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The Very Basics: Ten Things All Writers Need To Do

Posted on | January 26, 2011 | 14 Comments

I get asked occasionally about where new writers need to start if they’re putting together a career in fiction.

Other than telling them that learning the ins and outs of the English language (or whichever language you’re planning to write in) is a plan, I almost always giving them a version of this list. Remember that these are the bare minimum you need to be doing to have a shot at getting published these days. If you want a better shot, you’ll need to do even more.

1. Write And Learn To Write Well: You might be thinking ‘no kidding?’ right now, but you would be amazed how many writers simply don’t write. This says nothing about their skill level, they may in fact be excellent writers…when they actually get down to it. But it can be easier to talk about and research writing than to actually do it. I’m as guilty of this as anyone, but my writing skills didn’t improve until I started writing on a consistent basis. Put simply, writers write.

If you don’t write, you’re not a writer.

 

2. Read: This is another surprising one, writers read, right? Well, most do, but there are a few that simply don’t read at all. More common is the writer who reads, but not in their genre. This is a huge mistake, you must read in and out of your genre, and here’s the reason:

 

If you’ve written a novel about a vampire that sparkles and angsts his way through a high school girl’s life, but won’t sleep with her, then I have bad news.

Story about a boy wizard at a magical school? Also bad news.

3. Research: Writers research everything; writing styles, trends, characters, plot, setting, agents, publishers, markets… everything that’s related to their work in progress and their field. If you haven’t done enough research to know you don’t start a query letter with “Dear Sir/Madam” then chances are you’re going to be getting a lot of rejections.

 

4. Platform: The word ‘platform’ is a terrible buzzword at the moment, and you hear it an awful lot online, usually by someone quoting someone who’s quoting someone else. Put very simply a platform is some way of getting your book out to more people. Whether that means you have a blog with regular visitors or you’re a sports star with forty million fans worldwide, you platform is your ability to sell books to more people than you would have been able to otherwise.

5. Network: The days of writers being able to hide in a dark room and never come out except for cigarettes and flammable liquor are over. If you want a writing career you are competing with everyone worldwide with an internet connection who also wants to be a writer, not in terms of your writing skill as much as you’re competing for the attention of agents and editors who are already drowning in the flood of people screaming at them.

Be professional, be courteous, but also be friendly. Make actual honest to  goodness friends with people instead of just buttering them up as a contact.

If you contact someone in an open and honest way then most writers, agent and editors are really nice people willing to help out a newbie with their questions.

6. Don’t Be A Dick: I shouldn’t have to say this but I do. I am still, everyday, shocked at how rude writers can be to people who they want to help them. I’ve spoken to agents and editors who are routinely abused by writers who’ve been rejected by them.

That. Is. Not. Cool.

*Updated* This is also know as Wheaton’s Law (after Wil Wheaton). I actually knew this before I wrote the post, but completely forgot to put a link in to him. Thanks to commenter Delphine for the heads up.*

7. Be Yourself: You still need to have opinions, to show emotions and to generally be human. For instance it’s okay to say “I got a rejection today and I’m disappointed” but really not okay to say “I got a rejection today from Agent Agentson’s Agency and I hate them and they’re stupid and here’s there address and home phone number” and it’s also really not okay to post up the rejection letters on the net and say how dumb they are.

So be yourself, as long as you’re not breaking rule 6.

8. Play Nice With Other: Succesfull writers/agents/publishers have clout, so even if you abjectly disagree with someone, try not to piss in their shoes.

Stacia Kane explains this far more clearly here. It’s also further clarified by Michele Lee here.

9. Edit If you honestly think you first draft doesn’t need an edit you’re either a super genius or you’re too close to your work. If you can’t objectively edit your stuff, pay someone who can.

 

For the rest of us who aren’t superhuman or super wealthy (although you can get an editor at very reasonable rates these days)  that means you have to edit your work.

Neil Gaiman edits, Stephen King edits, J K Rowling edits. Perhaps there  have been things that were perfect straight out of the gate. By not writer I   have ever listened to, spoken to or read about has made it happen on the first go.

There are extensive outliners who have it polished by the second draft, but   they’ve used their outline almost as a first draft to get their stories in place             and they always go through and do a line edit afterwards.

 

 

 

10. Keep Fighting This writing thing is not for wimps. You’re going to endure more pain and rejection of the course of a year than most people get through in their entire lives.

You will experience fear, doubt, depression, vitriol, spite, rejection letters,   no rejection letters, long waiting times, poverty, false hope, true hope that  gets crushed, bad smells (you), bad pants based decisions and if you’re just starting now…the biggest upheaval in publishing since the invention of the printing press.

Persevere.

Because if you stop writing, then you’re not a writer. Harsh, but true.

Return to writing, and presto, you can call yourself a writer again. Even if  you’re struggling, actually writing is what makes us who we are, differentiates us from the people who say ‘I’d like to write a novel someday.’

And, because as Chuck Wendig points out here, writing is actually pretty damn cool.

11. Finish Things This secret addition to the ten things is actually one of the most important things on the list. If you don’t finish things they don’t get published.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Given the right bottle of wine and several days, I could probably have given you a list of fifty. That said, these are the most important 11 I know.

What would you add to the list?

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Comments

14 Responses to “The Very Basics: Ten Things All Writers Need To Do”

  1. Krista D. BallNo Gravatar
    January 26th, 2011 @ 7:35 pm

    One of the best things I ever did was go to a few reenactment sword fights. They did several unscripted fights and brawls and it was amazing, from the sparks shooting out, the tripping, the panting, and the entire body movements. Most of my fantasy sword fights are based off of those fights (though, to be fair, some of my characters have faster reflexes not being human, so they are more likely to win ;) ).

    While I agree with your platform point, I will say that I’m seeing a new crop of writers spending a hell of a lot more time platforming than producing publishable material (and then, you know, getting it PUBLISHED…whoa crazy talk).

    I would add to your list – know what kind of author you want to be. If you want to only write when the muse hits, only write a little, and keep it as a hobby, that’s all great. But your entire existence as a writer will be very different from someone like me, who is aiming for this to be a career (and, in fact, I left my full time job to write).

    And I agree with #10- know what you are getting into. A coworker once said to me, “I used to want to be a writer. But after seeing how much work you put into, there’s no way I want to do it now.”

  2. CamilleNo Gravatar
    January 28th, 2011 @ 1:21 pm

    Thanks for this. The next time somebody asks me for writing advice I can just send them to you. :}

    Seriously though, this is my favorite line:
    ‘Persevere. Because if you stop writing, then you’re not a writer.’

    That’s my #1 piece of advice, always.

  3. Diep TranNo Gravatar
    January 28th, 2011 @ 2:13 pm

    “This writing thing is not for wimps. You’re going to endure more pain and rejection of the course of a year than most people get through in their entire lives.”

    The succinctly sums up the reason for my many dark moments of depression. But you get up and start again.

    Brilliant piece.

    What I would add is: you are always improving. Your writing is not perfect. The way you write now is not going to be the way you write in 5 years, or 10 years, or 20 years. Good writing, like most art-forms, is a lifetime endeavor. So always aim to do better and do NOT get offended when other suggests improvement on your work. No writer is perfect and not everyone is going to find your pieces flawless.

  4. AbbeNo Gravatar
    January 28th, 2011 @ 2:44 pm

    This is a wonderful list! Thanks for sharing!

  5. AndrewNo Gravatar
    January 28th, 2011 @ 2:44 pm

    Thanks for commenting Diep, and you’re right, if you’re always writing, you’re always improving.

  6. AndrewNo Gravatar
    January 28th, 2011 @ 2:47 pm

    Thank Camille. I agonized over whether or not to post that. It seems so harsh, but I’ve needed to hear it more than once.

  7. ErinNo Gravatar
    January 28th, 2011 @ 6:52 pm

    “Write and learn to write well” and “Read” are two great pieces of advice. I can’t tell you how many people I meet who don’t seem to consider writing a craft, not a “special talent” you’re born with. I always wonder why a person would want to write if he/she doesn’t like to read. Oh, and “keep fighting,” that’s a sometimes difficult but hugely necessary practice. In fact, I like to think of my own writing as practice and process, not product, that way rejections are just part of the process.

  8. JudyNo Gravatar
    January 29th, 2011 @ 10:03 am

    I like your list. Thank you.
    I have one queston.
    If your are reading a very great book, and find a mistake in it, do you tell the author or just let it go?
    thank you

  9. AndrewNo Gravatar
    January 29th, 2011 @ 10:54 am

    I personally would rather know if someone spots an error in my work, and Cory Doctrow actually runs a competition among his readers to see who can spot his typos. I’ll ask a few people and see what they think and make it a future blog post. Thanks for asking, good question :)

  10. Delphine DrydenNo Gravatar
    February 2nd, 2011 @ 7:33 am

    No. 12, Give credit where it’s due. Your #6 is pretty widely known on the internets as “Wheaton’s Law”. It’s true for everyone, of course, and it isn’t like Wil Wheaton invented the phrase “don’t be a dick”. But still, if you’re listing it as a rule, I think you should at least give him the nod.

  11. AndrewNo Gravatar
    February 2nd, 2011 @ 10:01 am

    Fair call, thanks for letting me know :) I’ll update it now.

  12. Helpful Writing Sites & Blog Posts February 2011 Edition | The Graceful Doe's Blog
    February 23rd, 2011 @ 10:54 am

    [...] The Very Basics: Ten Things All Writers Need To Do [...]

  13. Nigel PaiceNo Gravatar
    August 1st, 2011 @ 9:54 pm

    Hi Andrew,
    We’ve quoted this article in a blog post here:

    http://b10track.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-authors-need.html

  14. AndrewNo Gravatar
    August 4th, 2011 @ 10:09 pm

    All good, thanks for letting me know :)

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