- Joined
- Oct 15, 2010
- Messages
- 1,030
- Reaction score
- 118
- Location
- Pacific NW
- Website
- www.melissa-c-alexander.com
First step is to study the craft. Being able to write a grammatically correct sentence is not the same as writing professional prose. (Kinda the difference between putting on a bandaid and doing brain surgery.)
Read -- a lot. Write -- a lot. If there's a local writers' group, look into it. Look into local conferences.
"Learn with Uncle Jim" is a good place to learn and practice. There are also books and courses. You have to find what works for you. There is also college-level instruction.
Some people are perfectly happy writing fan fiction for their friends. Others like to write original stories for their friends and family. Others aspire to write professionally. There are poets, screenplay writers, nonfiction writers, short story writers, and novelists. Experiment and find out what you love and what you excel at. (Those aren't necessarily the same thing!)
Find your passion. Writing can be a discouraging field. There's a lot of rejection, and the competition is fierce. Don't do it because you think it will make money for you -- an awful lot of writers don't make a living wage (without help from spouses with health benefits and steady jobs). Write because you can't not write.
Oh, and if you decide to pursue writing professionally, research the business side of publishing. AW is a great place to start. Go into the business with your eyes wide open. It is a *business*.
Read -- a lot. Write -- a lot. If there's a local writers' group, look into it. Look into local conferences.
"Learn with Uncle Jim" is a good place to learn and practice. There are also books and courses. You have to find what works for you. There is also college-level instruction.
Some people are perfectly happy writing fan fiction for their friends. Others like to write original stories for their friends and family. Others aspire to write professionally. There are poets, screenplay writers, nonfiction writers, short story writers, and novelists. Experiment and find out what you love and what you excel at. (Those aren't necessarily the same thing!)
Find your passion. Writing can be a discouraging field. There's a lot of rejection, and the competition is fierce. Don't do it because you think it will make money for you -- an awful lot of writers don't make a living wage (without help from spouses with health benefits and steady jobs). Write because you can't not write.
Oh, and if you decide to pursue writing professionally, research the business side of publishing. AW is a great place to start. Go into the business with your eyes wide open. It is a *business*.
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