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TALENT
IN WRITING FICTION OR NON-FICTION
Talent
is subjective. This author is by no means an authority on
the subject but, in his humble way, will try to explain what
it takes to be a writer.
First,
one must scratch the itch of that nagging thought, can I write
a book? Just about everyone has a story or two to tell about
an experience or a happening in his or her life. But, the
question remains, how to begin to relate a story in words
that will excite a reader juices and want him or her to keep
reading until the very last word, set the book down and smile
in satisfaction. That takes knowledge and time to develop
one’s writing style,
Very
few writers are born with the ability to be a story teller.
It seems that some writers are born with the natural flair
to spin a yarn. Articulation in speech, at the precise moment,
allows the listener to linger for a brief second wondering
what is coming next. A writer must learn to be able to present
the same element in writing a story scene. A novice writer
should really first study how to structure a book before attempting
to write one.
Sometimes
an avid reader might think writing is easy because it takes
a few characters, a plot, maybe a sticky situation and the
hero rides off into the sunrise with the girl. Well, hells
bells, it’s not. It takes plenty of time with enormous
effort and, most of all, a stick-to-it attitude even before
an accomplished writer puts one word on paper.
A
novice writer should stay with what he or she enjoys reading.
If one enjoys reading a certain genre, it stands to reason
they will be quite familiar with that genre. Once a novice
chooses a genre that’s when the real work begins.
A
good place to start is with an outline of a book. There are
many to choose from, such as the one by K.M. Weiland. She
is a natural born writer and is willing to help other writers
become good story tellers. She believes that by putting her
fingers on a keyboard it brings her freedom to be anywhere
in time or create the persona of anyone she wants to be. She
has a strong desire to help writers become successful authors.
Her tutoring will cover: selecting a writing space or area,
scheduling your work hours, researching your selected genre,
creating a concept, organizing a plot, developing characters,
time periods, scene settings and a great deal more.
Many
successful authors actually create their characters from real
life people and fold into their story real events. These will
help to put a realism into a story’s plot.
Also,
a very important factor in a novice writer’s beginning
is the use of “words”. Strengthening one’s
vocabulary is never a waste of time. During a recent research
for a fiction article, I stumbled across the website majortests.com.
It offered an Official SAT Study Guide and there
I found ten groups with ten words in each group. These groups
of words can help a novice writer in many ways. Using the
right adjective to describe a person, thing or place gives
strength to your book’s sentence structures.
Alas,
there are so many more ways to create a fiction or non-fiction
book. I personally like selecting a particular genre and then
read all I can about it. This helps me mold my main characters,
create visual scenes, and select a time period in which I
can formulate a plot.
The
name escapes me of the author who said, “Write, write
and keep writing until you run out of words. Edited out the
garbage words later.” What he meant was to keep your
thoughts flowing.
Even
after you think you’ve just penned the next best seller
and begin querying agents or publishers a naughty word will
pop-up. It’s “rejection”. And boy, after
a half-dozen or so, it puts a dent in one’s ego. But,
after a while, you finally get the idea that one in every
ten thousand books by a novice writer gets published.
You
need creditability. And, just how do you get it? The best
way is to attend workshops and writer’s conventions.
Several decades ago a novice writer could begin writing short
stories for magazines to gain credit as a writer. But, the
Internet changed that approach. Today, there are excellent
workshops that will focus on how a novice writer can use the
Internet to establish and build credibility in the world of
publishing. These workshops introduce a writer to a variety
of avenues to accomplish this. Their focus is also on how
to help a writer get their work to market and beyond.
There
are several ways a novice writer can get his or her manuscript
into a book. Just google the words “Book Publishers’
and a writer can find an assortment, almost beyond one’s
imagination, for a variety of publishing costs.
There
are even a few that offer the tools for you to create your
book such as, Print On Demand (POD). These are book printers
that will put your book into any format and size, then allow
a writer to buy one or as many copies as they wish at a discounted
price. But, what you send them is what you get, mistakes and
all the typos. Of course, they offer other services to assist
in fine tuning-up your work for additional fees.
The
most sensible approach, if you can afford it, is to have your
work edited by a professional. There are from three to five
types of edits. The main three seem to be:
Developmental
is assistance in concept, contents, tone and overall presentation.
Line
Editing is where the excessive repetitive parts
are cut out to bring the work to a refined clarity, consistency
and readability.
Copy
Editing is line editing checking for mistakes
or inconsistencies in grammar, punctuation, style and format.
Now,
once these edits are done, a careful writer will have his
or her book reviewed. This process is a form of literary criticism
in which a book is analyzed based on content, style, and merit.
This website, since 1998, has been dedicated to reviewing
author’s works. It just might be prudent to have one
of our reviewers read your work.
After
the trials and tribulations of all of the above, the next
step in becoming a successful author is marketing
your work. This can be in the form of a website, writing a
blog, book signings, visiting local book clubs and joining
writer’s forums.
In
conclusion, the staff of myshelf.com wish that all
novice writers fulfill their dream of a best seller. Remember,
read, read and read some more, than write, write and keep
on writing.
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Now,
go softly into the night. mgf
Comments
always welcome
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