W.C. Leger
I am just a newbie at novel writing myself so my knowledge is likely limited. I have written hundreds of reports and assessments which must be clear, concise and interesting enough not to put your reader to sleep before he can decide what needs to be done.
I would suggest, however that if you have an idea or dream that inspires you, pursue it. That is true for any kind of art though I've found writing to require more discipline.
I will warn you and I've seen other authors write the same thing. Don't expect everyone, no anyone to crave to read what you've just written. In fact, I've found that telling someone that you've just written a book is like telling them that you crave the intimate company of their wife or children.
You can sing them a song or show them a picture that you've drawn and they will likely be polite and say very nice (no matter how bad it might be) but tell them that you have a book you'd like them to read and they will suddenly have a dental appointment that they've been looking forward to attending.
Don't let it discourage you. Follow your dream, learn the craft (this is very important) and write to your heart's content. Then read it as if you've never seen it before and don't really like books. You'll know when your stuff is good.
If you have to figure out what you just said, so will others. If it bores you, it will others. Keep it simply. Unless you speak in flowery English (most people don't) don't try to write in flowery language.
Editing is not just important; it's vital. A badly written page with misspelled words, poor grammar and punctuation that is badly formatted will go nowhere very fast. Another thing that can happen with characters and action: I once had a character put on her shoes then stand up and put on her shoes. I didn't notice it the first time but found it while editing.
Speaking of editing: Word Processing programs like Word have spell checkers. Use them! They will not only spot misspelled words but questionable grammar. BUT be careful. It will not understand intentionally misspelled words (like in dialogue) and sometimes has problems with verbs.
Don't ramble: If you can't explain why you wrote something then it doesn't belong. George Bernard Shaw supposedly said, If there is a gun in act one, somebody should damn well be shot by act 3. There is something called foreshadowing however so if the appearance of someone's sofa will be important later don't be afraid to include it earlier.
No real artist ever thinks their work is good enough. Listen to criticism; seek it then take it to heart and always try to make your product worthy of other's praise.
And one more thing which I frequently forget: Learn when to shut up. Good luck!
I would suggest, however that if you have an idea or dream that inspires you, pursue it. That is true for any kind of art though I've found writing to require more discipline.
I will warn you and I've seen other authors write the same thing. Don't expect everyone, no anyone to crave to read what you've just written. In fact, I've found that telling someone that you've just written a book is like telling them that you crave the intimate company of their wife or children.
You can sing them a song or show them a picture that you've drawn and they will likely be polite and say very nice (no matter how bad it might be) but tell them that you have a book you'd like them to read and they will suddenly have a dental appointment that they've been looking forward to attending.
Don't let it discourage you. Follow your dream, learn the craft (this is very important) and write to your heart's content. Then read it as if you've never seen it before and don't really like books. You'll know when your stuff is good.
If you have to figure out what you just said, so will others. If it bores you, it will others. Keep it simply. Unless you speak in flowery English (most people don't) don't try to write in flowery language.
Editing is not just important; it's vital. A badly written page with misspelled words, poor grammar and punctuation that is badly formatted will go nowhere very fast. Another thing that can happen with characters and action: I once had a character put on her shoes then stand up and put on her shoes. I didn't notice it the first time but found it while editing.
Speaking of editing: Word Processing programs like Word have spell checkers. Use them! They will not only spot misspelled words but questionable grammar. BUT be careful. It will not understand intentionally misspelled words (like in dialogue) and sometimes has problems with verbs.
Don't ramble: If you can't explain why you wrote something then it doesn't belong. George Bernard Shaw supposedly said, If there is a gun in act one, somebody should damn well be shot by act 3. There is something called foreshadowing however so if the appearance of someone's sofa will be important later don't be afraid to include it earlier.
No real artist ever thinks their work is good enough. Listen to criticism; seek it then take it to heart and always try to make your product worthy of other's praise.
And one more thing which I frequently forget: Learn when to shut up. Good luck!
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