Ann's Afterthoughts

Beginning a new series of writing and marketing tips. I hope you will tune in. I will be asking for guest authors to share their expertise. Comment if you'd like to be included.

I'll start:

Rule #1 WRITE

So in that vein I give you Rule #2

 And yes, I stole both quotes from Stephen King because if you're going to steal, make sure it's from someone who knows what they are about.

5 Things New Author's Should NOT Do

This is what you should NOT do when you're starting out in the writing biz ...

1. Don't assume everyone loves you or your work

2. Don't enter a contest against your agent's wishes -- yes, I actually lost mine when I entered a contest against her wishes

3. Don't assume you know what's best for your book just because you wrote the darn thing -- see #2

4. Don't assume your editor will catch every little mitsake in your writing -- fine-tooth it yourself

5. Don't rely ONLY on your and your editor's fine-toothing abilities -- use beta readers -- every time


There, those are just a few things you should NOT do in this indie press business.

Now, what should you do?

Here's the main thing...

When you DO find someone who loves you and/or your work, cherish them and never let them go -- especially agents, editors, publishers, and most important of all -- READERS!

LIAOTP - Writing Tips

Leave It All On the Page    
 

LIAOTP - That's my #1 writing tip - it means every time you sit down to write, get every thought on paper without regard to content or sentence structure--and don't even think about punctuation! Write, write, write. Editing comes later.

#2 Writing tip - set a goal each writing session - notice I didn't say each day. I often sit down to write two or three times a day, if possible. But I don't set goals based on number of words written. I don't understand that. I set my goals according to the clock. For example: I've got an hour, or, two hours, or sometimes, I've got fifteen minutes--let me get this down.

#3 Writing tip - Write the best parts first. In other words, go back to Writing Tip #1 and write what comes to you before it gets away. The best--most exciting--parts always come to me first. Even if they are scenes out of order, I write them anyway.

#4 Writing tip - Don't stop when the best parts are over - push on even if it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Reward yourself with a walk later.

#5 My last writing tip for today - When you think you're too tired to write another word . . . write another paragraph. The tired mind is a different animal. The next day, you may be surprised what you wrote!

Afterthought: What is your best kept writing secret?