Welcome to the writer’s page, developed with new writers in mind.

We writers are a strange group, playing with made-up characters as we shower and inventing hardships to build tension while driving to the grocery store. We’re immersed in stories where the characters are more likely to surprise us than we are to surprise them. What a blast!

I pray the Shepherd leads you as you “browse” the field of writing. And while I can’t introduce you to my agent, act as a go-between for you and my publisher, or read your manuscript, I can offer you the same wonderful advice a gaggle of gifted writers offered me...

1.) Prepare yourself

Being called is just the beginning. Every ministry requires preparation. Pastors go to seminary to "handle accurately the Word of Truth." Musicians take lessons and practice, practice, practice. Bible translators spend years perfecting linguistics skills that make the Word come alive in exotic languages. And so the writer must be prepared.

Consider your exposure to writing instruction. Are you a beginner who needs to focus on grammar and punctuation? Before returning to college for the second time, I did every lesson in a grammar workbook...and an algebra text book, but that's another story. Consider a composition course at your local college or through a correspondence program to develop the skills needed to organize your ideas for the greatest impact. A creative writing course introduces the elements fiction writers "juggle" to breathe life into a story...fiction or not. The better trained you are, the more likely your work will find a home. Writing is a marathon, not a sprint. Time and practice will only enrich your story.

2.) Decide on the best way to tell your story

When people think of the writing life, they think of hard-cover books and the Times Bestsellers List. I was surprised to learn that the most influential writing is done for magazines. Their subscribers guarantee large, target-specific audiences for the kind of writing you do. Also, think of the waiting rooms filled with magazines placed for specific readers. A best-selling book will sell 60,000 copies, usually fewer. Magazines reach hundreds of thousands of readers.

Another avenue to consider is self-publishing. If you are a speaker with grateful audiences clamoring for your message in shareable form, self-publishing may be ideal because once you've paid your printing expenses, any profit goes directly into your pocket. WARNING! The biggest complaint against self-publishing is poor writing quality. Be prepared to work collaboratively with a well-qualified editor. Ask potential editors for examples of their work and be willing to pay them accordingly. Remember, iron sharpens iron. We're working for the King and only our best work will do.

3.) Read books about the writing life

The idea of writing is more romantic than the reality of the writing life. The easiest way to "try the life on" is to read how others perceive their calling and their work. Here are my favorites:

• Escaping into the Open by Elizabeth Berg
• The Soul tells a Story by Vinita Hampton Wright
• On Writing, a Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
• Walking on Water and Herself by Madeleine L’engle

4.) Go to writers’ conferences

And go prepared! Once you've written a synopsis and the first chapter of your book, choose a writers’ conference from Sally Stuart’s book, Christian Writers’ Market Guide or Writers Market. But before you pack your bags, check the writers’ conference web site for instructions on how to have your work critiqued by a professional editor or writer. There is nothing more valuable than having trained eyes look at your writing. Being a writer is incredibly difficult. The best news a professional critiquer can give is that you've mistaken your calling. Perhaps something easier, like brain surgery, is God's true call on your life. Critiquers may also write words like "wow" and "stupendous" at the top of your story with a happy face or two. There's no encouragement like it. These folks are incredibly generous...not free...with advice to improve your chances of publication. They actually want you to succeed to complete with them for book sales. It's strange but wonderfully true. Don't skip the opportunity!

5.) Read the best of the best in the genre you want to write

If you don’t know the difference between an “okay” book and a book that lingers in your memory like the sweetest song you’ve ever heard, you’re not ready to write yet. Join a book club with thoughtful people who love the art of beautiful writing as much as the story. These kinds of people underline passages to share with other word-loving people. A great book makes a reader moan with longing over a passage that thrums the strings of their soul. It’s a spiritual experience.

6.) Join a critique group

A critique group is a small group of writers who love you too much to let you get by with so-so writing. And you must love them in like fashion. I wouldn’t dare send a manuscript to my publisher unless my critique group had seen it first. There are books and articles and web sites dedicated to building a successful critique group. Do not pass “go” without a critique group.

7.) Write every day

Okay, write five days a week. But the idea is to become a writer, and writers write. If you’re not ready to start a book, use a journal to practice writing descriptions, collect story ideas, and to be completely honest with your words.

8.) Read books about writing

It takes a gazillion individual skills to be a good novelist. That’s why I waited so long before writing my first novel…and why every scene I write is still a cognitive maze I must navigate. Here are the books I read that equipped me to be a writer:

• On Writing Well by William Zinsser
• Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King
• Story by Robert McKee
• The Art of Fiction by John Gardner
• Stein on Writing by Sol Stein
• Writing Fiction by Janet Burroway

9.) Fill your library with excellent resources

• The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
• The Chicago Manual of Style
• Bartlett’s Roget’s Thesaurus
• The Writer’s Guide to Character Traits by Linda N. Edelstein, Ph.D.
• Building Believable Characters by Marc McCutcheon
• An up-to-date print or online dictionary.
• A new atlas
• A baby name book

10.) Keep your relationship with God fresh and vibrant

Spend intimate time with your Father every morning. Read His Word and obey it. Talk to Him about writing and listen for His voice. He is the Master Storyteller. And remember it’s all about love: for Him and for your readers.

 

© Patti Hill  2006-2008, All Rights Reserved. 

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