Sergio Troncoso
My advice for aspiring writers is to write. I know that sounds obvious, but I receive so many emails from people trying to write, or with an idea, and a plan to hammer out a story. But they don't do it.
As you write your story, read. Read voraciously. So that you begin to develop your aesthetic sensibility of what is a good story. And I mean, read Russian stories, Chinese stories, folk tales, stories from other centuries, novels from different genres, experimental stories, philosophy, history, poetry, and so on. If you want to be a writer, you need to be a reader.
When you finish your story, yes, have your family read it. But more importantly, have others read it who will be more objective (and brutal) about what is working in your story and what is not. You want to be critical without being self-destructive. You might consider joining a local writing workshop to have beginning or intermediate work looked at by different readers. You still need to determine whether their criticisms are valid, and filter these criticisms through your developing literary aesthetic.
Also, when you finish your first story, as you are undergoing the process above, keep writing. Write another story. An essay. Keep working, and don't wait for that first story to be 'perfect,' before you work on something else.
Good luck!
As you write your story, read. Read voraciously. So that you begin to develop your aesthetic sensibility of what is a good story. And I mean, read Russian stories, Chinese stories, folk tales, stories from other centuries, novels from different genres, experimental stories, philosophy, history, poetry, and so on. If you want to be a writer, you need to be a reader.
When you finish your story, yes, have your family read it. But more importantly, have others read it who will be more objective (and brutal) about what is working in your story and what is not. You want to be critical without being self-destructive. You might consider joining a local writing workshop to have beginning or intermediate work looked at by different readers. You still need to determine whether their criticisms are valid, and filter these criticisms through your developing literary aesthetic.
Also, when you finish your first story, as you are undergoing the process above, keep writing. Write another story. An essay. Keep working, and don't wait for that first story to be 'perfect,' before you work on something else.
Good luck!
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