Writing? Editing? Readers expectations? Publishing? Marketing?

Every decision we make in our lives will result in actions, reactions, consequences and resolutions. The same applies to the decision to become a Writer. You feel like you want to take it on because you can, even though you suspect it will not be an easy task. You are totally right – to become a good writer is a tough call. However, it’s exciting, thrilling, challenging and well rewarded at the end. One thing is for sure – writing is never boring. Regardless of everything else, it is a matter of hard work, persistence and luck.

The decision is made and you said to yourself, “I will be a Writer!” Great! Don’t hesitate to be proud of your decision and start to work toward your goal.  But what is your goal? Is it just to become a Writer? Yes, but in which category, and do you want to become a self-published or a published Writer? For what purposes: to make some money or to make heaps of money, to become famous and recognised or to prove your point of view? See where I am going with these extra questions? Of course you see – I am delving into the matter of your own personal goal. To identify your own personal goal is the first step you must take in order to become a writer.

When your goal is identified, and preferably written on paper as a focus reminder, your next step is to assess your own personal writing skills, self-editing skills, self-organising skills and creative skills. Depending on your assessment you have to plan some steps to become knowledgeable in theory and in practice. If you hear from others that the process of becoming a knowledgeable and crafty writer is painful – do not believe them, even for a second. They are lying through their teeth. It’s never painful, even if it is a hard and long journey. Believe me; it is always rewarding and exciting. Rewarding, because you will gain considerable knowledge and exciting because a writing career is full of meetings with interesting people.

Just think of what you will learn: expressing your own idea (theme), plotting your own plot for your story, creating your own unforgettable characters, finding your own voice (unique style), self-editing techniques, mastering your settings, book reviewing, readers behaviour, publishing and legal requirements and even marketing aspects in publishing. That knowledge is simply priceless!

What do writers write? They write stories, and every story follows a well-known structure: beginning, middle and the end. To master the creation of a story you need to know how to establish a meaningful idea (theme), design credible settings, activate unique characters, construct a powerful plot and tell that story with a style (your own voice).  To achieve all that you need to know language very well in order to express your voice in writing through dialogues and monologues, actions and flashbacks, emotions and descriptions. In just one phrase you must be able to concoct an emotionally rich experience for the readers.

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