Becoming a Writer By Dorothea Brande and The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman
These are the two books that aspiring writers must read. Lukeman to discover what you must do and avoid to get published; and Brande to achieve the magic that gets those words on paper.
All my life I thought I could do both- live a normal life and write. It's only now that I realise I can't. It is a heady time I am 71.
In the last few years I have had five books published, before that it has been journalism and a few short stories. It has taken all this time to realise that writing is a full-time business.
I follow Brandt's precepts. I have place set aside for writing, there are no books there and no windows. I go there to write; when I stop writing I leave. In addition, there are two other rooms: a library and a study. The library is no more than a store room for several thousand books. The study is where I read, research and dream and plot- it has windows, three of them all beautiful; a twenty volume dictionary and music. Some would say and I agree I am a fortunate man.
I read Brande a long time ago. She says- and she is right- that you must have dedicated time and place for writing. You must know how to get yourself in the mood for writing, and you must take all you need for the duration- including the all important thermos of coffee.
Lukeman is new to me- but, oh, how right he is. He is an agent and knows his way round both manuscripts and publishing houses. He doesn't waste words. It is all covered(bar, for some odd reason, plotting) in 200 pages. Get is right, writers,he says: and this is how you do it.
These two books are the keys to the magic portals.
Read them, heed what they say and write.
All my life I thought I could do both- live a normal life and write. It's only now that I realise I can't. It is a heady time I am 71.
In the last few years I have had five books published, before that it has been journalism and a few short stories. It has taken all this time to realise that writing is a full-time business.
I follow Brandt's precepts. I have place set aside for writing, there are no books there and no windows. I go there to write; when I stop writing I leave. In addition, there are two other rooms: a library and a study. The library is no more than a store room for several thousand books. The study is where I read, research and dream and plot- it has windows, three of them all beautiful; a twenty volume dictionary and music. Some would say and I agree I am a fortunate man.
I read Brande a long time ago. She says- and she is right- that you must have dedicated time and place for writing. You must know how to get yourself in the mood for writing, and you must take all you need for the duration- including the all important thermos of coffee.
Lukeman is new to me- but, oh, how right he is. He is an agent and knows his way round both manuscripts and publishing houses. He doesn't waste words. It is all covered(bar, for some odd reason, plotting) in 200 pages. Get is right, writers,he says: and this is how you do it.
These two books are the keys to the magic portals.
Read them, heed what they say and write.
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