I’m preparing to give a presentation for The Story Center, which is part of the Mid-Continent Public Library in the Kansas City area. The Story Center offers a storytelling certification program for both writers and oral storytellers. One of the requirements of the certification program is to attend a session on writing in a particular genre. I’ll be presenting via Zoom on September 9 on writing historical fiction—one of the genre options for The Story Center’s certification program.
I’ve presented to other writing programs, including sessions at the Arrow Rock Writing Workshop in prior years. At the end of these sessions, I’ve included the following slide:
This slide offers excellent advice to beginning writers, and I intend to cover these points again on September 9.
- Study the craft
For the first year or two that I devoted myself to writing, I read countless books on various aspects of writing. Books on plot and character and setting. Books on story structure. Books on the writing life. I learned a lot, and I confirmed that the writing life appealed to me.
In those early years, I also attended some writing programs, offered through the Kansas City Writers Group, the University of Missouri—Kansas City, local libraries, and area writing associations. I learned more.
And I wrote. I moved from spewing words onto the page to figuring out how to mold those words into a novel structure (which took years) to learning how to start with the story structure in mind (which took more years).
Each step in my development made me a better writer. But I’m still studying the craft—this year through webinars, since most conferences have been cancelled due to the pandemic. I don’t think I’ll ever be done learning.
- Submit shorter works before writing a novel
Writing a novel is a huge undertaking. For me, the first draft of each novel takes at least six months to get down on paper. Then there is another six months or more of editing. My first three novels took years of going back and forth from one book to the other, improving each one, then the next. Finally, each got published.
While I was writing these novels, I also worked on short stories, essays, and other pieces. Writing short stories, essays, blog posts, and poetry helps even novelists hone their skills. These shorter works provide the satisfaction of completion much more quickly than a novel. They also provide opportunities for quicker feedback. By submitting some of my work to contests and to publications, I was able to confirm for myself that my work is improving and that is of publishable caliber.
This is particularly important for independent authors who do not send their work through agents in the traditional publication process. When I first considered self-publishing, I didn’t want to be premature in launching my work to the world. It was important to me to have the validation of other writers and editors whose feedback told me I was on the right track. Winning contests, being chosen as a guest columnist by The Kansas City Star one year, and other acceptances and awards built my confidence.
- Become part of a writing community
Writers spend a lot of time alone with their blank pages and terrible first drafts. We need the support of other writers facing the same problems and doubts. We need to know there are other people like us in the world.
Once I told a friend that for me a good day of writing was getting 1,000 words on the page. She laughed at me. “I do ten-thousand word proposals twice a week!” she said. Yes, but she pasted most of her drafts from earlier proposals. She didn’t have to dream up characters who lived in the world of 150 years ago.
Writers of fiction need people who understand the unique frustrations of putting creativity from the head to the page. My critique groups have given me that support for many years now, and I treasure them—as colleagues, as editors, and as friends.
So, if you are a beginning novelist, study the craft, create and submit shorter works for feedback, and find your community. You will be glad you did.
Writers, what do you wish you’d known when you began writing?
It’s kind of like growing up and growing old. You wish you knew then what you know now–but the only way you learned things is to live it. So there is value in continuing to plug away–to keep on keepin’ on. Line by line, you’ll learn more each day. I’m sure people will learn a great deal from your class, Theresa.
True, Sally. As long as we’re learning, we’re growing. Theresa