Advice to Would-be Writers

     When I ultimately decided to write my first novel, A Trial of Innocents, I determined not to read any books on writing, as I didn’t want to be biased by any preconceived notions about the art and craft of writing.  I reasoned that I had done well in my college English courses, had a relatively large vocabulary, and had a working knowledge of punctuation.  With these rudimentary skills, I spent the next six months banging out my novel on an electric typewriter.

      The first agent who reviewed my masterpiece said, “Brilliant plot, but your writing is passive.  Take a highlighter and mark every occurrence of the word was then rewrite the sentence using an active verb.”  I went to work revising the three-hundred page manuscript, and then resubmitted the new version to a major publisher.  A few months later I received a reply from the editor saying, “Amazing plot, but your writing is terrible.  Read the book Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Reni Brown and David King, rewrite your manuscript doing everything they recommend, and resubmit it to me.”

        Once again I went to work, starting from scratch.  Six months later I resubmitted the manuscript, only to receive yet another rejection slip.  The next editor who reviewed the book recommended that I read a copy of The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, and rewrite it yet again, based on the philosophy spelled out in this little timeless classic. I devoured this tome, memorizing the rules of grammar and the keys to style.  The very next time I submitted my manuscript, I received a contract offer.

      So my advice to would-be writers is to do your homework before considering putting pen to paper.  Start with the two books I’ve mentioned above.  If you master the principles spelled out in these two small books, you will be on your way to seeing your works in print – for cash.

Tags: fiction, getting published, publishing, writing, writing advice