Do You Really Want to Write?

Many years ago, Redbook magazine did a survey: “If you could do anything else other than the job you’re in, what would it be?” Over 85% checked off Writer. So it’s not surprising that sooner or later, every writer will be asked, “How can I become a writer, too?” Sometimes it’s a wistful “I always wanted to write” or “I used to think I’d be a writer someday.” Sometimes it’s “There must be a secret and if you’d only tell me . . .”

Nor is it surprising that writers, knowing how genuinely lucky we are to earn a living at something we love so deeply, should yield to the temptation to share the things we’ve learned with others. I myself have taught workshops over the years and found it to be exhilarating, humbling, and ultimately so draining that I no longer do it. These days my advice is generally limited to “Don’t start worrying about agents or editors until you’ve finished a manuscript. Period.” Writing takes stamina and if you don’t have the staying power to write 300 pages and shape it into a book, you should probably renew your library card and move on to something else.

If you really want to try, though, and you can’t make it a real workshop or college campus, there are books and online seminars. Among the many excellent books on the subject, two that I can recommend are How to Write Killer Fiction by Carolyn Wheat and Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass.

I would also recommend that you check out www.GillianRoberts.com and click on Writing Lessons. Author of the popular Amanda Pepper series who has taught at the University of San Francisco and the College of Marin, Gillian Roberts takes beginning writers through the process in a clear step-by-step progression.

A relatively recent addition to teaching is award-winning author Alexandra

Sokoloff (disclaimer: Like Gillian, Alex is a personal friend), who has written a dynamic book, Screenwriting Tricks for Authors. You can download it on Kindle or get it for free on her blog, thedarksalon.blogspot.com.

Both of them have made me look at my own work with fresh, appraising eyes.

So You Want to Write a Mystery?

I’m often asked to list the most important steps one can take to become a writer.  I usually say,  “Finish the book.”  Until you have actually finished it, there’s no point worrying about an agent or an editor or whether or not you should copyright the premise you plan to use in your work. 

THE WRITERS MARKET (in most libraries) will detail how to prepare a manuscript for submission and give addresses. I would suggest that you also check out these really good books: DON'T MURDER YOUR MYSTERY by Chris Roerden, HOW TO WRITE KILLER FICTION by Carolyn Wheat, and WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL by Donald Maass.  Gillian Roberts has posted a whole sensible writing course on her website:  www.GillianRoberts.com and Larry Block has also written extensively on the subject. These should help you finish the book and get you past your doubts.  

Although I wrote the following somewhat tongue-in-cheek for Mystery Scene Magazine a few years ago, I think it’s still relevant. 

The Ten Best Pieces of Writing Advice I Ever Received . . .

  1.  from Mom:  “Write as often as you can.”

  2.  from a secretary who, when called to testify at her boss’s trial, was forced to admit she wasn’t hired for her office skills:  “Learn to type.” (Six weeks at a community college will make you a touch typist for life.)

  3.  from Dick and Jane:  “Read.”  (In and out of your field.)

  4.  from Black and Decker:  “Don’t read one how-to book; read a dozen.”  (So you’ll understand there’s more than one way to build a house — or craft a book.)

  5.  from Moses:  “Rewrite.”  (Even when your words are engraved in stone, they aren’t engraved in stone.)

  6.  from Mrs. Johnson, 2nd grade:  “Neatness counts.”  (And sloppy manuscripts signal a non-professional.)

  7.  from the Marquis de Sade:  “Submit.”  (No work ever sold while sitting in a file cabinet.)

  8.  from William Tell:  “Don’t aim too low.”  (Target the top markets in your field and submit there first.)

  9.  from (a tie) Pandora:  “Hope”  and from Tinkerbell:  “Believe!”

10.  from Ann Landers:  “Use it or lose it.”  (Write!)

Good luck!