What key piece of advice would you give to an aspiring novelists to help them make their dreams come true?

Answer 1

Say something significant about human nature. Craft credible characters. Accept criticism as a positive force. Be willing to fail, fail, fail.

Then perhaps you will succeed.

Answer 2

Hi there. I'm a published fantasy author. My latest hard cover novel is THE BLACKGLOOM BOUNTY. It's a medieval fantasy epic with lots of mysticism, magic and mayhem.

This book took about 3 years to write and another 2 years to get published. It has been reviewed very highly in the mainstream media and is being considered for a movie production.

As for your own writing, my advice is to read samples of as many of the top titles as you can get your hands on in your genre. The library is good for this--no cost. Now, you don't have to read every page of every book. Just scan them for characters and descriptive material, then put YOURSELF into a storyline. For example, if you were writing fantasy, what would you do if you were trapped in a cave with a giant 'whatever' blocking the entrance? What have some other writers come up with? Was their solution believable?

In most of my books, the characters do all the writing--I just sit back and type the words onto the computer screen. In other words, let your mind wander over ideas of how YOU would handle a situation and then allow your characters to react.

As long as you stay away from the central storyline of the other major published books, you should be fine. Always try to think out of the box. For example, what would happen if you had a dragon that kept falling asleep as it flew over the countryside? Messy, huh?

And last but not least, write every day, whether you want to or not. That's how you become a true writer. Study grammar and spelling! Most computer spell-checkers will NOT catch mistakes like using "affect" instead of "effect" or "you're" instead of "your".

Publishers these days DEMAND perfect manuscripts. If your work is full of errors, you can forget it. It's tough enough to make a buck with books and that's why publishers are so picky. And yes, it takes time. Figure on 5 years from when you first start your book 'til you see it in print (assuming it's good and you can find an agent to rep it.) But hey, what's five years? Trust me, it's WORTH it when you hear, "Your book is like Braveheart meets the Lord of the Rings," which a Hollywood producer just said to me a few days ago.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your writing.

Jon F. Baxley (Author, Editor, Ghostwriter and Proofreader)

THE SCYTHIAN STONE (eBook only)
THE BLACKGLOOM BOUNTY (eBook and hard cover)
THE REGENTS OF RHUM (coming fall '07)

Answer 3

Write what you know, was the best piece of advice ever given to meh.

Being a writter is a career that requires dedication and soul and spirit. To keep from breaking that always encourage them, but be realistic with critisium. Keep on the look out for publishing companies that publish your books online and allow people to sell them online.

Answer 4

Find a writing style that suits your personality so that writing is a stress reliever instead of a chore. Write about things you enjoy so that you will have better knowledge of the topics. Read books by some best-selling authors and then read books by authors who have no best-sellers and spot the differences to give you an idea of what to avoid. And, of course, be persistant.

Answer 5

Write like it's all you do! Make it your life! Never ever give up. The minute you turn your back on your dream is the same minute you say what if....Believe in yourself because you are the only one who can make those dreams come true.

Answer 6

You will never be happy with the ending, so like Ernest H., just keep drafting and drafting as your view on life changes until YOU are somewhat happy with it.

Oh,

Some light drinking of adult beveriges may also assist in the patience area.

Answer 7

No, and that i does unlike them to come back real. one among my desires is myself and those random human beings in a Jeep and a guy is utilizing crazily contained in the city attempting to get faraway from a operating sloth. sure, a operating sloth. that's the reason why I hate sloths... desire that has helped your question.

Answer 8

Write for yourself and write 2 hr a day and write what you know about.

Answer 9

Don't write anything that a rap artist would write.
(write the opposite of what a rap artist would write)

Answer 10

Patience. If you want something now, go out and get it. If you want notoriety, don't be in a hurry.