Goodreads asked Kelly Carey:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Kelly Carey I actually run a one-day workshop for aspiring writers (you can find information about this workshop at www.kcareywrites.com) and I offer three main pieces of advice. They are write, find your squad and read. They may seem simple, but they are not.

So many folks get stuck at the “thinking about” phase of becoming a writer. To get over that hurdle aspiring writers need to build intention and structure around their writing. This can mean committing to writing at least twenty minutes a day or devoting a specific day a week to writing. I’m partial to Writing Wednesdays – it has that nice alliteration. Your writing dream needs a concrete plan and goals. For help with that check out www.24CarrotWriting.com – this is a goal setting blog I host with three fellow authors. It is full of good advice and help as you kick off your writing journey.

Then I tell folks to find your squad. So much of writing is a solo practice but it is also riddled with self-doubt and tough rejection. You’ll need a support group of like-minded writers to keep you on track. Search them out at SCBWI, at local writing groups like The Writers’ Loft in Sherborn, MA, or online – like through www.24CarrotWriting.com.

Finally, you will need to read in the genre you want to write in. So if you want to write picture books, read picture books. If you have a middle grade novel you want to write, read middle grade books. And you need to read the books not as a reader looking to be entertained, but you’ll want to approach the books like textbooks. Learn from the skill of the authors; dissect what works and doesn’t work and how the author crafted the story. And you’ll want to track what you read – I do this using my Goodreads library – so you have an idea of what is already in the market and how your manuscript can fit.

So good luck on your writing journey!

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