Frequently Asked Questions

How do you become a writer?

1. Write a lot! Keep a journal. Write every day. You have to like to write if you want to be a writer. That’s the difference between wanting to be a writer or just longing to be an *author*.
2. Read, Read, Read. Most writers are addicted readers. Read widely, try every age group and genre (category) and see what you like best. That’s a good guide to know what you might like to try writing yourself.
3. Take Writing Classes. A good teacher can give you skills and information on writing and publishing that are invaluable. The first story I ever sold to a magazine was an assignment I had in a writing class!
4. Consider various writing careers. Journalism, Newspaper jobs, Newsletters, Technical writing, Editorial work, English Teacher, Librarian. The skills you learn in these careers can give you a head start when it comes time to write your own great novel!
5. Determination, Patience, and Perseverance. You need a lot of all three of these elements in your life! Many good writers fail to ever publish because they lack one of these characteristics. Have faith in yourself to keep learning, to keep improving your writing skills, and then you must never give up! Rejection letters from publishers are part of every writer’s life, even the best-selling authors!
6. Join a writer’s group or a critique group. Working in isolation can be discouraging and lonely, and sometimes writers need feedback to know what’s working well in a piece of writing or what’s not working and still needs polish. If you don’t have a writer’s group try reading your own work out loud or tape yourself and then listen to it. You’ll catch lots of things that can be improved.
7. Set your goals – then Dream Big!!! If you don’t have specific goals and a vision of what your own dreams are, they probably won’t come true. Every night before I went to sleep I pictured myself having a book published and I resolved that it would come true one day. It took many years, but it did happen!