Chris Dietzel's Blog - Posts Tagged "advice"
Learn from the experts
For Machiavelli, knowledge equaled power. But in the quest to achieve your goals, knowledge equals success. No matter what you want to excel in, the best way to learn how to succeed is by talking to the leaders in that field. If you want to know what it takes to become a professional basketball player, talk to Michael Jordan. If you want to learn how to become an Edgar Award or Hugo Award winning author, talk to one. The trouble, though, is that not many of us happen to be friends with best-selling authors.
That’s one of the biggest reasons I like going to Book Festivals and author signings. It’s absolutely invaluable to hear other writers discuss their approach to writing, what they went through to get their books published, and their advice for future authors. There aren’t many book festivals, though. Not to mention that a lot of us don’t live in areas where authors stop during their book tours.
Well, the great news is that you don’t even have to leave your home to hear your favorite authors share their experiences. Thanks to the Authors on the Air radio network.
Authors on the Air is geared primarily as a way for readers to hear their favorite authors talk about their books. But if you’re a new or emerging writer, their author interviews are vital for giving you a chance to hear from those who have already succeeded at what you want to accomplish.
While listening to episodes of Authors on the Air, I’ve heard writers discuss the pros and cons of self-publishing and traditional publishing, I found out how long it took them to become established writers, and I’ve listened to them discuss the best ways to get their writing out to potential readers. Yes, I could try to achieve my dream on my own, by keeping my head down and plowing ahead, but I’d be crazy to ignore the wisdom offered by people who have already gone through all the things I’m struggling with. If you share the dream of writing, I highly recommend you tune in and hear what others have done before you. It’s priceless information for achieving your goals.
For more information about the Authors on the Air radio network, including a list of upcoming shows, check out their website at: http://authorsontheair.com/
That’s one of the biggest reasons I like going to Book Festivals and author signings. It’s absolutely invaluable to hear other writers discuss their approach to writing, what they went through to get their books published, and their advice for future authors. There aren’t many book festivals, though. Not to mention that a lot of us don’t live in areas where authors stop during their book tours.
Well, the great news is that you don’t even have to leave your home to hear your favorite authors share their experiences. Thanks to the Authors on the Air radio network.
Authors on the Air is geared primarily as a way for readers to hear their favorite authors talk about their books. But if you’re a new or emerging writer, their author interviews are vital for giving you a chance to hear from those who have already succeeded at what you want to accomplish.
While listening to episodes of Authors on the Air, I’ve heard writers discuss the pros and cons of self-publishing and traditional publishing, I found out how long it took them to become established writers, and I’ve listened to them discuss the best ways to get their writing out to potential readers. Yes, I could try to achieve my dream on my own, by keeping my head down and plowing ahead, but I’d be crazy to ignore the wisdom offered by people who have already gone through all the things I’m struggling with. If you share the dream of writing, I highly recommend you tune in and hear what others have done before you. It’s priceless information for achieving your goals.
For more information about the Authors on the Air radio network, including a list of upcoming shows, check out their website at: http://authorsontheair.com/
The Importance of Short Stories
Over the past few months, I’ve been asked by a variety of people about the best way to start writing your first book. I always say the same thing: start by writing short stories. Even if you are exclusively interested in writing novels, learning how to write by creating short stories is valuable for a variety of reasons.
1) Setting out to write 1,500 words is much less taunting than setting out to write a novel. Many first-time writers think a 300 or 400-page book is beyond their ability. But if writers can learn how to write a short story, with a beginning, middle, and end, all they have to be able to do is write a series of related short stories in order to write that novel. After all, that’s basically what each chapter of a book is: a short story with an introduction, an unfolding scene, and a resolution to some kind of conflict. Learn how to write a short story and you already have one chapter of the novel done!
2) Short stories force you to use your words carefully. If you have a 1,200 or 1,500 word limit, every word is critical. You learn how to delete any sentence that doesn’t drive the story forward, and because of that you create stories that are tight and keep the reader’s interest. Readers can tell when you have something important to say. They can also tell when you are only writing to see your own words on paper. When they find a book that could have entire paragraphs cut out, they get frustrated. Learning how to write short stories helps you avoid that pitfall.
3) Even if you only want to write novels, having a couple short stories published is a great way to build a writing resume. It’s very difficult to stand out from the masses of people trying to get readers to notice their books. One of the many ways authors can give themselves an advantage is by having short stories published. Agents see this as proof that someone else has already read your writing and thought it was worth printing. Publishers see this as a writer who already has at least a small readership. And if you self-publish, making short stories available for free is a great way for readers to take a chance on a new author before deciding to hunker down to read a complete novel.
These are just three of the reasons I tout short stories as a great way for new writers to learn how to approach that book they’ve always wanted to write. If you can think of additional reasons, drop me a line and let me know what they are. Happy writing.
1) Setting out to write 1,500 words is much less taunting than setting out to write a novel. Many first-time writers think a 300 or 400-page book is beyond their ability. But if writers can learn how to write a short story, with a beginning, middle, and end, all they have to be able to do is write a series of related short stories in order to write that novel. After all, that’s basically what each chapter of a book is: a short story with an introduction, an unfolding scene, and a resolution to some kind of conflict. Learn how to write a short story and you already have one chapter of the novel done!
2) Short stories force you to use your words carefully. If you have a 1,200 or 1,500 word limit, every word is critical. You learn how to delete any sentence that doesn’t drive the story forward, and because of that you create stories that are tight and keep the reader’s interest. Readers can tell when you have something important to say. They can also tell when you are only writing to see your own words on paper. When they find a book that could have entire paragraphs cut out, they get frustrated. Learning how to write short stories helps you avoid that pitfall.
3) Even if you only want to write novels, having a couple short stories published is a great way to build a writing resume. It’s very difficult to stand out from the masses of people trying to get readers to notice their books. One of the many ways authors can give themselves an advantage is by having short stories published. Agents see this as proof that someone else has already read your writing and thought it was worth printing. Publishers see this as a writer who already has at least a small readership. And if you self-publish, making short stories available for free is a great way for readers to take a chance on a new author before deciding to hunker down to read a complete novel.
These are just three of the reasons I tout short stories as a great way for new writers to learn how to approach that book they’ve always wanted to write. If you can think of additional reasons, drop me a line and let me know what they are. Happy writing.
Writing Clichés That Are 100% True
I was talking to someone the other day about my experiences being an author. While offering advice and telling them not to give up, I found myself using a variety of clichés that used to make me roll my eyes when I was first starting out. Looking back, those sayings have proven to be 100% true.
Cliché #1: True writing doesn’t start until the editing begins
It’s easy to put words to paper. Putting 75,000 words down is just as easy as 75 words, it just takes longer. But just because 300 pages are filled doesn’t mean they’re worth anything. Every writer I know thinks their first drafts are terrible. A lot of people, myself included, race through the first draft just so they can begin editing it. The process of refining words, ideas, and themes is the heart of the writing process. Taking paragraphs and turning them from rough stones to polished gems is the difference between a lot of words on a piece of paper and a great book.
Cliché #2: Writing the book is the easy part
Everyone hears about authors slaving away, miserable, pouring their hearts out into their work. And yet millions of people are able to do it. Every author I know will tell you that writing their book isn’t nearly as difficult as finding an audience for it. What will make your book stand out from the others? How can you convince readers to take a chance on it? This is the most difficult part of being a writer.
Cliché #3: The first book is only the beginning. Now on to the next one.
You’ve written your book, edited it, AND managed to get it into the hands of eager readers. So, you’re done, right? If your goal was to write one book, then yes. But otherwise, not so fast. Of the authors I’ve heard speak on the subject, all of them have said it wasn’t until their third book and roughly nine years of writing that they really had a noticeable following and were bearing the fruit of their success. There have been a few authors over the years who have written one book and were happy with the results. But much more common is the author who improves on their craft with each subsequent book, gains new fans with each story they publish, and after years of hard work and a couple novels to their name, can finally say they’ve achieved most of the goals they set out to accomplish.
Know of any other clichés about the writing process that have turned out to be true? If so, I’d love to hear them. Happy writing.
Cliché #1: True writing doesn’t start until the editing begins
It’s easy to put words to paper. Putting 75,000 words down is just as easy as 75 words, it just takes longer. But just because 300 pages are filled doesn’t mean they’re worth anything. Every writer I know thinks their first drafts are terrible. A lot of people, myself included, race through the first draft just so they can begin editing it. The process of refining words, ideas, and themes is the heart of the writing process. Taking paragraphs and turning them from rough stones to polished gems is the difference between a lot of words on a piece of paper and a great book.
Cliché #2: Writing the book is the easy part
Everyone hears about authors slaving away, miserable, pouring their hearts out into their work. And yet millions of people are able to do it. Every author I know will tell you that writing their book isn’t nearly as difficult as finding an audience for it. What will make your book stand out from the others? How can you convince readers to take a chance on it? This is the most difficult part of being a writer.
Cliché #3: The first book is only the beginning. Now on to the next one.
You’ve written your book, edited it, AND managed to get it into the hands of eager readers. So, you’re done, right? If your goal was to write one book, then yes. But otherwise, not so fast. Of the authors I’ve heard speak on the subject, all of them have said it wasn’t until their third book and roughly nine years of writing that they really had a noticeable following and were bearing the fruit of their success. There have been a few authors over the years who have written one book and were happy with the results. But much more common is the author who improves on their craft with each subsequent book, gains new fans with each story they publish, and after years of hard work and a couple novels to their name, can finally say they’ve achieved most of the goals they set out to accomplish.
Know of any other clichés about the writing process that have turned out to be true? If so, I’d love to hear them. Happy writing.
Self Publishing Lessons Learned
One of the first blog entries I ever wrote was about how publishing novels is more difficult than fighting mixed martial arts (MMA) in a cage. Almost two years have passed since that blog post and I’ve learned a heck of a lot about the world of indie publishing.
1. When writers start out, they have a vision that some massively popular national book critic will review their novel and propel it to bestseller status. I know because I had that same fantasy. But that book critic doesn’t give a damn about your indie book or mine or anyone else’s. The indie book revolution was propelled by people who were willing to feature and review indie books, and those same people are the driving force behind each indie author’s success.
2. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a good book discussion come to a screeching halt after an indie author jumped in to talk about his or her own book. The desperate need to let people know about the book you’ve worked so hard on can certainly be enticing, but what I’ve found is that a good book, with a good cover, is what’s really important. Readers like to read good books. That’s obvious. But readers also like to tell their friends about the good books they’ve read. It might take a while, but if your book is too good to put down, someone will read it and tell their friends to do the same. It’s a lot less likely that a reader will give your book a chance, though, if all you ever do is talk about yourself and your novels.
3. Whether it’s kid magicians or zombies, there will always be a hot genre. But rather than trying to get in on the trend, write to what you actually care about. Readers are smart people; they can tell if you care about your characters and your story. Even if you’re writing about elderly werewolves while everyone else is writing about teenage vampires, if you’re passionate about what you’re writing, readers will pick up on it. I’m so glad I stuck with telling the types of stories I would like to read myself. My books aren’t for everyone, but if I wrote a story to make everyone else happy, I’d be pretty miserable myself.
The past two years have been incredible. And while I’m sure I’ll have even more lessons learned in another two years, I wouldn’t change a single thing.
Happy reading and writing, everyone.
Originally published on TheNextBestBookBlog.blogspot.com
1. When writers start out, they have a vision that some massively popular national book critic will review their novel and propel it to bestseller status. I know because I had that same fantasy. But that book critic doesn’t give a damn about your indie book or mine or anyone else’s. The indie book revolution was propelled by people who were willing to feature and review indie books, and those same people are the driving force behind each indie author’s success.
2. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a good book discussion come to a screeching halt after an indie author jumped in to talk about his or her own book. The desperate need to let people know about the book you’ve worked so hard on can certainly be enticing, but what I’ve found is that a good book, with a good cover, is what’s really important. Readers like to read good books. That’s obvious. But readers also like to tell their friends about the good books they’ve read. It might take a while, but if your book is too good to put down, someone will read it and tell their friends to do the same. It’s a lot less likely that a reader will give your book a chance, though, if all you ever do is talk about yourself and your novels.
3. Whether it’s kid magicians or zombies, there will always be a hot genre. But rather than trying to get in on the trend, write to what you actually care about. Readers are smart people; they can tell if you care about your characters and your story. Even if you’re writing about elderly werewolves while everyone else is writing about teenage vampires, if you’re passionate about what you’re writing, readers will pick up on it. I’m so glad I stuck with telling the types of stories I would like to read myself. My books aren’t for everyone, but if I wrote a story to make everyone else happy, I’d be pretty miserable myself.
The past two years have been incredible. And while I’m sure I’ll have even more lessons learned in another two years, I wouldn’t change a single thing.
Happy reading and writing, everyone.
Originally published on TheNextBestBookBlog.blogspot.com
Writing Tips By 3 Popular Authors
I’m always looking to learn from other writers. As I progressed into having my own writing voice and my own style of telling stories, I’ve found various lessons and insights that were helpful. Here is a collection from three authors I’ve enjoyed.
Robert Heinelein’s Rules of Writing:
1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you write.
3. You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.
4. You must put the work on the market.
5. You must keep the work on the market until it is sold.
6. Start Working on something else.
Heinlein’s rules were the very first set of writing tips I remember reading. Of course, this was a long time ago and the industry has changed a lot since he wrote those rules, especially in regards to Rules #4 and #5.
Kurt Vonnegut’s Basic Tips for Writing:
1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
I included Vonnegut’s tips because I love everything that has anything to do with him. His voice as a writer made a big impact on me and 'Slaughterhouse-Five’ is one of my all-time favorite books. I also enjoy how frank he is in everything he says, even his writing advice.
Stephen King’s Tips for Becoming a Better Writer:
1. Get to the point.
2. Write a draft, then let it rest.
3. Cut down your text.
4. Be relateable and honest.
5. Don’t care too much what others may think.
6. Read a lot.
7. Write a lot.
Stephen King’s tips are last because I relate to them the most. If I were going to suggest some tips for aspiring authors they would most resemble the list King put together.
For another list of writing tips, check out an article the Guardian posted a couple years ago, with writing tips by the likes of Margaret Atwood, Elmore Leonard, Richard Ford, Neil Gaiman, and others.
If these tips help at least one aspiring writer, then they have served their purpose. If you’ve found other writing tips that are particularly useful, I’d love to hear them.
Robert Heinelein’s Rules of Writing:
1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you write.
3. You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.
4. You must put the work on the market.
5. You must keep the work on the market until it is sold.
6. Start Working on something else.
Heinlein’s rules were the very first set of writing tips I remember reading. Of course, this was a long time ago and the industry has changed a lot since he wrote those rules, especially in regards to Rules #4 and #5.
Kurt Vonnegut’s Basic Tips for Writing:
1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
I included Vonnegut’s tips because I love everything that has anything to do with him. His voice as a writer made a big impact on me and 'Slaughterhouse-Five’ is one of my all-time favorite books. I also enjoy how frank he is in everything he says, even his writing advice.
Stephen King’s Tips for Becoming a Better Writer:
1. Get to the point.
2. Write a draft, then let it rest.
3. Cut down your text.
4. Be relateable and honest.
5. Don’t care too much what others may think.
6. Read a lot.
7. Write a lot.
Stephen King’s tips are last because I relate to them the most. If I were going to suggest some tips for aspiring authors they would most resemble the list King put together.
For another list of writing tips, check out an article the Guardian posted a couple years ago, with writing tips by the likes of Margaret Atwood, Elmore Leonard, Richard Ford, Neil Gaiman, and others.
If these tips help at least one aspiring writer, then they have served their purpose. If you’ve found other writing tips that are particularly useful, I’d love to hear them.
