I want to try something…

[Groovy]

My motivation for doing all of this is because I absolutely love creating places where I, and readers, can escape to and enjoy the characters and their stories. I've been writing since I was a young child; and have always been a bookworm.

But the writing is the enjoyable part. It's the promoting that takes a lot of time and work. That's why I appreciate the experience and helpful wisdom from other Indie authors on this forum on how to promote successfully and avoid scams.

If you're serious about becoming an author, Swiftie, your first step would be to read as many creative writing books, or take classes, and learn the art. That was my first big mistake. I thought I didn't need to go through all that, but I was wrong...

All the best on your journey

[Groovy]

I'm going to post this question on the "BOOK PROMOTION SITES: The ones that actually work" thread, and get some of the authors to visit here with their good suggestions. Lets see how many respond.

One author's work that really helped me was a successful New York agent named Noah Lukeman. I highly recommend his books on the art of creative writing. I read just about all of them, and they helped me a lot.

[E.K.]

I agree with what Groovy said, but I can't recommend a specific class. The best advice I've been given is to read as much as possible in the genre you plan to write in. (And preferably write in a genre you enjoy reading 😁)

Good luck with it all.

[D.]

Story Engineering by Larry Brooks dissects story structure. David Gaughran has free classes. They may be more about marketing. I've learned a lot from him.

[D.E.]

David Gaughran has a bunch of good things to do and he is often referred to by other authors. Join his email group and read the archives to get a feel about what he has to say.

[E.K.]

Swiftie wrote: "Ok y’all I started it 🥳🥳🥳"

Good luck!

I'll have to check out David Gaughran.

[Dale]

Hi Swiftie! I'm a bit late to this party, but if you're still watching this space, here's my 10 cents. (Inflation, you know.)

I say the first thing to do if you want to become a writer is. . . .

WRITE!

If you don't write, you're not a writer. But if you do--presto!--you're a writer. I'm not kidding. Start writing.

Now, if you want to become a GOOD writer, then there are other things you have to do. Read, study (either via classes or by reading writing books), get honest feedback (which can be the hardest part of learning to write), and above all, keep writing. It takes time to get good at it. Don't worry about that. Just do it. Trust the process. Let it take as long as it needs to take.

As for why I became a writer, I think it's genetic. I started writing when I was very young. My father was also a bit of a writer, although he never much let other people read what he wrote until near the end of his life. And there were other people in the family who told and wrote stories. I do it because I have to. ;-)