A Good Idea....
A Great Idea Written Badly....
Okay people, we need to get real about something. I think that self publishing is wonderful and if Ring of Fire had not picked up FEATHER, self publishing was certainly an option for me. I was hesitant to self publish because I didn't think that I could edit my work to publishing polish alone.
I was right.
If you are going to self publish a novel, or send one to an agent for that matter, make sure that your writing is perfect. A popular quote amongst English professors is, "a great idea written badly becomes a bad idea." If you haven't written much before, maybe take some writing classes or have a friend who is a grammar Nazi read over your work.
People think that writing is some natural talent that doesn't need to be honed. Michael Jordan had a great deal of natural talent when he started playing basketball but he still went to practice. He still ran drills, he still took the time to perfect his craft.
As a writer, you should too.
Major issues that need to be addressed in your work but would most likely be solved with some practice.
- GRAMMAR - learn the difference between "there" "they're" and "their" - learn the difference between "your" and "you're". Understand when to use "that" and when to use "which". Know what a preposition is and why it is important. Grammar is the wheels on your bus. If it doesn't turn easily, you won't get anywhere.
- TENSES and VOICE - if your story is in past tense first person, you can not change this half way through, even if you want to. Authors have limitations too and changing the perspective of the story telling is one of those limitations. If you don't know what I am talking about in regards to tense and voice, you have a problem.
- WORD USE - IRRIGARDLESS is NOT a word and please stop using it as one. Other word use problems seem to be coming from the over use of the thesaurus. I use a thesaurus religiously however, one must be cautious that the new word is appropriate for the story and the characters. A modern teenage girl would not walk into a McDonalds and say it was "serried" and there was no where to sit. Don't try to make your work too fancy.
- QUOTATION USE - learn how to use quotations! No one should ever have to remind you that quotations marks are needed in your work. Additionally, too much dialogue on one page makes it a blur of chaos for the reader. You must find a balance between using dialogue and the narrative voice to portray the story.
- CONSISTENCY - I have read some works that move characters from one setting to another with no explanation. I have also read some books that fail to explain a detail. Suddenly a gold coin is important in the last five pages and the gold coin has never been mentioned before. Your time setting can not change during the story. Your characters names certainly should stay consistent.
- FACT CHECKS - If there is a fact to be known, find it. If your character is carrying a handgun, find out about handguns. Don't say that a 65 Camaro can fly, because it can't. You can certainly make up an alien hover craft that can fly. One of the joys of writing is that you are the master of your world. However, if your world is this world and it contains human items, get your facts straight.
Goggle is a great resource for this and I am often laughing at the crazy stuff I Goggle. If you can get a first person account of the facts (your high-school buddy is a cop, your cousin is a mechanic) do so.
A bible for writers should be the Blue Book of Grammar. It's the instruction manual for words. I think it is on it's tenth edition ( I have the fifth) and it is an invaluable resource for all things writing. Get one, use it and your writing will improve.
Take the time to make your writing the best it can be. A reader devoting their energy and imagination to your work is one of the best compliments that can be given. It is a great honor for someone to read your work, don't ruin it for them by not being ready. Practice your writing, hone it, have honest strangers read it, pay them if you have to and then rewrite it over and over and over again.
Anyone who tells you that writing is easy, isn't a very good writer
Okay people, we need to get real about something. I think that self publishing is wonderful and if Ring of Fire had not picked up FEATHER, self publishing was certainly an option for me. I was hesitant to self publish because I didn't think that I could edit my work to publishing polish alone.
I was right.
If you are going to self publish a novel, or send one to an agent for that matter, make sure that your writing is perfect. A popular quote amongst English professors is, "a great idea written badly becomes a bad idea." If you haven't written much before, maybe take some writing classes or have a friend who is a grammar Nazi read over your work.
People think that writing is some natural talent that doesn't need to be honed. Michael Jordan had a great deal of natural talent when he started playing basketball but he still went to practice. He still ran drills, he still took the time to perfect his craft.
As a writer, you should too.
Major issues that need to be addressed in your work but would most likely be solved with some practice.
- GRAMMAR - learn the difference between "there" "they're" and "their" - learn the difference between "your" and "you're". Understand when to use "that" and when to use "which". Know what a preposition is and why it is important. Grammar is the wheels on your bus. If it doesn't turn easily, you won't get anywhere.
- TENSES and VOICE - if your story is in past tense first person, you can not change this half way through, even if you want to. Authors have limitations too and changing the perspective of the story telling is one of those limitations. If you don't know what I am talking about in regards to tense and voice, you have a problem.
- WORD USE - IRRIGARDLESS is NOT a word and please stop using it as one. Other word use problems seem to be coming from the over use of the thesaurus. I use a thesaurus religiously however, one must be cautious that the new word is appropriate for the story and the characters. A modern teenage girl would not walk into a McDonalds and say it was "serried" and there was no where to sit. Don't try to make your work too fancy.
- QUOTATION USE - learn how to use quotations! No one should ever have to remind you that quotations marks are needed in your work. Additionally, too much dialogue on one page makes it a blur of chaos for the reader. You must find a balance between using dialogue and the narrative voice to portray the story.
- CONSISTENCY - I have read some works that move characters from one setting to another with no explanation. I have also read some books that fail to explain a detail. Suddenly a gold coin is important in the last five pages and the gold coin has never been mentioned before. Your time setting can not change during the story. Your characters names certainly should stay consistent.
- FACT CHECKS - If there is a fact to be known, find it. If your character is carrying a handgun, find out about handguns. Don't say that a 65 Camaro can fly, because it can't. You can certainly make up an alien hover craft that can fly. One of the joys of writing is that you are the master of your world. However, if your world is this world and it contains human items, get your facts straight.
Goggle is a great resource for this and I am often laughing at the crazy stuff I Goggle. If you can get a first person account of the facts (your high-school buddy is a cop, your cousin is a mechanic) do so.
A bible for writers should be the Blue Book of Grammar. It's the instruction manual for words. I think it is on it's tenth edition ( I have the fifth) and it is an invaluable resource for all things writing. Get one, use it and your writing will improve.
Take the time to make your writing the best it can be. A reader devoting their energy and imagination to your work is one of the best compliments that can be given. It is a great honor for someone to read your work, don't ruin it for them by not being ready. Practice your writing, hone it, have honest strangers read it, pay them if you have to and then rewrite it over and over and over again.
Anyone who tells you that writing is easy, isn't a very good writer
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