Beth Greenslade's Blog, page 119

Realistic Ways To Make Money Writing

We’d all love to be bestselling authors, but let’s face it, trying to make money from writing books is a pretty tough business. For most writers relying on books sales as their income just isn’t feasible.

However, many writers don’t want for writing to simply be ‘just a hobby’. They want to write full time. So where do we find the balance?

Luckily there are plenty of ways to make money writing, and while they might not be as creative and exciting as being a published novelist, they will pay the bills and keep you doing what you love.

Here are some realistic ways to earn a living from your writing.

Articles

Writing articles for magazines, newspapers and other prominent publications is a great way of earning money through your writing, and it’s not as difficult as you might think. There are thousands of different publications out there – all of which need content every time they publish.

If you have a great story why not find a suitable publication and pitch your idea to the editor? If you have a particular interest or hobby use this to create useful, informative, engaging articles and find a magazine which specialises in that particular topic.

There are publications on almost any subject so use your interests and skills to help you land a great writing job! Remember article writing is a skill, and you need to make sure you do your research, follow submission guidelines and stick to any deadlines. If an editor rejects your suggestion it doesn’t mean you can’t come back with another one, so just keep trying and you could end up with a regular gig writing about something you are passionate about.

Blogs

Writing guest blogs for popular bloggers remains largely unpaid – though it is a good way to get exposure. However, there are some exceptions where bloggers remain on the lookout for good quality writers to join them and will pay handsomely in return. It’s also a good idea to think about writing your own blog. If yours starts to gain a following you’ll soon have advertisers asking if they can place adverts on your blog, or if you will mention/recommend their product in a piece – and they will be happy to pay a good price for the privilege.

Content creation

Many businesses are on the lookout for savvy content creators to write for them. The position could include writing anything from landing pages to press releases but will keep you writing, and will pay the bills too.

Creative writing

If writing anything other than fiction sounds unbearable to you, where are also plenty of opportunities to write short stories and even poetry and submit these to relevant publications. If accepted you can expect to be paid, and could even be asked to become a regular contributor!

If you are really serious about making a living writing these could be great ways to get you started. It may not feel as glamorous and dreamy as landing a juicy publishing contract but it will mean you can support yourself, continue to develop your skills as a writer, and still have time to work on your other creative projects as well. Now that’s got to be better than sitting in your office at your regular 9-5 daydreaming of a life as a writer? Right?!

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

The post Realistic Ways To Make Money Writing appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

The Step By Step Guide To Novel Writing

Writers have different opinions about what the hardest part of creating a novel is. Is it the editing stage, the point where you have to send it off to publishers, or is it the writing itself? Of course, each stage of your novel writing will throw up new challenges, and sometimes it can be hard to even get started in the first place!

Here are some simple steps to help you write a novel from the very beginning to the very end.

1.Decide what your book is about

Before you start writing you need to have an idea. It’s practically impossible to just sit down at your computer and start to write. So ask yourself this: what is my book going to be about? All you need is that single seed of an idea forming in your mind, and you can start to get going.

2. Write your plot, chapter by chapter

This is very important. While you might be excited to get writing, without plotting your novel you run the risk of getting halfway through and realising it has nowhere to go. You need to make sure your idea has legs. Start by writing a simple plot summary, then go into more depth. If you can get to the point where you have brief chapter outlines of your entire book you’ll not only feel more confident about your idea, you’ll also be much more inspired to get to the end. You’ll also never have one of those days where you try and write but simply can’t think of where your story is going! Of course, as you write your story may well change, and that’s OK, but knowing that you have a robust plot from the outset is a good idea.

3. Do your research

Love it or hate it, getting your research out of the way early is a good idea. Arguably some writers prefer to wait until they have finished their stories to then go back and check the facts and do their research – the danger of this is that you discover something which means you have to change a whole bunch of your text. Research early and then you’ll have all this great information and knowledge to make your novel feel believable from the outset.

4. Decide on your target reader

Who are you writing for? Who will buy your book when it’s finished? Decide on your target reader, write a little profile about them and stick it somewhere you can see when you write. Keeping your reader in mind throughout the writing process will help you write the kind of book that will sell.

5. Set targets

Set yourself writing targets. Word goals are the easiest to achieve. Make sure you challenge yourself but also be realistic about how much time you can spend writing your book each day. Make achieving your goals your absolute priority. No excuses.

6. Get early feedback

Get some feedback on early chapters of your novel from trusted friends or colleagues. If you prefer, try submitting your chapters to critique websites such as ‘You Write On’ where you will receive an unbiased, but fair critique of your work from other members of the site. This way you can go back and change things early on.

7. Edit

The editing stage of your work can be long and tedious, but it is completely necessary. It’s a good idea to go through your novel two or three times and get it in the best shape it possibly can be. If you can, then hire the services of a professional editor to make further adjustments before sending your book to publishers.

8. Submit

If you are going down the traditional publishing route it is now time to submit your work. The main considerations are ensuring that the publisher actually publishes the type of story yours is, writing a strong proposal letter that really sells your book, and following the submission guidelines precisely!

9. Expect rejection

Let’s face it, 99.9% of authors will get rejected. It doesn’t mean their work is not of merit. Rejection is all part of being a writer so be prepared for it and simply keep trying to find a publisher that fits you. Remember self-publishing is also a great way to get your book seen by the world, so you always have this option regardless.

10. Don’t stop writing

Just because you have finished your novel you can’t rest on your laurels! The more you write the better you’ll get so keep preserving and get cracking with your next great story!

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

The post The Step By Step Guide To Novel Writing appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

How to Send a Book to a Publisher

If you have finished your novel you will no doubt be considering what to do with it next. It may be that you decide to go straight down the self-publishing route, and want to get your book out there as soon as possible. However, for many authors the dream is to have their novel accepted by a publisher – and so preparing your manuscript to send to publishers is the next natural step.

Thoroughly understanding the process of sending your book to a publisher is important, and while different publishers require different things, there are some universal rules which you need to follow in order to give yourself the best chance of success.

Writing a Book Proposal

Your book proposal is your opportunity to sell your book to the publisher. They will expect you to have done some research into your genre and your target audience. You need to tell them why your book will appeal to them, and why people will buy it. Research books that are selling well in your genre and draw a comparison – but also explain why your book gives even more. You should be able to persuade that not only will fans of the genre want to pick up your book, but also that it has a unique pull, and fits into a niche that perhaps hasn’t been considered before.

Try asking yourself the following question:

Why is my book important? Be extremely self-critical. Agents and publishers need to be convinced. Imagine someone looking at you, shrugging and saying ‘so what? who cares?’ That’s what you are up against. You need to be persuasive.

Use your proposal to sell yourself too. Mention any qualifications or achievements, past publications, and impressive reviews. if you already have an established fan base or audience, let them know. If you have a solid social media following this is also worth pointing out, if you’ve got thousands of Twitter followers, or a popular blog for example – that is a lot of people who you can directly market your book to.

Include a title page with your name, address, and email. Then sum up your work in a single sentence. This is extremely tough. Finding that perfect sentence that captures the essence of your book may seem impossible, but keep working on it and you’ll get there.

Next you can include a more lengthy book description, but still only a couple of paragraphs long. Try going into a bookstore and reading the back of book covers in your genre to help inspire you.

Typically, your proposal should also include a synopsis and sample chapters from your manuscript. What is specifically required of you varies from publisher to publisher so it is important to make sure you read their submission guidelines thoroughly and then follow these to a T. You may not agree with all of them, but providing information that they did not ask for is a huge no-no and could risk your manuscript being thrown on the slush pile before it’s even been read.

Sending your book proposal

Always do your research before you send your book proposal to a particular publisher. Are they really right for you? You need to explain to them why they are a good fit, and why you have chosen them to sell your work. Remember nowadays many larger publishers require manuscripts to be sent via an agent, so if you want to see your work considered by the big guns you need to first land yourself an agent. Smaller, independent publishing houses are more likely to accept submissions directly from the author. There are plenty of websites and books which provide contact information for agents and publishers as well as other useful information such as the genre they read or publish.

Be strategic and organised when sending your manuscript. Make a list of all the publishers that are right for you and work through them. It is considered bad practice to send your manuscript to a huge number of publishers at the same time. However, because they often take over six months to get back to you, it is understandable that you don’t want to operate on a ‘one in one out’ policy. Pick three or four publishers to send to and then when you hear back from one, you can then send to another one, and so on.

If a publisher wants to see more

If you hear back from a publisher and they want to see your full manuscript this is very exciting. However, make sure you do everything you can to ensure that your book is in the best shape it can be. If you have an agent they will help you get your book into a good marketable condition. If you don’t, try employing the services of a professional book editor.

Remember, you only have one chance to impress. If a publisher asks for amendments then it’s important to keep an open mind. Only you know how much a publishing deal means to you, and only you know how much of your story you would be willing to change in order to make that happen. When your manuscript is ready, again it is important to format and submit it exactly as the publisher requests it. If you have gotten this far it would be a shame to fall at the final hurdle after all!

If you do get an offer from a publishing house, or (you never know) more than one, it is important to ensure the offer is right for you. It can be all too easy to sign everything away in the giddy excitement of actually having achieved your dream. But remember, this is a business deal and while you should be excited and enthusiastic, it is important to read through all the terms of the proposal and negotiate anything you are not comfortable with.

Sending a book proposal takes a lot of work, but doing it right is so worth it, and knowing you have done everything correctly means you can feel confident you have given yourself the very best chance of success.

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

The post How to Send a Book to a Publisher appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Should I Stick To one Genre?

As an author, there will come a point, probably after finishing your first novel, where you may think about whether you want to stick to the same genre of writing, or to branch out and decide to do something completely different.

Every time you start a new piece of work you will no doubt consider the genre you are writing in, and therefore, the kind of readers you are hoping to appeal to. You may have a genre that you feel completely passionate about and could never think about writing in any other way. Or you may be interested in experimenting with your writing and intrigued to research and discover other genres and try your hand at those.

When it comes to writing, experimenting with different genres has its pros and cons. Let’s take a look at them:

PRO’S

It’s fun

Experimenting with different genres can be lots of fun. You can let your imagination run wild, explore new techniques and styles and just see what happens. Providing you don’t put too much pressure on yourself this can be a great way to be creative.

You learn new things

New genres require different writing styles and therefore you have to learn new techniques. You can expand your writing repertoire and discover different ways to play with language that, even if you decide you don’t enjoy writing in that genre, you can bring to your writing in general, to surprise and excite your readers.

You might discover your niche

You might have always written summer romance novels, then you try your hand at a gothic horror and realise you write so much more effortlessly and passionately in this genre. If you don’t try, you might never discover that actually you were destined to be a bestseller in a genre you never considered before!

You read more

Writing in different genres requires you to read around them to understand more about the rules of that genre. Reading as much as you can will not only make you a better writer it can open you up to a whole new writing world too!

You surprise fans

Fans of your work may expect you to continue to come out with the same sort of writing every time you publish. Writing something completely different could surprise and delight your fans.

You reach out to a wider audience

Writing in different genres means it is more likely you will reach out to a wider audience, and your work will be read by more people.

CONS

You could disappoint your existing fans

If someone has read your book and enjoyed it they may well become a fan of your work. If they go on to buy your next book and it is written in a different genre they could feel disappointed, let down and betrayed by you. Your fans will have certain expectations, and if you don’t fulfil them you could risk losing them altogether.

If it ain’t broke…

If you are having success in a particular genre, you may wonder why you would even consider branching out and experimenting with another. You enjoy writing in this style, you love reading books in this genre, and your books are selling well – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

You don’t have to learn the new rules

Each genre has its own set of rules which will influence your story. If you stick to one genre you can learn the rules that work for that genre and focus on developing and refining your writing style within it. Spending time learning the rules and techniques to write in a different genre may end up feeling like a waste of time.

You might earn less money

People who keep switching genres are less likely to earn lots of money. Of course, there is no hard and fast rule around this, but there is some evidence to indicate that most writers tend to stick to one genre, build their fan base and become recognised for it – which is likely to lead to more book sales, and therefore more money in your pocket!

If you are curious to experiment with different genres of writing then, by all means, go for it. However, if you prefer to stick to your tried and tested methods that work for you, don’t feel the pressure to try writing in a different genre – writing should, above all be simply something that you love to do.

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

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Signs You Were Destined To Be A Writer

Do you know that you were just born to be a writer? Did you have the burning desire to write in your belly from a really young age? Are you unsure whether writing is the right path to you and want to feel more certain?

Writers are often filled with self-doubt, and when your writing isn’t going very well it can be easy to start to question yourself. Surely I should be published by now? Surely I should have finished my book by now? Surely I should feel more inspired to write by now?

The truth is that all writers go through periods of uncertainty, and, let’s face it if you are taking the time to read this article you obviously care enough about writing to spend your time doing so!

However, if you often find yourself pondering about whether you were truly meant to be a writer then ask yourself if you do any of the following?

Daydream about writing

Do you often find yourself daydreaming about your writing? Wondering what it would be like to be an award-winning novelist, a bestseller, a famous playwright, blogger or poet? If you fantasise about being a writer then chances are you were meant to be one.

Feel amazing when you sit down and write

For writers, there is no other feeling quite like sitting down and actually writing. Sure we doubt ourselves and we procrastinate like hell at times, but when we actually get down to it and write something we’re proud of, the feeling is exhilarating, satisfying and fills us with a deep sense of pride. Know what I am talking about? Then you’re a writer for sure.

Read all the time

Writers love to read. It’s where they get their inspiration, it’s how they learn. If you’ve always got your head stuck in a book, love reading a huge range of books, and get excited every time a book you’re reading gives you a new idea for your writing, this is a pretty good sign.

Get told what a vivid imagination you have

Are people always telling you you’ve got an amazing imagination? Do they love the way you tell stories, or make even the dullest activity seem exciting and full of magic? You’re clearly a natural born story teller and should use your talents to write!

Always create stories in your head

Do you find yourself walking along the street/ sitting on a train/ drifting off at night and suddenly you’re making up a story in your head? Writers find inspiration and ideas for stories wherever they go, and are always, whether consciously or not, on the lookout for new material.

Write in your free time

You give up your free time to write? Well, that makes you a writer in my book! Let’s face it, there are a million things you could be doing in your spare time to make your life a richer, more exciting and happier one. If you are choosing to use those precious hours to write it shows just how much you care.

Strive for perfection

Writers tend to be perfectionists – in fact, it is something we have to struggle to contend with to make sure we actually get anything done! If you are your own worst critic and can’t quite seem to let your writing be completely and truly ‘finished’ that’s a sign you are a true writer indeed!

Get nervous when other people read your work

Getting nervous about sharing our work doesn’t mean that our writing is bad, it just means that we are passionate about it and invested in it. If you can’t help but feel a little anxious every time you hand a piece of writing over (even if it’s only to your mom), that’s a sign that writing is for you.

At the end of the day, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to be a writer -whether you were destined to be one or not. But if you’ve got that fire in your belly, that drive, that passion, or even just that little writing itch that demands to be scratched then it looks like writing is something you’ll always love to do.

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

The post Signs You Were Destined To Be A Writer appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Lacking Writing Motivation? Try This:

Every writer, from time to time, has days, weeks, even months where they feel as though all their motivation to write has left them. Where every time they sit down at their computer and try to think creatively, they simply can’t find the words to start. Hitting slumps like these is perfectly normal, however recognising and dealing with them as soon as possible is important. For the longer you let your lack of motivation take over, and choose not to write, the harder it will become to break that cycle.

So how do you stay motivated as a writer? Next time you are feeling a little uninspired why not put some of these tips into action?

Start little and often

Set writing goals, but, at first, make them ridiculously easy. Imagine you wanted to get fit and started off by immediately trying to run three miles four times a week? You simply wouldn’t be able to keep it up. Well, the same goes for writing. Instead, make your goals ludicrously easy at first. In the case of exercise, we might try to jog for five minutes in the beginning. When it comes to writing simply try and write for 5 minutes every few days. You are asking so little of yourself that you’ll be able to do it, and slowly but surely you’ll find that you want to do it more and challenge yourself further and further.

Ask for help

It can be all too easy to fall into a well of self-pity when we are feeling demotivated. When this happens many writers turn on themselves inwardly, become very critical, and make matters worse. There is nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it and sometimes having someone else there to motivate you and push you can be so useful. Get a writing buddy, set each other challenges, share your work, give each other topics and ideas to write about and find time to sit and write together. Having someone else who is relying on you can be a real motivator to get you writing again.

Re-read your best work

You know that short story, poem or chapter that gave you goosebumps when you wrote it? Well dig it out and read it again. Going over your best work reminds you that you do have talent, boosts your confidence and allows you to remember how great it was when you wrote something you were proud of. Hold onto the feeling and help it inspire you to get writing again.

Remember why you started

Sit down and focus on why you wanted to write in the first place. Try to pinpoint and capture exactly what it is about writing that makes you want to do it. That’s your motivation right there. Sometimes having clarity and reminding ourselves of the root cause of our passions can give us a much-needed boost and help us to get back in the saddle once more.

Stay positive

Whatever you do try to stay positive. You might have days where you feel really energised and motivated and others where you can barely get out of bed. Just take little steps, keeping making progress and you’ll continue to move back towards being a happy and productive writer once more!

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

The post Lacking Writing Motivation? Try This: appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

How To Promote Your Author Blog

Writing an author blog is a great way to reach out to readers, both new and old, to promote your book, to build a fanbase and to let people know when you have new book releases, book tours or any other important promotional events coming up.

Writing an author blog also keeps you writing, helps hone your skills, and lets you explore different types of writing other than just your creative work. It can be a way to build your skills and confidence, and if it gains in popularity you can actually profit from it too.

So you’ve set up and started posting posts for your blog – but what next? How do you actually get people to read it? Unfortunately just writing great blog posts doesn’t mean they’ll get seen and some effort is required to market and promote your blog for it to be effective.

So how do you do this?

Create eye-catching headlines and quality content

When you share your blog posts most readers will only see the headline and the link. Therefore you need to think carefully about how to craft eye-catching headlines that make readers think ‘ I want to know more.’ It’s important that your headlines aren’t misleading, though, and if they do click through to your post they will find useful, shareable content that they enjoy.

Learn about SEO optimisation

Learn how to optimise your content for search engines. While you may not be an expert, learning the basics is a good start. This increases the chances of your blog being found when people search for relevant information on the web.

Social media promotion

Use social media to promote your blog. This is the easiest and simplest way to reach out to readers and let them know your blog exists. Make sure each and every time you post a new blog that you promote it on all your social media accounts. Try to build your social media followers month on month and consider creating promoted/ sponsored social media posts linking to your blog in order to reach out to more readers and gain more attention.

Re-using material and posting everywhere

You can link your blog to your Goodreads account, you can post your blogs on your LinkedIn profile. You can use Reddit, Blogspot, SquareSpace to share your content too. Try to get your blog on as many platforms as possible in order to make it more visible.

Post consistently and be clear

Posting consistently is key when it comes to building up your fanbase. If you post too infrequently or sporadically then readers won’t be able to keep up and may easily miss posts from you. It’s also important to try and create a theme for your blog. If you write wildly different posts each time readers who may be a fan of one post will come back expecting more of the same – if they don’t get it they could easily feel hard done by and not bother coming back again.

Use Google Analytics

Using an analytical tool will help you understand your reader’s behaviour, what they are searching for and what they do when they find your content. This makes it easier for you to craft content that you know they’ll love.

Promoting your author blog takes time and energy, but doing so can help you build a solid fan base, increase your readership and sell more books. We think that makes it well worth doing – don’t you?

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

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What Kind Of Writing Is Best For Me?

Whether you are just starting out on your writing path, or have been doing it for years but fancy a change, it may be time to take a step back and ask yourself the question: What kind of writing is best for me?

Many people who want to write just do so blindly, they think they should be writing a novel when actually they have a talent for writing short stories, they spend years laboriously pouring over their poetry, when in fact, they had a best-selling TV script up their sleeve all along.

Of course, many writers try their hand at lots of different kinds of writing, and that is by far the most interesting and useful way – experiment with different types, styles, and genres to see what feels right and inspires you the most.

However, understanding a little more about what you like and your writing style can help you get there quicker. Let’s take a look at some of the most common writing types and see if they sound like they would appeal to you.

Articles

Do you like deadlines? Are you super organised? Do you like researching and writing about a variety of topics? Do you like learning new things? Article writing could be right up your street!

Blogging

Do you have a niche subject or hobby you want to share with the world? Do you love connecting with people? Are you hot on social media? Are you a productive writer? Perhaps blogging is best for you.

Novels

Do you have a unique story you are dying to tell? Do you love using your imagination and being creative? Do you enjoy crafting a tale? Are you disciplined when it comes to your writing? Can you handle rejection? Do you have the time and energy to write a whole novel? You might just have an amazing novel up your sleeve!

Memoirs

Do you live or have you led a fascinating life? Do you have a weird/ wonderful/ tumultuous/ terrifying family history? Do you need to make sense of something that has happened to you? Have you learned life lessons that you think others could relate to or benefit from hearing about? Perhaps a fascinating memoir is a way forward.

Scripts

Are you excellent at dialogue? Are you the one always telling stories at parties? Do you love to observe people? Do you love creating different characters and being their puppet master? Perhaps script or screenwriting is for you.

Poetry

Do you love playing with language? Rhythm and rhyme? Do you enjoy experimenting with form, and choosing every word carefully to deliver the biggest impact? Do you like surprising people with your words? Do you love poetic language and using poetic devices in your work? Perhaps you need to awaken the poet within!

Short Stories

Do you have loads of creative ideas? Do you find yourself always making up little stories in your head? Are you economic with words and language when you write? Do like to work on smaller projects where you can clearly see the finish line? Short stories could be your niche.

Thinking about what you like to read can also help you decide what kind of writer you want to be, Many writers have broad reading interests, but it’s rare that a person who hates poetry would want to be a poet, and so on.

Asking yourself the questions above can help you determine what sort of writing you might be most interested in and have an aptitude for. Of course, you might want to only concentrate on one type of writing, or you might want to try your hand at them all.

One thing is certain, without experimenting with your writing and the type of writing you do – you might never discover that hidden writing talent and passion within you!

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

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Who Should You Write For?

Having a clear idea of who you are writing for is hugely important for any author and something that you should have a firm understanding of well before you start your novel.

Asking ourselves the question ‘who am I writing this for?’ helps us to visualise our reader, get to know them, understand their likes and dislikes, their behaviour and emotions, and what makes them tick.

Who you are writing for will differ depending on the kind of story you are trying to write. Are you trying to tap into the YA market, a group of people with a very specific interest, lovers of romance? Of crime fiction? Of horror?

When asking yourself ‘who should I write for?’ it is also worth considering whether you are writing for your readers, or for yourself? This all depends on what you intend to do with your novel once you have finished it.

Writers don’t have to write with a reader in mind – it’s not the law. If you have a story that you want to tell, simply because you feel you must tell it, then you may not wish to focus on who it appeals to and why. All you know is that you need to tell this particular story in this particular way, and so that’s what you are going to do.

If your goal is to be as widely read as possible then identifying and researching your audience is key. You can take your research as far as you like, but not only could it influence how you write your story, but also how you present it to them, and every single aspect of your marketing and business plan when it comes to selling your book.

Of course, there is a balance. Unless you are just writing your book for yourself, and really couldn’t care less if anyone else reads it, then it’s kind of impossible not to consider your reader. At the same time even if your heart is set on becoming an international bestseller and you’ll do anything to make that dream a reality, if you don’t write a story that you are excited about and inspired by then you’ll fall out of love with writing and the whole process will become painful and laborious and you probably won’t write as well as you could do either.

Some writers claim they would write regardless of whether they had any readers, that even if not a single soul reached for their book, they would go ahead and keep writing anyway – because it is something innate inside them, because they have to. Others don’t see the point in that. They feel that they put so much time and energy into their work, crafting it, editing it, promoting it, that if no one then bothered to read it the whole process would feel rather pointless.

Neither approach is wrong or right, it all depends on you. The likelihood is however that if you only care about yourself and not the reader, or if you only care about the reader and not your own creativity and authenticity then in both scenarios you may end up not living up to your full writing potential. You can still be totally passionate about your story and stay true to yourself while considering the reader, and you can still want to sell millions of copies of your book while writing a story that you care deeply about.

If you write for yourself you are more likely to write from the heart, be completely unique and honest, and you will be able to write more freely and therefore feel pride in staying true to your story, and enjoy it more too. If you write for others you consider your story more, you are more likely to be critical and less self-indulgent, and the more books you sell the more you get to share your story with the world, which will also bring you great enjoyment and pride.

Writing for both ourselves and our readers means we are more likely to reach our full potential as writers and produce our best work. Who do you write for? Let us know!

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

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How To Write For A YA Audience

‘Know your reader’ is a great piece of advice to take on board when writing a novel, regardless of which genre you are writing. However, this perhaps has never truer when it comes to writing for a YA audience.

Unless you are a young adult yourself, it’s important to get into the mindset of one to be able to deliver the kind of story that will keep them engrossed and get them talking.

Writing for a YA audience is tough, but, done right, it can be one of the beast ways to become a successful author – the YA readers are tough critics, but they are also a powerful influence, and often we see popular YA books being read by a far wider audience once they catch on.

So if you are thinking about writing a book for a young adult audience, here are some things to consider:

Avoid teen speak

It can be tempting to fling all sorts of teen slang or text speak into your novel in order to try and make it sound ‘real.’ However, be warned, this is a huge red flag. Not only will this make your book harder to read, it can come across as pretty patronising to your readers – so do so only at your own risk!

Be truthful and direct

Honesty is the best policy when it comes to writing YA fiction. Don’t shield them from events that would happen in the real world. Your story can have parts that are dark, sad, or horrifying – your readers can handle it. Young people tend to be more truthful and direct when they speak and act too, so the more you do this the more realistic your characters will seem.

Research properly

Throwing in a well-timed pop culture reference can work wonders, but if you get this wrong or are inaccurate your readership will be pretty unforgiving. make sure you thoroughly research before you begin.

Don’t try too hard

You know that parent at parties that tried to just ‘fit in’ with the kids? Don’t be that guy! It’s obvious when a writer is trying too hard. If you spend too much time worrying about whether you sound authentic and agonising over every word then you’ll never get your book written in the first place. Remember, you can always go back and edit anything that doesn’t sound right – so, as with any book, your priority should be to get the story down.

See the world through their eyes

Understand what interests them, and what bores them too. They way we thought and what we were interested in as young people is not the same as when we grow up. Really get to know what inspires and excites them, what embarrasses them, makes them happy, sad, angry and frustrated. Make your protagonist relatable, if your audience can’t place him or her they won’t be able to engage with your book. End of story.

Make it fast paced

Often books aimed at an older audience have a slower pace and are more indulgent with the details, but a YA audience wants action and drama on every page. You’ve got to keep things moving otherwise you run the risk of losing your readers.

Writing for a YA audience can be great fun, and it is an interesting journey for any author to take themselves back to a time when they were a teen and remember what it was like. If you are writing YA fiction use these tips to guide you, and let us know if you have any other tips to share too!

Bethany Cadman -author of ‘Doctor Vanilla’s Sunflowers’

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