I’ve been pretty active on Twitter (@susanlyn_author) and Instagram (@susanlynauthor), trying to engage people in my brand of crazy. I’m not wild, posh or daredevil, in fact, in real life I’m awkward AF.
There seems to be a common question, especially on Twitter, “What advice would you give new writers.”
1) Writing takes practice. Which means that first drafts are rarely good. I saw something one a post that resonated with me. The first draft is just telling yourself the story, then you polish it to tell others.
2) Writing should be enjoyable. Yes, there will be days where you don’t want to make the effort, and everything you write will seem flat and lifeless, but your overriding feeling toward writing should be eagerness. Otherwise, why bother?
3) Always be learning. Always. There is never and endpoint where you can say I know it all. You can always learn from someone else’s experience.
4) Find your own way. Do you need to plot, or do you prefer to write and see what happens. Both are right. Find what works for you and don’t be afraid to change. I used to be a pantser and now I plot. I know other people who have evolved in the opposite direction. Writing processes can change.
5) Same with editing. You can edit as you go or wait until the end and edit from start to finish. Personally, I lightly edit as I write, making sure words are spelled correctly and grammar is mostly correct. My typing is atrocious, so it’s best to make sure I’ve written what I meant to say, rather than come back a month or two later and try to guess.
5) Don’t beat yourself up for missing soft deadlines. Those self imposed goals that you’ve created for yourself. It’s good to have measuring points but your success as a writer doesn’t depend on them. Your success depends on you continuing to write and improve your craft. (Note – this does not apply to publisher deadlines, those puppies are set in stone and can affect your livelihood)
🦉 There, my words of wisdom for the day 🦉