How do u get started becoming a writer?

Answer 1

1. Develop a regular writing habit. Decide that you will write at a certain time each day or a certain number of words.

2. Start locally. Write something pertinent and timely for your local newspaper. They are very likely to publish you.

3. Build your clips. Offer your writing to small publications for free so that you can have a portfolio of writing samples.

4. Begin to query larger publications with your ideas and clips.

5. Have incredible patience and expect rejection because that's all part of the business. Even the best writers have been rejected.

6. Be persistent and don't give up.

-Book publishers look for people who have a successful writing career outside of just books, so it is good to have non-fiction articles published before you query them.

Here are some useful links that might help you:
(A simple quick article on how to become a freelance writer)
http://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Freelance-Writer
(A free full-length e-book about writing fiction for money)
http://www.envisionsoftware.biz/hollylisle/muse2-new.pdf
I've downloaded it, so I can tell you there are no bugs.

Answer 2

It all depends on what it is you want to write. I write Romance Fiction, and if that's where you want to go, then I suggest joining, Romance Writer's of America (RWA). It's the best place to start.

Most important, you have to write and you have to LOVE it, and by that I don't mean like it a little. The publishing world is getting harder and harder to break in to with publishing houses joining. It takes months of work and dedication to get one manuscript ready for submission.

As an unpublished author, to get recognized, you have to write the manuscript. In romance fiction, your books can average anywhere from 50,000 words to 120,000 words per manuscript. It all depends on what you write.

Now, after you get your words perfected to the best you can (critique groups are the best to do this) then you send it out. More and more editors are no longer accepting submissions from unagented writers. So, now you need to find an agent. Check Writer's Marketplace. Double-check the agent on a site called Preditors and Editors. There's a lot of scam artists out there. Another great place to start looking is AAR (Association of Artists' Representation).

Going to an agent isn't the only way to go. Many sucessful authors have sold on their own. Check out www.eharliquin.com. Harlequin is a publishing house that has a number of lines and they also have tons of information for writers.

Bascially, research. In the beginning, I did just as much research as I did writing. I've read story after story of authors who spent 10 years before they ever sold their first manuscript. It's not an easy road, but I wish you the best of luck.

Answer 3

Who is your audience? If you are aiming at young people who text message each other then using "u" to stand for "you" is appropriate. If you are aiming at the general public then breaking away from text message abbreviations would be the first step.

I think that everyone who is literate is potentially a writer. Everyone has something to express. It is not practical to stand on the roof top and yell at the top of your lungs to get your thoughts shared with others. It annoys your neighbors also.

If we're sharing our thoughts with someone by way of printed word then we need to agree on a common form of punctuation, grammar, and spelling. If we don't agree to a common form then meaning can be changed with dropping something as small as a comma.

The written word isn't helped by tone of voice, facial expressions, hand gestures. The spoken word depends on these helpers to convey our meaning.

Punctuation, grammar and spelling replace tone of voice, facial expression and hand gestures for the printed word. Smilie faces don't count. ;-)

Word processing programs have spell check. Some have built in grammar suggestions makes it a little easier for new writers. But, not knowing the difference between words that sound the same can confuse the reader. Spell check won't catch "there", "their", and "they're" if used in the wrong context.

The second problem new writers have is not planning out what it is they want to say, and then being afraid of rewriting.

When you get an idea that you have to express in print sit down and write everything you can. Don't worry about spelling, grammar, or organization during that first "brain dump".

Then take your draft and cut it up into sections. Rearrange the sections in a way that expresses what you want with a structure that your reader can follow.

Rewrite the draft in the order that makes more sense. Then use spell check.

Checking for grammar is a little difficult if you are writing like you speak. You don't speak to your best friend like you would to the police. You wouldn't speak to your teacher at school like you would to your Uncle. We "code switch" all the time, every day, according to our audience.

Back to the first question: Who is your audience? That will determine which "code" you're going to be using.

To be too formal could make a younger audience wander off.

To be too "hip", using current slang, can make the older audience wander off. It also makes your writing "go bad" over time, like left overs in a tuppaware in the fridge. Current slang is good for writing that is temporary like blogs.

There's all sorts of grammar help resources. If you do a web search for "bad writing errors", for example, you'll find a lot of websites that will help a writer avoid those errors.

Mark Twain said the hardest thing about being a writer is planting the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.

He's right about that. Writing every day makes writing easier. Reading every day exposes you to different writers. You can learn a lot by slowing down while reading and looking at where those darned commas are located. Editors of publishing companies make sure that common problems are avoided.

You can be a writer if you allow yourself to write. The impact of your writing will depend on you making it easier for your reader to stay focused to your point and not get distracted with common problems of spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Lastly I'd suggest reading what you write outloud, to yourself, to a friend if you can. Then have another friend read it to themselves. See if both friends got your point. Ask them where you might have lost their attention.

Good luck with working on your writing skills. It's becoming a lost art. It's not a path to fame and riches but it is one way to leave our handprint on the cave wall of time.

Answer 4

Sit down at a desk with paper and pen (or a computer if you prefer to type) and start talking. Talk about anything you know about, want to know about, anything you hate or love. As you talk, you type what you are saying. This will get you writing, and teach you to type fast.

Eventually (on the probability of randomness) the words will form sentences, the sentences form paragraphs, the paragraphs will form chapters, and the chapters a book.

Answer 5

you should buy a note pad and write your thoughts down other such things would be describing what you see in a descriptive meaning ful way using literary resources.
For Example:
Similes- The Bird that was soaring along the beach, was as colorful as the horizon.
observations
thoughts
poems
notes
reports
reviews
biographies
illustrations


use your heart and u will find the meaning of a writer..............

Answer 6

Be practical.

First off the only way you get better at writing is by writing and by reading. So read and write as much as you can, it doesn't have to be a masterpeice every time.

Second, Slang helps you none. u cant write lyk dis n xpect 2 b published !~!~!

good luck.

Creative Writing For Dummies is a good read.

Answer 7

Think out a creative idia all the way through and then write or type it. After that you can tweak it as you see fit. And then if you want to publish, send it to a publishing company and see what happens. GOOD LUCK!!!!!

Answer 8

Well if you got a talent for certain types of writing and you have your original work you should try approaching a publishing house and find out if you can get a review of your work done.Good luck!!!

Answer 9

For me, it started off as reading PLENTY of books! This is where I got started writing.

Fan-fic first and then the real stuff.

Answer 10

Fiction or non-fiction? Let's start with non-fiction. Write about something you know about. Fiction, same advice, write about something you know about. For non-fiction, send your essay, articles, how-to stories to local, weekly publications. If they like it they will accept it. Same holds true for fiction, send your short stories, poetry to literary journals. If they like they will publish it.