I want to be a writer and I have written a book. How do I know if the book and my writing is any good?

Question

I have a short 100 page book. I want to extend it too a novel and I have other partially written books. I joined a writers group and all they seemed to care about was grammer,punctuation and the absolutely strictest sense of form but I feel that style is what matters. To me the strict form can be worked on later and to judge a book by grammer, and spelling is like judging a football player by the way he is dressed. I can always get help with grammer and spelling but I feel that the skill is in the style and I want to know if I have any skill.

I understand that perfect form and function are par for the course but to be honest to go back and relearn perfect grammer,punctuation correctly is going to take a great deal of hard work and first I want to know if I am any good. I first want to know if I have talant.

Answer 1

Because what they are telling you is that manuscripts submitted to a publisher or editor or agent that arent perfect in terms of spelling and grammar become instant dinner for the paper shredder. Obviously, they saw something in your work that lacked in those departments. Listen to them. Read the book The First Five Pages. Often, a publisher wont even give you that much of his time. If the first couple paragraphs are a mess, it will get tossed and you will get the nice form rejection letter - regardless of your "style". Remember that form follows function. If your form isnt good, it doesnt function. If you dont believe them, get a copy of Writers Market 2007 and send it out to someone and see what they say.

Spelling and grammar are part of the skills an author uses. To be perfectly honest, you sound really overly confident in your material and unwilling to take advise. Yet you say you want to be a good writer. Part of being a good writer is listening to others and honing your writing skills. You seem unwilling to do that. Belive me, when you get to the status of Stephen King or Dean Koontz, you can write and have somebody sit and clean up your writing. Until then, you are on your own, baby, and you need to improve not only your spelling and grammar but your attitude towards taking instruction.

You can argue your point till your blue in the face with a publisher, but they will still turn you down. Wise up and smell the coffee. The group was steering you in the right direction. Hopefully you havent burned your bridges with them. Eat a little crow and go back -- this time with your mind open and your listening ears on. Pax - C

Answer 2

Is this your first book? Try posting it on the internet at www.fanfiction.net or www.mediaminer.org

I am sure there are other sites which also let you post original fiction and have a way for readers to leave reviews. Be aware, reviewers can be very harsh if the grammar, spelling and punctuation are not excellent. For some people, the errors seem to jump off the page while they read. Poor form may also be interpreted as a lack of pride in the finished product. If you don't care, why should the reader?

Answer 3

Agree - spelling and grammar is not as important as style. And may I add content. If you want to find out if you have a gift for writing take one or two courses at the college level. If the teacher is worth his or her pay, they will recognize your talent. You just have to remember that talent is on a spectrum, even though you might have some talent, there might be others who have a lot more. Even a lot less. Every talented writer has a different range of talent than others. For example, Kurt Vonnegut highly talented and way up there on the spectrum compared to other writers, published and unpublished.

Answer 4

Of course style matters over mechanics, but as a budding author, you will not be given the time of day unless your work is grammatically correct. It looks as though you don't want to put the time and effort into making your work as good as it can be by learning the rules of grammar, and that just won't fly in the real world. In order to break the rules, you first have to know the rules, and this cavalier attitude towards grammar, spelling, and punctuation implies to me that you don't care about the quality of your work quite as much as you care about getting instant approval. If you ever hope to be a good author, you're going to have to learn these rules sometime and you might as well start now.

However, if feedback is what you're looking for, fictionpress.com is a great place to post your work, though it can be tough to get constructive feedback. If you really don't want to bother with mechanics yourself, how about getting a beta reader for your work? You can find someone on a writer's forum or enlist a good, trusted (and grammatically knowledgeable) friend to proofread your work for grammar and clarity. Your writer's group should also be a great resource, but it appears as though you've rubbed them the wrong way - either find a new writer's group who is willing to overlook your copious errors, or invest in a copy of Eats, Shoots, and Leaves and get cracking on correcting that grammar.

If you're truly dedicated to the art of writing, you shouldn't have this terrible attitude towards grammar and mechanics, and you shouldn't be so reluctant to polish your work towards perfection.

Answer 5

I too have debated this since I desire to become an author myself. Except I did not join a club like you, in which, my opinion; can limit your creativity. I believe that proper grammar is essential but one cannot say that all books are grammatically correct. Take Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton: he use the "-" symbol instead of quotes. He even had speech in paragraphs without quotes and constantly switched from quotes to action or drama without any indication. In this sense, this grammar can be declared improper or wrong. So I do not believe working in such a club will help the creative process, but I think it will motivate you. Personally, it takes sheer strength to force myself to write my book, not because I despise it, but because it is such a chore when I can merely dream of the story and not write it.

To the question, to determine your skill should not be an obstacle in your road of writing. If you wish to compare your skill, give your writings to other people: friends, parents, neighbors, and the such and seek their reactions. Do not judge their comments as initially fake, because sometimes loved ones can be honest, but do not take the suggestions critically. To determine skill is determining everything else in life. This may seem like a stretch, but it is the truth. For instance, I, myself, am a soccer player. To determine my skill is near impossible. I can compare myself to a pro and say I am horrible. I can compare myself to a five year old and boast away. I can compare myself to fellow teammates and say I surpass some and lack others. But this does not solve anything. You are merely using other things to determine who you are. Its why writing is so wonderful is because there is no skill. If you look at some of the classic literature of the world, there is not set medium or standard to reach. If not, why do we not see a billion Shakespears in the world?

To bluntly answer your question- I recommend that you do not force yourself in finding your skill level. Even if you do, what can you do to change? Read more? Write more? Its like anything else you do: the more practice, the better the outcome. A perfect philosophy in writing because truly, if you compare your writing to older writing in the past you will probably say you have grown and matured in your own way. So writing is ever changing because your mind is ever changing. Comparing your skill should not hinder your creativity. At the same time, grammar should not be an issue: besides, if your book is to be published, it is proof-read a thousand times over.

Do not fret at your skill because everyone is special in their own way. This may be clichéd, but it is the truth. Any one can have skill in a subject, it is up to the creator themselves to declare their view on it.

Answer 6

Do something else for a while. Read, go for a walk, spend some time on your hobbies, sleep on it... just steer clear of your book for a couple of days. When you come back to write, your brain will be refreshed, and even if you can't think of anything to write, you'll be able to see some problems and edit them out.

Answer 7

hmmm.... i know exactly how you feel. I am a screenwriter myself and sometimes I feel like my movies are not quite original enough, like the stories have all been done before. the truth is, you have to be your own judge on that. if you feel like you really do have a knack for writing and it is easy for you to sit down and come up with ideas, then I would that you already have a skill for it. You just have to work on the style. great writing does not happen over night.

Answer 8

Send Query letters with Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope to Editors/Agents in New York. They will let you know if they want to see it or represent you. How "good" it is will be reflected if it can withstand the test of time.

Answer 9

I would start with editors sites on the web, move to publishers etc. to find one who will edit for free with publishing rights. You can be sure if it is no good you will not get represented.

Answer 10

The biggest turnoff for me is reading a story with bad grammar/spelling. I know what you mean though. Here's some free tutorials that may help you: http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/farp/writing.html