A Beginner’s Guide For Writer

Today, a lot of writers and aspiring authors are frustrated. Getting to grips with the challenges of the art of writing and publishing drives many crazy.

The frustration hit many from different dimensions and at varied intensity. For some, the problem is self doubts; for others, it’s getting someone to help edit their write ups or critique their blogs. And yet others, it’s how to break into the very unfriendly publishing industry which is hostile to new comers.

How do I know this?

Well, I’ve gone through the frustrations too, and I receive emails from writers almost daily expressing same. If you have any of these concerns, read on.

First, the bitter truth

No editor will sit beside you to help you edit every piece you write or review your blog for free. Editors need time to write too. Personally, I get so many such requests that I can’t attend to half of them, even if I stopped writing and used all my time for it. So I just don’t do it.

Also, publishers won’t accept unsolicited manuscripts to review from an unknown writer. You can meet hundreds of them. Not one will listen to you, except you’ve already made your mark.

The ways out

So as a writer or an aspiring author, what should you do? Here’s what I recommend:

#1. Educate yourself: Get hold of some great writing books and sink your teeth straight into them. If you’re battling self doubts or low motivation, get my book, Your Right To Write. If your grammar needs polishing, get Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. Read award-winning essays, get a dictionary, a thesaurus, just any helpful stuff.

#2. Follow writing blogs: You can get some helpful hands-on guide from more experienced writers and like minds. I recommend you start with these: Jeff Goins, Ali Luke and Farooq Kperogi.

#3. Practice with essay competitions: by pitching your skills with hundreds other writers, you’ll be able to gauge yourself, write frequently and strive to improve. Even if you don’t win, your writing will have improved. Remember, practice makes perfect.

#4. Consider self-publishing: Gone were the days self publishing came with the stigma that only failures who couldn’t survive traditional publishing opted for it.

I self published my book and it was a huge success, with over a thousand downloads in just 2 months. You can self publish in print if you have the funds – or online. But then, you need a meaningful audience to succeed online. So go get your writers platform first.

Or check out and join CreateSpace for free. It’s an Amazon company that helps you publish and sell your book anywhere in the world in both hard copy and soft copy and pays you high royalties.

#5. Finally, don’t lose heart: May be this is the best advice I can give you. Great writers you envy today had stories of failures too. The manuscript of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Porter series, which has sold over 400 million copies, was rejected several times. I know scores of other writers with similar stories.

Like many things in life, succeeding as a writer or an author doesn’t come easily. But if you have a burning passion and are persistent, you will eventually make it.

Source: Muhammed Abdullahi Tosin