So You Want to be a Writer?
You have the idea, you have the passion, and you have the intelligence, but what else do you need?
For me personally, writing has been one of the most rewarding tasks I have ever undertaken. Right up there with getting my black belt, holding my first book in my hand was, without a doubt, a proud moment.
But was it easy getting to that point? I’m not going to lie to you when I say, “Not in the slightest.”
Was it worth it? “One hundred per cent yes!”
Sometimes the words just flew onto the page, and sometimes it was like getting a tooth pulled, but I truly believe everybody has a story in them, and everybody is capable of getting that story out there, even if it is through a ghost-writer.
Here are some of the things to look out for, expect and avoid, in letting the world know you are in it via your book.
Commitment. If you decide to write your story then write it! Like anything worth having, commitment is just one of the things that brings it closer to life. This applies whether you are writing it yourself or working with a ghost-writer.
Both choices take up time, resources, and effort in abundance, but jumping ship after a chapter or so, or leaping over to another project will never get your book out there.
Some people need to set a certain time and place daily or weekly to write, others are spontaneous and write as the ideas come to them. Either way is good providing you get stuff done!
There is nothing more despondent than seeing your half-finished manuscript sitting on the desk, neither here nor there, because you didn’t follow through on your plan. Commit to it, stick to it, and finish it.
Sacrifice. Pretty much runs hand in hand with commitment but comes at you from a different angle. I’ve lost count of the number of times there was some other thing that needed my attention, or that I wanted to be doing, but if you are a writer, it’s the book that counts at the end of the day.
The trip to the cinema can wait, that night out with a friend can always be rearranged. Sacrifice the fun stuff today and reap the benefits tomorrow.
Courage. Now you would think this would be a strange attribute to have when writing a book, but it is the case particularly if your story is a true one, or a memoir. Let’s be honest, most memoirs come from a dark place with redeeming features to finish. I don’t think I have ever read a book of this genre that started off idyllic, got really happy in the middle and ended up with a terrific punchline.
Most true stories are about people’s battles and so if this is your case, then it takes courage to dig deep, go into an unpleasant past and face whatever it was that happened to you. You will more than likely find that this is the reason you started your book in the first place.
Fuel. Writing a book is a journey and like all journeys, it needs fuel to keep moving. Anything that inspires you, be it a classic film, a podcast or indeed another book. Personally, my main source of fuel is music. Sometimes I can write chapter after chapter if I have listened to a particular song earlier in the day. Find your fuel and use it wisely.
Finally (urgh) edit. Everybody makes mistakes, even authors (shock, horror). Only last week I read a book by a best-selling, household name and he got a character mixed up when using dialogue. It took three or four reads for me to figure out the mistake but there it was. So it is okay, even the best mess up but it mustn’t become the norm because of sloppiness or being lazy.
There are plenty of programs out there to help you with grammar, spelling etc and so make use of them.
Once your manuscript is good to go, have somebody else read over it and see if they catch what you have missed. It happens, as long as it doesn’t happen on every page, so strive for one hundred percent on your grammar and edits. Anything less is not doing you justice.
I hope all this helps and if you are interested in having your book ghostwritten and then published by The Storytellers, then please visit https://www.simonmorrell.com/your-own-book-here
#ghostwriting #truestories #truecrime #publishing