My first piece of advice: READ, READ, READ. Read everything you can get your hands on, but pay special attention to the type of work which you want to write. How are the books or articles put together? Use colored hi-lighting pens to mark up samples of your favorite kinds of writing. Analyze how much of each piece is narrative, dialogue, description and so on. Subscribe to a writing magazine. Check out the web sites of your favorite authors–many have helpful, free writing advice posted.
Take an online or community college writing course. There you will find willing
critique partners to give you honest feedback. Join a local or online critique
group–just keep in mind that everyone’s work needs revision. From
beginners to professionals– writing is “re-writing.”
That brings us to my second piece of advice: REVISE, REVISE, REVISE.
Then have someone read it again-(not your mother, who will love it, but another
writer or a third party.) One more note–most published authors have
agreements with their agents or editors to NOT read the work of unpublished
writers, so avoid them unless you know them personally or from class.
When you’ve done the best work you can at this point, RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH the markets! Invest in a good market guide (such as Sally Stuart’s Christian Writer’s Market Guide or Writer’s Digest Market Guide) and read the guidelines for publications who might be interested in your type of work. This is so important–editors will send your work right back to you if they don’t publish what you write! Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with your submission (unless you are lucky enough to target a market who accepts e-mail submissions! Check those guidelines! Many publications post their guidelines on their website, but a few insist you mail them an SASE).
Don’t be discouraged when you get those REJECTIONS, REJECTIONS, REJECTIONS. Remember, editors are not rejecting you as a person, they are saying the work you submitted is not right for them at this point in time. Often they will give helpful tips–use them! And know that even the most well-known authors still get rejections, it’s all part of the business. If you aren’t getting rejection letters, you aren’t actively pursuing a writing career! Once you are published, be prepared for a variety of REVIEWS, REVIEWS, REVIEWS. (But that’s a different topic ; )
I’ve compiled some links to sites offering writing advice. These should
help you get started. I wish you all the best!
Writer’s Organizations which host websites, print publications or classes
for writers:
http://www.acfw.net
http://www.writersweekly.com/
http://www.writersdigest.com
http://www.writersjournal.com/
http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/
http://www.anthologiesonline.com/
http://www.spiritledwriter.com/
http://www.writingclasses.com/
Before submitting your work to any new publisher, check for complaints against them. Here are a few places to check:
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/
R’s of Writing
Interested in Writing?
Wondering "How to break in?"
