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Sharing thoughts on tips for new authors...

My first tip would be to enjoy the writing process as much as possible. It sounds simple but is such an important part of any author's fabric it must always be held up as the context for our stories.

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So do you guys reckon that a writer is better to just dump his / her brain on the page and then come back to polish up later or to plan out your story and work out your chapters from there?

Hey Guys and Gals , thanks for the contributions. I am in and out just now, but will check in as I can.

Another piece of advice would be to know the difference between the editing and the proofreading, they are quite different animals. Editing concerns the story structure and the bones of it if you like, the proofreading is only the words and grammar and is only skin deep. Every author needs to check and recheck both parts.

Oh and kissing the Blarney stone helps too. I managed to do so the other morning. Go early, we had the castle to ourselves.

Good luck

 

Hi Dave,

Yup that works well for most. But we all find a way that suits us best.



Dave Ronnert said:

So do you guys reckon that a writer is better to just dump his / her brain on the page and then come back to polish up later or to plan out your story and work out your chapters from there?

Take your time and make it a fun process. No has a gun to your temple--it's not a race--it's not a test of perfection. Write notes if have to--use keywords to spur your imagination in creating the next scene.

chris

Warren and Chris, absolutely, the first draft should be as chaotic as you need it to be, depending on what you are writing. Let those creative juices run free and the diamonds appear as if from nowhere. They will still nedd to be polished but at least they will be in sight...

My tip would be something practical like; purchase a copy of Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King.  It helped me a lot.

Sean, yes a thousand times. Finish the first draft--get it down. Take a long break--a week or two, if need be. Revel in the accomplishment. Start the editing process by concentrating on a scene or chapter at a time. Forget about the coming pages--live for the present and keep your eye on the prize.

I agree, Sean. Do what you love and love what you do!

Also, be prepared to wear many hats. As a new author, you will have to do tons of self-promotion online and offline. You will have to juggle your life (most of us still have to cook, clean, pay bills, etc.) with your writing career duties. Oh, and don't forget, you have to write the next book!

Yup Patrica, I agree.

I am on the fourth book of the current twelve book series and only the first one is actually out yet. Now comes the marketing... the writing... the juggling... the marketing... the marketing... the marketing...

Oh and don't forget to have fun. I do.

I agree - that is how I got hooked in the first place. So easy with a computer - Can you imagine being a novelist 100 years ago - had to be a genius. I also enjoy the vast landscape that the English language offers - always a word to express the thought, but it can be a challenge to find it. Knowing that I do not depend upon writing for a living it is easy to get up and walk away when the brain stops cooperating. 

So, working on book five now (Inside a Dream Catcher), the marketing for the whole series is progressing but not yet fired off. We are doing a lot of research and planning before we set things in motion. Its just the same as writing, marketing requires knowledge learn all you can and remember to come from the heart, always.

http://authorselectric.blogspot.co.uk/ here is a link that might some with the marketing.

To write because you LOVE to tell stories, not because you are trying to be a successful MILLIONAIRE! 

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