Goodreads asked K.C. Knouse:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

K.C. Knouse The best advice I received early on was to set aside a specific block of time to write each day. It doesn't really matter how much time is set aside. The discipline acquired by writing for a set period of time every day is what counts. When I have done this, I have been very productive, even when I only set aside forty-five minutes to an hour each day. When I worked a full-time job, I did my writing stint first thing at five o'clock in the morning.

For writers of fiction, I recommend taking some courses in fiction writing. I did not know what elements comprised a story until I took a fiction writing course. I completed a writing course through Writer's Digest Magazine and have taken several extension courses at the local community college and university. The main benefit of the extension courses was the feedback I received from other participants as well as from the instructor.

In addition to courses, membership in a writers' group helped me develop my writing talent. Again, it is the feedback I received from fellow members that helped me grow. Mine was a local group that I participated in for many years, but now there are groups online.

Read a lot of fiction. Read a lot of non-fiction. Read, read, read. Read books on the craft of writing.

Observe and listen. Ideas for stories and characters are all around you.

Put your work out there. Dip your toe into the water at sites like Medium.com and see what happens.

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