Reach Your Writing Dreams
The Big Picture
Writing and publishing are very different things. Writing is part art and part science, requiring creativity as well as style and structure. Publishing, though, is a business with a definite bottom line, like any other business. It helps to understand the publishing industry, but there’s no single path to success.
The Bad News
Unfortunately, many beginning writers become discouraged before they get a vision of how to succeed in the industry. If you want to be published, you have to persevere. You have to study, learn, and practice, practice, practice the writing craft, but you can succeed if you don’t quit. It can be a long process.
The Good News
Fortunately, there are many resources to help aspiring authors. Besides attending classes and conferences, you can read books by successful authors who want to pass their knowledge on to you. To paraphrase Solomon, “Of the making of books on writing, there is no end.” I’ve listed a few books that will help you, but there are many more. Your library will have many of these titles. They’ll borrow ones they don’t have from another library or possibly purchase them. Just ask. You can also buy them in bookstores or online.
As you read, remember that you don’t need to copy anyone’s writing style or process. Instead, you need to develop your own style, your unique voice.
Advice from Great Authors
- How to Write What You Love and make a living at it by Dennis E. Hensley (Shaw, 2000)
- Writing for the Soul by Jerry B. Jenkins (Writer’s Digest Books, 2006)
- Writers on Writing edited by James N. Watkins (Wesleyan Publishing House, 2005)
- On Writing by Stephen King (Pocket, 2002)
- How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author by Janet Evanovich with Ina Yalof (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2006)
- Snoopy’s Guide to the Writing Life edited by Barnaby Conrad and Monte Schulz (Writer’s Digest Books, 2002)
- Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell (Writers Digest Books, 2004)
Market Guides
Below I’ve listed three general guides that will help you understand the publishing business. When read cover to cover, these books provide an education in book format. They’ll give you an overview of types of writing and how to market your writing, along with lists of resources.
- 2008 Writer’s Market edited by Robert Lee Brewer
- 2008 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market edited by Alice Pope
- Christian Writers’ Market Guide 2008 by Sally E. Stuart
Other Resources
Many of your favorite authors also have web sites with tips and resources, as do book and periodical publishers. Happy surfing, but save some time to write!
