So you want to be a writer
By RK Finnell
@irishidid (8687)
United States
October 25, 2012 3:20am CST
Here is my list of things I believe anyone who wants to get into writing needs to know. You may agree or disagree and I hope you will add you own to the list.
1. Write-You can't become a writer without doing this.
2. You are NOT an editor-I don't care how much education you have or how many high school creative writing classes you took. Do not under any circumstance edit your own work.
3.Read-You can read the genre if you want to, but I write fantasy and I really don't like most of the fantasy books out there. Others have a different take on this; I'm giving you my view on the subject of reading what you want to write.
4.10 year olds should never be published-I don't care how good you think Junior's "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" story is, your kid is not a writer-yet. Encourage him if you see talent and he wants to write. Yes, I am aware there is the rare exception-just don't count on your kid being one.
5.Learn to take criticism-Constructive criticism can be a valuable asset to the writer. Learn to differentiate between the criticism that will help you become a better writer and the criticism that's just vindictive. Yes, vindictive criticism does exist.
6. Mom and Dad are not your best critics-Unless your family is like mine (brutally honest), don't get your parents or siblings opinion on your writing. Don't go to your friends either. Find an outside person to do the reading.
7. Be original-Everywhere you turn there's another vampire story. Yes, I know it's a popular genre and I've enjoyed the genre in movies but why not try something different? If you insist that you have to write vampires or you'll die, try to be original about it.
8. Writer's block-It happens. When it does, do writing exercises. Here's an exercise I do when I'm stuck in writing-With paper and pen in hand write down everything where you are. For example: If you are sitting in your kitchen start writing about what's on it. Write a description of the item and if you have a certain feeling about it-write that too. This will not only getting the juices flowing, but is also good practice for descriptive writing.
9. The rules of writing-Follow the ones you should and break the rest. You'll hear "show don't tell" a lot and I mean A LOT-The fact is sometimes you need to tell. If your writing a scene you show., but telling can set up the scene.
10-Plagiarism-It's wrong under any circumstance. Yes, there are books out there that have plagiarized off of other books and gotten away with it. These people are not writers and you shouldn't follow their lead.
6 people like this
19 responses
@allknowing (137781)
• India
26 Oct 12
Good points there to remember. But you missed out one important point - learning to accept rejections. Beginners will have a lot of rejections and if one gets dejected at the drop of a hat that will be the end of a writer!
2 people like this
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
26 Oct 12
Yes one should have a thick skin when it comes to rejection and to reviews that are negative.
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
26 Oct 12
I would suggest a beta reader that you trust. A lot of people critique and a lot of people do it the wrong way!
I wrote poetry in my teen years and occasionally jot a few lines, but it is mostly for my personal enjoyment. One can be their own best (and worst!) critic when it comes to writing.
@allknowing (137781)
• India
26 Oct 12
I would welcome criticism from good critics as that is the only way a writer can excel. Many a time I feel I am the best critic of my own writings. I dabble in poetry and have got accolades from all quarters but deep in my heart I know where they need to be polished.
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
25 Oct 12
#2 is too true. Writers and editors are completely separate entities. Writers are creative and passionate, by and large, whereas editors are anal sticklers. Writers wanna write; editors wanna be right.
But I disagree with #5. I think you have to accept criticism, as in the fact it will be levied on you, but I don't feel you have to learn to take it. I do my best writing intentionally to spite criticism. I'm sure this is different for everyone, but I can just hear people yelling at Bob Dylan, "Your songs can't have 59 verses!" 
#8 is also very true, but I think people need to realize that it's also a self-fulfilling prophecy at times. Writer's block is wholly psychological, so I find it helps to pretend that it's just a myth. Anyone in any profession is off at times. You just gotta chalk it up to a bad shooting night instead of freaking out about the boogeyman in the closet.
I'd also add that a writer shouldn't try to be something they aren't. If you don't think in fluffy, four-syllable words and a colorful, highbrow vocabulary, don't try to write that way. I've read forced writing before, where you just know that someone went to the thesaurus to add what they thought to be better-sounding synonyms, and the end result was really blatantly forced bordering on nonsensical.
#8 is also very true, but I think people need to realize that it's also a self-fulfilling prophecy at times. Writer's block is wholly psychological, so I find it helps to pretend that it's just a myth. Anyone in any profession is off at times. You just gotta chalk it up to a bad shooting night instead of freaking out about the boogeyman in the closet.
I'd also add that a writer shouldn't try to be something they aren't. If you don't think in fluffy, four-syllable words and a colorful, highbrow vocabulary, don't try to write that way. I've read forced writing before, where you just know that someone went to the thesaurus to add what they thought to be better-sounding synonyms, and the end result was really blatantly forced bordering on nonsensical.
2 people like this
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
25 Oct 12
On #5 No you don't have to take it but you're going to get it. You pretty much have to decide which bits of advice you'll pay attention to.
I had one instance where the critique took a strange turn while I was writing my second novel. One reader went ballistic over a character name. He or she claimed I had stolen the name from some other fantasy book and I had no right to use it. First off, I picked the name because of its meaning and secondly, the author she claimed I stole it from got it from The Legend of King Arthur. LOL
Writing fancy words only works for fantasy and one can get away with it-sometimes.
@rog0322 (2829)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
25 Oct 12
Hi,
Good pointers there, I love to write too and your post just come in handy. On number four, I always make it a point to spell out the numbers when writing especially if it comes at the beginning of a sentence, thus, it should read "Ten-year old kids..."
Have to keep a pointed pencil nearby just in case an idea pops up and that keyboard is miles away from where I am. That should be tip number eleven.
2 people like this
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
25 Oct 12
Good point about spelling out numbers when writing. When I'm working on my novels I do, but opted not to for this piece.
@Erynn14 (357)
• Malaysia
25 Oct 12
Oh! Thanks a lot for the list to be a writer! This will probably get me some motivation on writing more again. Probably I will need to improve my English grammars, comprehensive skills and so on in terms to be a writer. Thank you so much for the ways on being a writer! :D
2 people like this
@arielpaige (257)
• United States
25 Oct 12
Excellent advice and wonderful tips and points. Love the writing exercise idea. And the point you make about reading what you want, I think that will particularly help your creative juices get going better than reading only your genre. You can get tired of reading that genre, and get unmotivated to write. You can also limit your creativity by limiting yourself to what you read and get exposed to. People find ideas everywhere.
But I have a question about the editing thing.... You say do not under any circumstance edit your work. Why is that? I'm sure nearly everyone was taught to proof read and go over and check their work and what not. Do you mean to go that far? Or do you just mean do not try to professionally edit your work? If you mean do not try to professionally edit your work I can understand that, but if you mean to not ever proof read and check and edit your work, what is that reasoning for that?
But other than that, I love the advice and tips.
@franseman (516)
• Philippines
26 Oct 12
Since I left my home country I started writing blogs on a big Dutch social network. That way my relatives and my friends all got the latest news athe same time and I wasn't bothered with copy/paste etc. More and more I liked writing. At some point several people told me I should have my blogs published in a book. So I did. And wow! sold 24 copies hehehehe.
What I found out tho was that sometimes I tried to 'copy' styles from others. WRONG!
Also I found out that a 'dry' enumeration of facts is not nice to read. So I try to make sentences, using words that match together and as much as possible add some humor in it. And guess what? The responds were now more like "while reading your story I could almost see you and how you're dealing with the things you describe".
And yet I'm far from bing a writer. But I will go on and will improve.
Writing is more then just putting words together.
A good story or article should be like a birthday cake: nice to look at and tasteful from the start to the end.
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
26 Oct 12
Exactly right! Find your own voice when writing. Readers appreciate it so much more. Congratulations on your sales!
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
26 Oct 12
Did you use Publish America? You shouldn't have had to give out any emails to sell books. Next time please use a more reliable publisher if you are going to self publish. lulu.com, createspace, and smashwords are all good options.
@franseman (516)
• Philippines
26 Oct 12
hehehehe, I had to hand over a list of 40 people with their email adresses. To prove that people were interested. But 16 at least decided not to buy the book. Oh well, that's how it goes. Bigger problem is the promoting of a book. If you're an not well known writer, who is going to pay attention?
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
26 Oct 12
Those are really good points irishdid..got any suggestions on writing a good synopsis, that is what I am working on now.
Also, number 7, be original...Well, I guess I am very original, I have yet found a book like mine, the closest I got to is Thoene, and trust me, my characters are nothing like hers. Because it is so different, I can only hope and pray I can find an agent to take me. Because a Christian one would turn and run and a non-Christian would think my topic is too religious..
I am hoping to have the first draft of my synopsis done by next week and then start looking for an agent, it will be interesting to see where it goes..
Also, number 7, be original...Well, I guess I am very original, I have yet found a book like mine, the closest I got to is Thoene, and trust me, my characters are nothing like hers. Because it is so different, I can only hope and pray I can find an agent to take me. Because a Christian one would turn and run and a non-Christian would think my topic is too religious..
I am hoping to have the first draft of my synopsis done by next week and then start looking for an agent, it will be interesting to see where it goes..@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
26 Oct 12
Problem with Indie is, I would have to promote my book and if I had that kind of skills, I'd be a salesman..lol
No, I don't use the word religious in my own life, let alone my book, but some might call it that. The genre is romance/inspired/suspense, but I am leaning towards romance in looking for my agent. I will look up Shawn Lamb, but I can tell already is she writes "Christian" fantasy, it isn't like mine at all.
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
28 Oct 12
Oh I know there is work involved regardless how I publish, but since this is my first book, I prefer to have professional help. I also have promoted my book, even way back when I was writing my first draft and I have a list of people wanting to know when it is published so they can buy it and I am learning from another author how to get the word out across the country. Did you have a link to her blog? Because I only found her books on Amazon, and I would love to learn any tips I can..
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
26 Oct 12
I wish I knew the secret of synopsis writing! To be honest, I struggle with it myself. That's why writers hate it so much. 
So your novel is or isn't religious? Look up Shawn Lamb. She writes Christian fantasy and has a very informative blog "All on writing".
What genre is your novel? Getting an agent isn't easy. I opted to go indie myself.
So your novel is or isn't religious? Look up Shawn Lamb. She writes Christian fantasy and has a very informative blog "All on writing".
What genre is your novel? Getting an agent isn't easy. I opted to go indie myself.1 person likes this
@pukaprat2 (442)
• United States
14 Dec 12
I agree with nearly all of your list except editing. As a writer you should know that you have to edit your story my making the several drafts of it. It isn't perfect the first round, hell isn't even good the second. So I would revise that and say, "when it comes to the point where you are sick of the re-writes and just want it to be done, go through it once more. Then hand it over to someone who can point out the grammar, punctuation, plot line, time line, and all the small indiscretions that you have missed. Because that is what an editor does, and as a writer, editing your own work blocks the creativity which needs to flow so don't do it."
@kevin1877uk (36988)
•
31 Jan 16
Awesome info, thank you, I don't think I will ever write a book, but you never say never how do you. I'll book make this just in case I will at some point. If I don't there is some wonderful info to take on board anyway.
Thanks you putting this together.
1 person likes this
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
31 Jan 16
I looked at the date of when I wrote this piece-been a long time! However, it still applies. Who knows, you may just have a book inside your head waiting to be written.
1 person likes this
@kevin1877uk (36988)
•
31 Jan 16
@irishidid that is true maybe I do, beein thinking since I wrote my comment.
1 person likes this
@RobtheRock (2433)
• United States
31 Oct 12
I like most of what you have except 2. I think you should define what you mean by “edit”. You are constantly editing, whether it’s the rough draft or final draft. Editors hate when you don’t use spell check and the English is horrible (if you are English or American.) Plus, it’s your work. I use AutoCrit Editing Wizard. https://www.autocrit.com/cs-cart/index.php?dispatch=auth.login_form&return_url=your-account.html
I wish to add to 3) that if you plan on getting published in magazines, then study and read that magazine so you can see the kinds of material they publish. Sometimes there will be a problem with the readers of a publication. For example, I studied a publication that took haibun as poetry. This editor I knew had a haibun published in it. Obviously, one of the ‘readers” hadn’t read the magazine. They told me they didn’t publish that kind of material and that it should have a climax to it. If they’d read their own publication, then they could at least have told me that they no longer published that kind of poem. But this person didn’t have a clue.
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
31 Oct 12
You make some good points and bring up issues that one can have when considering advice. Editing, of course, should be done while writing and to give your editor the best work that you can. It makes his/her work easier.
Good information about publishing in magazine. Know the material they publish before approaching them.
1 person likes this
@eagletrek2 (5499)
• Kingston, New York
25 Oct 12
Hi great topic, there lot of people on here
who want to get in the business with my my number
1 is to improve on my grammer and spelling,
I have differnt kind of unique stories in my
head but you right in all the info.you listed
here, I all so read writer digest to for info.
ok have a great day.
@DfwDude (8)
• United States
26 Oct 12
I also need to improve on my grammer and spelling.
My main thing is to get the words down on paper before I forget whatever it is that popped into my mind. I right as I think with the idea of editing later.
I can't count the number of ideas that have popped into my mind and as I scramble looking for a notepad,a postit anything to get down the idea.....the idea floats away and I forget what it was.
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
26 Oct 12
Good tip! Ideas can come through all sorts of things one sees and hears.
@shynepapin101 (1879)
• United Arab Emirates
30 Oct 12
Another great rule that embraces writing overall, because ideas really build up to books or articles, so having a notepad with a pen is advisable.
@kelvinooi (20)
• Malaysia
26 Oct 12
I love to write. I tried writing a book once but end up stalling because i ran out if inspiration. haha. But i'm keeping it in the shelf and hopefully continue one day when i have more input to deliver. Thanks for the tips!
@tedifa (1232)
• Indonesia
27 Oct 12
Thanks for your tips to become writer.When first time i write articles,i just copy and modify and publish to my blogs.Writers need some idea for writing and can't be push if you're in bad mood.Writing need more practice and learning from the expert.I think become good writer is not caused by talent but always practice.I hope someday i can publish my first book.
@shynepapin101 (1879)
• United Arab Emirates
30 Oct 12
A very good breakdown of DOs and DON'T for wannabes. I hope some who have being thinking of taking into writing would finally utilise this as a rule of thumb.
@koopharper (7601)
• Canada
25 Oct 12
Good list. I like number nine. Sometimes you have to break rules that others keep beating you over the head with. Show don't tell is great to a point. Sometimes you have to tell. I had a scene that if I change it or delete it the story gets screwed up. The reader has to know then so I can't save it for a later conversation in the book. I was suggested internal dialog but who wants a hero that talks to himself all the time or can't shut up around a pretty girl. I've improved the scene but I don't see a way around just telling at that point. Eliminate all weak verbs is another almost impossible not to break rule and also getting rid of all adverbs. I've decided to minimize rather than eliminate.
@auwielady (116)
• Philippines
28 Oct 12
Wow! this one's really helpful. I really think even professional writers sometimes neglect some of your points here. The post is kind of funny, but it is downright correct. This discussion post is indeed a must-read! And well, a must-do too, of course! :)
