Tips for Aspiring Writers

Many people want to write a book, but few of them actually manage to do it, and even fewer get published. If you want to be a writer, think about why. Is it because you have a genuine love of crafting a story, or are you hoping to "make it big"?

	You won't get rich from writing. Yes, you should get some royalties, but in most cases if you consider the amount of hours you'll have spent writing your 100,000 word manuscript you'll realise that you could have got a far better return doing a regular job.
	It won't change your life. There is a certain amount of pride and it's a great achievement, but as one writer says, "It very quickly just becomes something you did." People will not be in awe of you in the street.
	Just because one book is published, it doesn't mean you've "made it". Staying published is as difficult as getting published in the first place. Your publishers may reject your next work - the standard has to be kept up.

But if you still want to write your masterpiece, here are some tips.

Read a lot

The more you read good books, the more you will recognise good writing. As you read, look at the way the author uses language to evoke mood, or to convey a character.

Write a lot

Practice. Short stories, articles, difficult sympathy letters. The more challenging the writing, the better. Invest in a good thesaurus (or add it to your toolbar) and use it often!

Know your market

Who is going to buy your book? Why would they want to select your book from the shelf rather than the hundreds of others on offer? Think about who you are pitching the book to, and write what they will want to read. I write uplifting and intelligent books for the middle-aged LDS female market, but you may feel more comfortable writing for the general market, or youth, or children.

Rewrite, read, rewrite and read

Once you have completed your first draft, leave it alone for a couple of weeks, then go back to it and read it objectively and honestly, asking yourself if it's any good. If you were a reader who had paid for the book, would you be content that it was money well spent? Rewrite it, and rewrite it again, and again, until you are convinced that every word is as good as it can be.

Check out your publishers

Most publishers these days have websites telling would-be authors what they are looking for, how it should be submitted, and to whom. Buy books already published by that publisher so that you know what they like, and make sure you submit your manuscript based on their guidelines. Many publishers do not accept unsolicited manuscripts at all, so don't waste your time with them. And there used to be an unwritten rule that you didn't submit the same novel to more than one publisher at a time, but with many taking several months to consider a manuscript, that no longer applies. After all, the worst that can happen is a bidding war over your book.

It's often a good idea to use an agent rather than going directly to the publishers. They take a percentage of your royalties, but if you can get accepted by an agent, you're halfway there.

Develop a thick skin

You will get a lot of rejection letters. Don't let them get you down.

Finally, some more tips to make you smile! (I didn't write these. I'm not that good.)

Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
Also, always avoid awkward, affected and annoying alliteration.
Never ever use unnecessary redundant repetitions.
Avoid run-on sentences they are hard to read.
No sentence fragments.
Verbs has to agree with their subjects
Avoid commas, that are not necessary.
Writing carefully, dangling participles should not be used.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Don’t verb nouns.
Employ the vernacular.
Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
Remember to never split an infinitive.
Contractions aren't necessary.
Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
One should never generalize.
Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
Comparisons are as bad as clichés
Be more or less specific.
One-word sentences? Eliminate.
Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
The passive voice is to be avoided.
Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
Who needs rhetorical questions?
Don't never use a double negative.
Do not put statements in the negative form.
A writer must not shift your point of view.
Don't overuse exclamation marks!!!
Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
Last but not least, avoid clichés like the plague, they're old hat.