Getting started

There are loads of great sites , and loads of bad ones.  Some writers take pains to share useful information. Here are three great sites: Stuart Aken hunts down and shares useful stuff.  Avril Field-Taylor has a helping-hand page with an easy to navigate set of useful links. Gemma Noon’s Literary Project covers all the bases.

There are shortcuts to winning a publishing contract with a big publisher. Being caught in a compromising position with the right brand of celebrity will do it. But if you want publication on merit because you’re a damn good crime writer, then keep an eye out for Writing Commercial Fiction: a toolkit.

What follows is a random selection of things I found useful in learning the craft of writing.  Give it a try but remember, we’re all different.  Find what works for you.

Moving on

Linda Acaster—novelist and writing coach.  Typical Yorkshire critiques, blunt, to the point and usually on the chin.  What I find so useful is Linda’s way of getting at the fundamental flaws in a manuscript. Having Linda rip my work to shreds has taught me a lot.  These days I can rip it to shreds fairly well myself.       Linda’s blog

Diversifying

Marina Oliver—also novelist and writing tutor.  I see Marina very much as the tutor to teach the nuts and bolts of the craft, the tricks and tips to get you off the ground.  She has a whole stack of How To books to her name. if you’re setting off in a new direction, Marina will likely have a book that suits.                                     Marina’s site

Inspiration

Look at books like James Frey’s How to Write a Damn Good Novel, or Stephen King’s On Writing.  They don’t cover the basics of getting started, but they tell the story of how good writers work.

And try out online workshops such as the Internet Writing Workshop or the Word Cloud

Rules?

Are there any?  Which set (of the hundreds on offer) are going to work for you?

When I teach, it’s the geeky stuff, the tips and tricks, the handy blueprint.  E.g. for someone starting out—here’s how to approach your target magazine; or for a best selling novelist whose work in progress sags in the middle, here’s a formula that might tighten it up.  That sort of thing.

Other people teach more of the inspirational stuff.  All approaches are valid.  The key is finding what works for you.

I have just four rules of writing:

We can all sit and stare at a blank page, so:

1.  Take responsibility: only you can make it happen. Sure, some people get lucky and some don’t, but you’ll get nowhere railing against fate because you don’t get the breaks. Be positive. It’s your life. It’s up to you to make it happen.

2.  Give yourself the best chance: Learn the craft. Learn structure, viewpoint,  characterisation, markets, everything. Don’t fight the fight with one hand tied behind your back.

3.  Be proactive, not reactive: If you’re serious about writing, make room for it. Make writing a part of your life. If you wait for time to become available, it won’t. Watch out for how you prioritise.

4.  Learn to put words on paper. Learn to sit and write without stopping if only for a couple of minutes. You’ll be surprised how it helps.  It might not be the way you will construct your finished work, but getting words on paper is hard so teach yourself how to do it.