Starting out as a Writer – 5 things to Consider – Rox Burkey

by Rox Burkey and Charles Breakfield

This is definitely an opinion piece. We are basing it on our experience to date. These are listed in an order based on the rear-view mirror approach to using that knowledge if you are considering being an author.

#1 – You need to know your craft. Go to every writers meeting or conference you can and learn what others are preaching about writing. We particularly like the jaded and arrogant lecturers because they usually have learned via the school of hard knocks. If they speak in absolutes about writing technics it’s because they’ve learned to overcome objections. Draw upon the lessons you learned in school, and you may want to take some additional classes

#2 – No one gets it right the first time. We have 10 books in the Enigma Book series. While at a book fair, another writer came over and asked, “Do you ever wish you could do your first book over again?” As polished as our first book is, yes, we want to go back and revisit that first TechnoThriller novel to see how it could be made better. It is a 2019 planned activity. The rule is write it, re-write it, then re-write it again.

#3 – Your editor and beta readers CANNOT be friends or relatives. Imagine you have followed rules #1 and #2 so why can’t a friend or relative be an editor or beta reader. The simple reason is the majority of the time they won’t tell you the truth for fear of hurting your feelings. This is also why no family or relative will read your work and give you a fair review in the buying marketplace. You can be disappointed, angry, or hurt but just give it up; they can’t and won’t. Move to have your work reviewed by professionals with a reputation of delivering fair, honest reviews. It will save you a lot of grief with those you love.

#4 – Practice your passion. Write passionately and write often. Write to practice and practice every day. Remember you are a writer and a writer has more than one book to write. Write blogs, comment on other people’s blogs, write short stories for competition, and have fun. Go with writing stories or poems of any length in your chosen genre. Task yourself with writing in other genres now an again.

#5 – Read other writer’s work to see if you can learn something new. There are a world of writing techniques and a huge universe of writers to learn from. Grade your efforts against other writers to refine your craft. This isn’t about copying people’s work, but challenging yourself to see if you can be better. Always read what others have written to see if you can be better. It is also a great way to pick out the salient points of another author and write a review. We hope these observations help you. They worked for us.

Starting out as a Writer – 5 things to Consider

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