Eeek. Beginning writers, I still feel
like I’m there a lot of days. So I'm going to do my best to share with you the things
I’ve learned from the mistakes that I made in the very beginning. This is in no
particular order, number 1 is not more important than number 5.
1. Don’t think that your family can
actually help you edit or beta read your work. They will lie through their
teeth about how good it is because they love you. Trust me on this one. They
don’t want to hurt your feelings, so they will do their best to sugar coat
everything they say.
2. Plot your books! I have heard so many
times people say things like “Oh, I don’t plot, the characters just take me
where they take me.” Here’s the thing. I was like that, I had twenty five
novels started, not one of them finished. Because when I got to the middle and
I had no plot to work from, I got stuck and started a new idea. Sound familiar?
So start plotting, even if it’s only a beginning, middle and end, that will
give you a path to follow.
3. Please don’t think you are artist enough
to do your own cover art (this is for Indie authors) You aren’t. And that’s
okay, your talent is writing, focus on that. A cover can literally make or
break your book, and yes, I did learn this the very hard way. Once I got my
cover done right, my sales jumped to a degree I could have only hoped for.
4. Along with number 3. If you are self
publishing, allow others to work for you. Hire people to do the jobs that you
don’t know, or can’t do. If you think
that you can do it all, and do it well, you’re fooling yourself.
5. Don’t whine and complain that you can’t
afford an editor. You cannot afford NOT to have an editor. They are essential
to your success as an author, they will teach you things about your writing
that you never knew. Like using the word “palatable” in every single chapter.
Or using adverbs like Clearly, heavily, scarily, pushily. They will help you
grow and they will help you make sure your ms is polished so that readers don’t
want to throw it across the room because “Ooops” you forgot about the plot
thread.
6. If you are going the traditional route
and are going to query editors and agents, LEARN THE RULES OF THE QUERY. The
fastest way to get booted out of an agent’s potential list is to not pay
attention to the details. Do your research, and then have your query read by a
few people before sending it off. I went the traditional route prior to self
publishing, I landed an agent, in this, please trust me.
Okay, those are six points that I think
every green, new, wet behind the ears author needs to take into account. Not
that they are all the mistakes I made *clears throat* , but some of the bigger ones I tried on for size at least once. LOL.
4 comments:
*grinning in an unmanly manner*
Very few Indies follow these rules.
I think I am in good company.
Hmm...maybe that's why I don't get past chapter three in a majority of the Indies I read.
One problem I whine about every day...I read books edited 'professionally' that look unedited. There are too many editors out there who really aren't.
(Mac, stop now before you really rant and ramble)
- Mac
I can't agree more with point 5 above, although I also note the comment above from Mac that too many editors exist who really aren't, and he's right. I've come across writers who think THEY can edit because they've been edited, or done beta reading. It annoyed me so much I did a whole blog post on it. For the same reason you've said writers need an editor, writers can't BE the editor for another writer - wriyers can't be good at everything, and editing, PROFESSIONAL editing, is a whole other skill set. But it'sincumbent upon the writer to do their research and choose a quality, professional editor the same as they would research agents if going the traditional route.
Tony the Tiger would commend this post!
There are tens-of-thousands of "writers," thousands of good writers, hundreds of great writers and a handful of masterful writers. Why so many feel their works are above or beyond a thorough editing process is beyond me. I think people expect that they are going to sit down and churn out the world's next masterpiece on one draft sometimes. Yikes! Patience and persistence, y'all!
As for the cover art, this seems to be just as bad if not worse a culprit in the no-no department. I wrote a post last week about this (my mobile device won't post the link but it is hosted at http://amschultz.com) subject and threw a few mock "stinker" covers up. Kudos to those who go through the proper channels to make their works truly stand out. People should judge a book by its content, and they will inevitably judge it by it's cover before that.
If a book is worth writing, it is worth perfecting.
-A.M.
http://amschultz.com
Thank you for your comments. And I agree and will have to ammend in a later post that not all editors are created equal. In fact, I think I've got at least 3 wild stories about that . . .
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