Breaking
In To the Writing Business.
“You
can approach the act of writing with
nervousness, excitement, hopefulness, or even despair, the sense that you can
never completely put on the page what is in your heart and mind. You can come
to the act with your fists clenched and your eyes narrowed, ready to kick ass
and take names. You can come to it because you want a girl to marry you or
because you want to change the world. Come to it any way but lightly. Let me
say it again: you must not come lightly to the blank page.” I’ve taken this
segment from Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’ as it outlines and reminds us as
writers why we write; to produce a piece, for any reason under the sun, and
bring something to the table that is rich and full of flavour, a hit that
everyone is craving, a piece you put your all into. Being confident in your
ability to produce a quality piece of writing is one of the stepping stones to
going anywhere as a writer.
Good writing isn’t easy and it is terribly hard to
break in to the industry. It takes
dedication and hard work to churn out something even half decent. Sometimes you
can write for hours, filling up pages and when it comes time to edit, you pull
your hair out at the number of places you’ve gone wrong. A total rewrite. There
are always those days for writers, writers block, deadlines, no inspiration or
maybe just jumbling too many ideas together. However, the key to success is passed
on through forewords, quotations and speeches by the kings of the trade;
research, rephrase and rewrite until satisfied and never give up. Fellow
writer, published author and good friend, Anthony Langford let me in on a few
tips when it comes to working as a writer. Firstly he pointed out that the
amount of support and exposure that can be sourced from the internet makes
being recognised that much easier. Having an author page on social networking
sites or your own website is a leg up in the industry. Building relations and
support from these groups can serve as a platform for future greatness. He
believes that the most important aspect for budding writers is opening up to
life experiences.
The
best place for a budding writer to start is on the net. Becoming a part of
online writing groups and submitting your work for critique is a brilliant way
to build relationships with fellow writers and have your work recognised. There
is a wide array of writing groups offered such as the Young Writers
society.com, Writing.com and Young Writers Online. These communities provide
resources for all writers at varying levels of competency, giving all kinds of
information on the craft and offer members the chance to share and critique each
other’s work. They also provide helpful tips on how to successfully publish and
send in to publishers as well as ideas on how to store inspiring events and
experiences that can be drawn upon for future writing ventures. The support
that can be drawn from these groups is an excellent way to boost confidence in
yourself and your writing ability.
Competitions
are one of the most common ways for confident writers to strive for
recognition. These competitions come in national, international, state and
local levels with varying cash and help prizes. There are almost too many to
choose from. To name a few there is the Josephine Ulrick Literary Award, the
Queensland Premiers Literary Award and even the Griffith University based
School of Humanities Writing Award. They offer chances for writers of varying
age levels and writing capabilities the chance to submit works to be read and
seen by others. It is always worth submitting, even if you don’t win; running
up recognition and just having another look over a personal piece is another
important experience that will shape you as a writer. It also tells you what to
expect of from those critiquing your work and what they expect from you.
When
it comes to looking for companies to publish your work, there are plenty of
places beginning writers are welcome at. Websites such as Newbie Writers.com,
About Freelance Writing.com and Inkpop.com all provide information on places to
get published, how to format pieces before they are sent in to be published and
offer some freelance work as well. Magazines including Wet Ink and the
Clairmont Review all encourage publication from young writers. Publishers are
after a piece that both appeals to their area of work and is uniquely
appealing. This can be achieved by submitting to companies that specialise or
request pieces from your expertise. One thing to watch out for is plagiarism.
Plagiarising is the quickest way to the bottom and often leaves you with no way
to get back up. It’s a serious offense so making all submissions entirely your
own work, regardless of research and inspirations, is the best way to steer
clear of this trouble.
From
there it is up to demand, the expectations of the publisher, dedication and
good old fashioned luck. It is important to remember that to be published means
you will be bringing your work to the public, and therefore there is a need for
you to appeal to public by writing what your readers want to read.
References.
King,
S., 2000. On writing; a memoir of the craft, Scribner Pub., USA
www.members.ozemail.com.au/~macinnis/writing/advice.html
www.
Education-portal.com/articles/40_of_the_Best_Websites_for_Young_Writers.html
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