start at the beginning... How did I get started? To misquote Nike - Just Write It! I highly recommend just sitting down and writing or typing whichever works best for you. I personally like to compose on a computer, but I have many friends who prefer pen to paper. Whatever works for you is the correct way. You might be wondering why I state something that seems so logical, but there are many who feel they can’t start until they believe they know more. There’s always more to know and then there’s too much and it can become paralyzing. Therefore the advice - just write it! The many rules and details of writing will become a part of your everyday life and for some can stifle the creative spirit. Having a background in science, I came into writing without any preconceived ideas or constrictions and I am forever grateful. Knowing nothing I wrote three manuscripts in a year and a half. Without knowing better once I finished one, I went right on to finish another. Without knowing too much I was not overwhelmed or intimidated by the immense amount of information I would soon come to know. My personal opinion, I don’t believe you need much more than an idea. Once the story is written you can always revise, edit and improve. Always remember you can’t edit a blank page. Even a poorly written story is a start. Let’s jump ahead - the manuscripts are done, now what? Edit and revise. As an author, this is now your life. But how, you may ask? If I don’t know what makes a manuscript publishable, or better, how can I fix it? There are a lot of avenues for the best way to polish your work. I’m going to start with the path I chose. Once I had written a couple of manuscripts, I read that Nora Roberts was having a book signing. Since I was working on romantic suspense stories, I thought she would be the perfect person to ask. Determined to learn more, I went ready with questions. While she signed the books I purchased (I felt it was the least I could do since I was asking for free information), she recommended I join her local writer’s group, the Washington Romance Writers and the national association Romance Writers of America. Both were excellent decisions. At my first writer’s meeting a met so many great writers at various levels in their career and within two meetings I found a critique partner. We immediately started working and learning together. I went to writer’s workshops, seminars, classes and conferences all the while continuing to write and work with my new critique partner. Within in a few months the partnership became a group of six writers, one published and the rest of us reverently learning. With the help of the other writers my writing improved so much within a year I was getting recognized in national writing contests. Other ways of improving could be to choose a book doctor or freelance editor. This was not my road of choice, but it is a viable option. There is a cost involved in this process and that may or may not play into your decision. My only recommendation is to do your homework. I have seen highly recommended freelance editors give erroneous advice to some writers. Make sure the person who chose to hire understands the genre you are writing and therefore makes suggestions that are appropriate. For instance, I write romantic suspense, which is a fast paced genre usually having multiple points of view. An inappropriate suggestion would be to add long lengthy narrative chunks to the story. That’s an over exaggeration, but I’m hoping you get the idea. Having been a reader before becoming a writer, I knew what I like to read so naturally I wanted to write the same. When I completed my first manuscript, I realized that what I thought I knew inherently as correct writing was not necessarily so. However because I chose the critique group route, I had numerous opinions. When a majority of the group agreed something was wrong that’s when I would admit it was a flow in my writing skill and it needed to be improved. The contests I entered also offered multiple opinions and this cemented the areas I was excelling in and the areas that needed to be improved. My journey to becoming published wasn’t an easy one and I had to withstand a ton of rejections, but it is all worth it. Next will explore the world of queries and contests. What’s a writer to do?
Have questions about reading, writing, how to get published or anything in between? Don't hesitate to contact Terri at: Terri@TARidgell.com.
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How I Got Published - Famous Authors Tell You in Their Own Words - A collection of stories from numerous authors on how they got published. You will find Terri’s personal account on page 320. A great resource for writer’s and a fun read for readers.
Associations Mystery/Suspense Kiss of Death Chapter Writing Related
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Copyright Terri Ann Ridgell
2007 | Site by
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