MARHABAA!
The difference between a writer and an author is that the former writes; the person can go on writing for years, without publishing, while the latter writes and publishes her/his works.
I have been reading a lot of manuscripts—from a reader’s point of view and an editor’s point of view. What set me back was the number of grammatical errors, punctuation errors and lack of planning I have found in many works. Most of the time, some authors seem to forget the character names in their books. I also stumbled on pieces added from another story to the current one. The worst part is when the readers informed the author about it and the author does nothing to rectify these problems although the author is in a position to make changes. The plot may be excellent but over time the author will lose readers. Never take your readers for granted. They are the ones who make you successful. A good writing comes from proper planning. First of all, there are a lot of genres to explore and the author should pick the ones she/he is comfortable with. Be it fiction or non-fiction, a lot of reading and research has to be done, believe it or not. Now, you are eager and excited to write but you find yourself ending up having a writer’s block—you may start to believe that this is what is really pulling you down when actually it is another name for procrastination. Shocked? Here is an example; Suzie wants to write today. She sits, fumbles with her pen staring at blank paper, racking her brain for ideas. Then she says to herself, “I can’t write. I’ll try tomorrow as my mind is blank.” Procrastination is the main cause for writer’s block—believe it or not. Running out of ideas, grab a book and read, try to think how to see things in a different way and attempt to write the story you are reading from another prospective with different characters and situations. Pick a theme from the book and if you feel that this theme and genre works for you, this is a starting point. Talking about genres; do you like fiction or non fiction? They are subdivided into categories fiction being mystery, romance, fantasy, literary, historical, etc and non-fiction dealing with autobiography, biographies, memoirs, historical facts and more research is to be done in this field. Poems and proses are forms of literature pieces while the former needs rhyming, cadence and sound, are more aesthetic in nature, proses are more direct and do not require ‘beating around the bush’. With reference to the recent requests from writers on my social media platform, where they have highlighted ‘messy ideas’ as one of the issues they face, here are some tips. Make it a habit to be your own secretary. Your mind is the boss and dictating you notes that you need to write as fast as you can to use it later. Don’t be a secretary and boss at a time. Any notes or ideas jotted down today, will be of great use tomorrow. You do not know how to start and where to start? There are many sites where they give writers prompts, try that. A writer has to be disciplined, focus and goal oriented. Why do you want to be a writer? To achieve something. What do you want to achieve? Fame? Your opinions to be voiced out? Recognition? Legacy? Set your goal and go for it. Be determined and work hard. You have problems? This is a great tool for writers, in case you are not aware. Many writers have turned their problems into art in forms of poems, literary fictions or autobiographies and found success. Without pain, without tears, without problems, without determination there will not be a story. Need a story? Talk to people around you. Find out about them, observe, and above all, be alone with yourself and reflect about life. Great stories are born from our own imaginations. At last, I have a writer who is working on a book with a theme—Childhood (Ephemeral happiness, child abuse & domestic violence). She has some problems starting her book. Here is a good example of how to start: 1. Keep a notebook ONLY for a particular story you are working on. Plan your work; who is the main protagonist and how about the other characters in your story. 2. Write a brief/overview of each character (name/full name, age, physical appearance, traits, likes, dislikes, jobs, relationship with others, temperament...) 3. How many chapters can you write? How many words in each chapter can you write? You cannot have chapter 1 with 1500 words and chapter 2 with 4000 words. Does my book need a Prologue and Epilogue? ( These should not be too long as well). Refer to your notes from time to time. 4. I would start the book with a flashback. Flashback helps bringing in memories and memories have a lot of experiences to share. Once you start, there will be a flow in writing. Be careful when switching back and forth from past to present in between flashbacks and present. The story should show the problems the protagonist(s) is(are) facing and as we read along, there should be some movement in the plot. Don’t drag too much, don’t give away the plot too soon. 5. Do not forget to use correct punctuations, grammar and spelling in your writing. Keep the consistency and if you choose British English then keep the same all through your manuscript and if going for American English, keep the same. You are allowed to throw in local dialects from time to time if your story asks for it. Do not be afraid. 6. Once your book is complete, you can send to people whom you trust, to have a look at your work and who will be giving your an honest opinion. 7. There are many Beta readers out there, fish them out and make sure to protect your manuscript when you share with others. You don’t want your work stolen! 8. Read, edit, read edit...until you are sure all plotholes have been closed and all mistakes have been corrected. When you are not writing stories, blog. Blogging is a way to make you better and reach out to more readers out there. If you still need some polishing, enrol yourself into a Creative Writing Course. Remember, we are not perfect and we keep learning everyday. Lastly, our writing is not for everyone and do not be scared of critics. Next time I shall speak about publishing. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Goodreads for more–dhishna_writes.
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AuthorWriting keeps me alive. After the success of my first work- "OBSTINACY: The Dauntless Chase", which was published in April 2013, I am currently working on my upcoming novel, "Bereft" to be released soon. Don't ever give up. Life is the best teacher." Archives
December 2023
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