Hi all,
This week, I'm going to talk about children who want to be authors when they grow up. I thought I'd hand out a bit of advice for any teenagers out there who feel the pull to write books.
Practice often.
Even if it's short stories, flash fiction or fanfiction, just write. The more you write, the more your style will develop. You'll also get a good feel of what genres and stories you want to write. I started out writing stories about cats when I was younger.
Read.
Reading is a great way to learn other writing styles and pick up on new words. It doesn't have to be in the genre you want to write in.
Get feedback.
I used to write Warrior Cats fanfiction and it was a great way to get feedback on my writing from my peers. I'd highly recommend writing fanfiction as you'll meet a lot of people who already enjoy what you read and will want more of it. If you don't want to do that, you can ask family or friends about your writing. But they might not give you any negative feedback, so keep that in mind.
Research publication methods.
Look into how they published. Did they self publish or go through a publisher? Do you want to publish your own work or attempt to get through the slush pile of agents? Each method has its pros and cons, you just need to look into which will be better for you.
Write on the side.
Don't attempt to make writing your full-time job straight away. Especially if you're self-publishing, you'll need funds for editors, cover designers, ads etc. So I would recommend getting a full-time job and treat writing as a hobby until you earn enough to live off your book money.
Don't give up.
It can be daunting when you're first starting. There are so many hurdles to jump through and success still isn't guaranteed. A lot of the time you will feel like giving up. But persevere. If this what you want, then you have to make it happen.
That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week.
