Ronald McGowan
Don't aspire.
Do it if you want to.
Opportunities have never been better. Forty years ago when I first started hawking manuscripts around London, life was much more difficult. In one sense it was easier, in that there were more publishers around and they were more open to considering works by authors who had not previously been published.
The sheer manual labour of thumping out the words on a manual typewriter is difficult to appreciate for those brought up in the computer age, however. Add to that the difficulties and expense of touting your wares around publishers, either in person or by post, and the amount of time and money you had to spend merely on the off chance that someone would like what you were offering is quite out of proportion to nowadays when almost everything is done by clicks on the screen.
There are a few particular points I would encourage every aspiring writer to consider, however.
DONT WRITE UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO. If you're doing it for any other reason, you're probably going to be disappointed.
The odds against fame and fortune coming your way, if that's what you're after are better if you do the lottery.
DON'T WRITE UNLESS YOU ENJOY BOTH WRITING AND WHAT YOU ARE WRITING. If you don't much care for what you are turning out ,the odds are that nobody else will either.
DONT WRITE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE WRITING ABOUT. If you don't then sure as hell, someone out there will spot the gross error you have just made, and word will get around that you haven't got a clue, whether you have or not.
DON'T WRITE UNLESS YOU CAN WRITE. By that, I mean, make sure you can cope with basic grammar, syntax and spelling, which - even in the English language - are complete mysteries to many people these days. I have seen many good stories published on Kindle, for instance, which have been rendered almost unreadable by being awash with solecisms . If the reader can't make out what you are trying to say, or if he or she simply can't stand any more of this illiterate bilge, he or she is going to stop reading,and stop buying your books.
I'm sure you won't have this problem. Basically, what it boils down to, is find a subject you love, write about it with love, and the chances are your readers will love it too.
Thanks for showing interest. It's always nice to know that someone out there actually reads the darned things.
Ron.
Do it if you want to.
Opportunities have never been better. Forty years ago when I first started hawking manuscripts around London, life was much more difficult. In one sense it was easier, in that there were more publishers around and they were more open to considering works by authors who had not previously been published.
The sheer manual labour of thumping out the words on a manual typewriter is difficult to appreciate for those brought up in the computer age, however. Add to that the difficulties and expense of touting your wares around publishers, either in person or by post, and the amount of time and money you had to spend merely on the off chance that someone would like what you were offering is quite out of proportion to nowadays when almost everything is done by clicks on the screen.
There are a few particular points I would encourage every aspiring writer to consider, however.
DONT WRITE UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO. If you're doing it for any other reason, you're probably going to be disappointed.
The odds against fame and fortune coming your way, if that's what you're after are better if you do the lottery.
DON'T WRITE UNLESS YOU ENJOY BOTH WRITING AND WHAT YOU ARE WRITING. If you don't much care for what you are turning out ,the odds are that nobody else will either.
DONT WRITE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE WRITING ABOUT. If you don't then sure as hell, someone out there will spot the gross error you have just made, and word will get around that you haven't got a clue, whether you have or not.
DON'T WRITE UNLESS YOU CAN WRITE. By that, I mean, make sure you can cope with basic grammar, syntax and spelling, which - even in the English language - are complete mysteries to many people these days. I have seen many good stories published on Kindle, for instance, which have been rendered almost unreadable by being awash with solecisms . If the reader can't make out what you are trying to say, or if he or she simply can't stand any more of this illiterate bilge, he or she is going to stop reading,and stop buying your books.
I'm sure you won't have this problem. Basically, what it boils down to, is find a subject you love, write about it with love, and the chances are your readers will love it too.
Thanks for showing interest. It's always nice to know that someone out there actually reads the darned things.
Ron.
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