How to become a Writer
I am asked all the time where a person interested in writing should start. I remember wondering the same thing. It took two years for me to finally find resources, people, and places where I could learn the craft of writing. Here is what I found. Hopefully you find my list useful 
There are two parts to writing for a new writer: learning how to write and practicing it.
First, learning. I learned the craft of writing by reading books, attending classes or conferences, and learning from other writers. Here are some great resources to get you started.
Books:
-The First 50 Pages by Jeff Gerke (he’s my editor and good at what he does. His books and seminars are phenomenal)
-Plot vs Character by Jeff Gerke
-Fiction Writing for Dummies by Randy Ingermanson
-Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell
-Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King
-Stein on Writing by Sol Stein
Conferences:
The Oregon Christian Writers put on some great one day seminars and a summer conference. Here is their website: Oregon Christian Writers
Two nation conferences I have been to and recommend are the ACFW Conference and Mt Hermon Writers Conference
Organizations/Blogs:
Here are some blogs or organizations I am a part of that help writers learn:
-Randy Ingermanson’s blog Advancedfictionwriting
-Bestseller SocietyThis site is a great place for video and audio teaching and the instructor is Jeff Gerke for the fiction track. I think it’s about $35 a month and you can pay for one month or more.
-ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). This organization offers local chapters you can be a part of, online classes, a place to ask seasoned authors questions, and a yearly conference.
All of the above are great places to start learning the craft of writing.
As far as practice: write, write, write! My friend Randy says that you usually need to write a million words before you start writing something worth reading. I wrote for about six years and had a finished novel and the rough draft of another before I was published. I wrote when the kids napped, early in the morning, or at night. Even now I write for about 1-2 hours most days and get in about 500-1,000 words (everything in writing is measured by words).
Now, go forth and write!
