Who can help this aspiring young writer?

Question

Firstly I am new to this site so let me know if I'm doing anything wrong! my name is David, I'm 21, and I am from London, England (Bethnal Green).

I have been writing for years and literally have boxes of material- some of it written down on a whim with no real effort, other bits that I actually sat down specifically to write before the idea left my head. I have stories, both short and hundreds of pages long, on everything from romance to historical drama and crime thrillers. I have poetry, philosophical musings, experiment abstracts, quotes, scripts, word-long scribbles surrounded by artwork, the whole lot.

I am not sure yet I want to focus my energy upon, as at 21 I feel it's time I tried to earn a living writing wholesale (or at least earned a little pocket money).

Any advice would be great, no matter how small or obscure- I'm here to make friends, learn, and teach when I can.

Thanks everyone- feel free to email me any time to talk about writing or anything else!.

360 page in the pipeline!

Answer 1

I would suggest you start by looking at what some of your favourite magazines/publishing houses are looking for. Most of them have websites you can go to, and they will tell you if they are taking submissions and what kind of submissions they want, in addition to format requirements.

As well, if you have a local newspaper, they may be interested in submissions.

Until you start submitting work, you won't know if you're on the right track. It's like selling anything .... you have to have a buyer or it doesn't have any value. And you're basically selling your ideas and your stories. So you're going to have sell them, and the idea of yourself as an author.

Another idea might be to look at the biography of some of your favourite authors. How did they get started?

Good luck !

Answer 2

Hey, it's great that you've kept at writing for so long! If you plan on submitting for publication, it would help to narrow your writing down to a few pieces that you like the best. Find a person or two who can read these pieces and give you their honest opinions and comments. Take their suggestions seriously and really polish those few pieces. You don't have to be limited to a specific medium or genre, but it is often easier if you narrow your topic(s). Then, when you really feel that you've got something interesting, submit it to local publishers or writing contests (the kind you don't have to pay for). I don't know what there is for writers in England, but I know there are lots of contests for high-school and college age writers here in the US, so I'm sure there are similar things in London.
There are lots of opportunities for writers all around the world, so if you writing skills are good (judging from your question, they are better than most) you shouldn't have trouble finding a job. Just remember, stick with writing. If it's really what you want to do, you will find a way to do it.

Answer 3

This question has been answered before. Maybe not completely in one entire question, but I know it has. But I'll give you tips anyway. I'm younger than you, and I write. Tips to improve your writing are as follows: Write what you know, draw what you see. I've answered this same question elsewhere here and told them the same thing. Read good authors. Read some popular authors. That is obviously what people are interested in. They wouldn't be New York Bestsellers for nothing, go figure. If ideas are given to you to write stories, they are not your ideas anymore. Brainstorm. Write about things that make you passionate. If people doing drugs makes you mad, write about that and why it makes you mad. The things that keep you up at night, the things that you wish for, those are the things you should write about. Write what you read. If you read a genre, then you should know that genre fairly well, huh? Therefore, you can know what is a good option for that genre. Romance? Scotts in kilts who happen to be buff, anyone? Improving your vocabulary: Read classics. This helps your writing, as classics are revered literature for a reason, not because they are long. Read Stephen Crane, William Golding, Shakespeare - who made up thousands of the words used in the English language - read the dictionary. Read those SAT novels, if you really want to have an improved vocabulary, though you might have no one around who understands you but teachers. Also, those are beneficial because being a high school student, as I presume you are, would help you academically. Ask a teacher to read your writing. Asking a friend is getting a biased opinion and review. Asking a parent is sugar-coated, most of the time. Ask a teacher, preferably an English teacher. Send in work to people that critique. Post it on a busy forum. Excuse myself for the sarcasm included at the beginning of this answer, as I said - I have answered this, and I myself have asked the same question. Well, anyway, here you are.

Answer 4

Wow, you seem so friendly it's hard to say no!

First, I suggest setting some low goals. Nothing too far out or else they will seem impossible to reach. Writing is a true art of expression which shows others another life. You also need to make sure it's an tale worth telling.

Writing is something that is hard to just sit and do. Make sure you set a schedule of how much time you're willing to dedicate to writing. A million other things will run through your head, but tell yourself that this is your writing time.

Whether you choose to make notes of what you want to write or to make it up if you go along. Find your way to express yourself and go with it.

I'm not much of a professional, but if you want some good websites or such I'm open for contact. Best of luck to you!

Answer 5

Try writing a screen play. Or a couple of them. Then try to get an agent who will pitch them and you to film companies. Include some feature film length, some short and some tv, screen plays in your portfolio and you might get a job that way. The key is quality, variety, and your own personal style.

Answer 6

Since you seem full of ideas, how about you visit a publishing company about your all-time best work? You could also take avery long vacation and ponder about useless things. When you see an inspiring thing one day, you could get so inspired by it that you decided to write about it for life. Or you could also just look around and write what you feel like. That's got to be the best part of writing.

Answer 7

One good way to start would be some research in ur main areas of interest. eg. if u think u can write more good stuff on romance then try to find out what sort of books are selling well and why. Its probally better to try to concerntrate on one area or topic and work from there.
good luck.

Answer 8

get a job at a local newspaper or magazine as a freelance journalist. then work your way up from here. the connections you get from the job will mean that you'll be in a better position for doing what you really want to do (if you ever decide =p)

Answer 9

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Answer 10

start a website. You can get your name out there and always sell your books online. Make a market for yourself. Try publishing a serial.