Goodreads asked Laura L. Walker:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Laura L. Walker I've read a many writing tutorials online lately and have even pinned some of them on Pinterest so that I don't forget them because I, too, am still a novice. I was a stay-at-home mom for longer than a decade before picking up my writing once again.

So many aspiring authors these days have great ideas but little or no knowledge of phonemes and grammar. I realize that this may be a turn-off for some people, but learning the rules of grammar really is the number one rule of writing. The cleaner your manuscript is when you submit it, the smoother the reading will go for the editors.

Also, the plot needs to flow in a natural and logical way. Rereading a story aloud during revision helps the writer to see and fill in any gaping holes. Find new and interesting ways of saying the same thing that everyone else has said.

Study the specific requirements for each publisher you submit your work to and keep trying. Above all else, have fun! Write for your own enjoyment more than anyone else's. Your enthusiasm for your subject will come through in your words.

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