3 answers
Ty'Onna
Student
Baltimore, Maryland
1
Question
Updated
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Journalism, Author journalism,author?
What steps do I need to take for being a author?
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3 answers
Brooke Sherman-Schmieg
Internal Communications Leader
3
Answers
Sutton, Massachusetts
Updated
Brooke’s Answer
The first step is the most important - build your writing muscle! You can do this by writing everyday. I was a journalist in my first career out of college and like becoming an author, it is all about story telling and laying out an engaging story for the reader to follow.
Your schooling can take many directions for writing. I followed the journalism path, other aspiring writers often study English. I am thankful I studied journalism because it helped me land in my second career as internal communications leader for a large technology company. Here it is just as important to have those key story telling skills.
I love the fact that I don't get burnt out on writing and can still write for myself. Writing and communications skills are always valued! They are needed in virtually all lines of business, so remember, there are opportunities for you to have a fulfilling career while you draft your best seller.
Good luck!
Keep writing!
Brooke
Your schooling can take many directions for writing. I followed the journalism path, other aspiring writers often study English. I am thankful I studied journalism because it helped me land in my second career as internal communications leader for a large technology company. Here it is just as important to have those key story telling skills.
I love the fact that I don't get burnt out on writing and can still write for myself. Writing and communications skills are always valued! They are needed in virtually all lines of business, so remember, there are opportunities for you to have a fulfilling career while you draft your best seller.
Good luck!
Keep writing!
Brooke
angie azur
Writer | Artist | Death Doula | Yoga | Meditation | Psychology | Philosophy
78
Answers
Weaverville, NC
Updated
angie’s Answer
What steps do I need to take for being an author?
Hello, Ty,Onna,
This is a great question because there are many ways to become an author. It all depends on what type of writer you want to be. Do you want to write books or articles or a blog? Below I will explain each to you, and then you can see what feels like something you're interested in....also I have a blog where I help newbie writers become authors teazurs.blogspot.com - there, you will see interviews with new authors and advice from me - as I was an intern for a well-known literary agent in San Francisco called Andrea Brown Literary. I have inside information on how to get an agent and get published, and I post it there.
The easiest way to become an author is to write a blog. This is where you can, for free, put your ideas and words out into the universe and see if you get followers. You can hone your writing here and learn what works and what does not. I use Blogspot, and now I have over 139k reads there. But it took a long time to get to that point.
How did I do it?
I started the blog just to get to know myself and my way of writing.
I kept to a schedule and wrote at least 4 articles every month.
Sometimes life took over, but I always came back to the blog.
Magazine Articles:
To become a published author of an article, you must know how to write on a subject, how to research for truth, and how to engage the reader.
You then must find out how to submit your work.
How to do this:
First, go to the magazine you wish to write for and find their submission guidelines. They are usually posted on their website.
If they are open to submissions, make sure you follow their rules to a T. Only submit the word count they are looking for on the subjects they are hoping for. You will get rejected many, many times...so get ready for a lot of NOs before you get that YES! It's exciting and heartbreaking, but you are learning and will get better with practice.
Books:
I am a middle-grade and young adult writer. I went to college for my MFA in creative writing. So, I have a lot of education behind me, but that means nothing...in the book world. If you can write, no matter your education, you will get published.
How to do this?
You must start with reading in the genre you want to write. If it's for teens, or adults, or little kids - read those books. Read the top books. The ones winning awards. If you read lesser books, you will learn that writing. If you read great books, you will learn that way to write. Find the books that resonate with you and read read read. Then use your favorite book as a textbook. Follow the pattern of the story. Take notes. Teach yourself how this author wrote the story. I talk about using Dovey Coe - a middle-grade book - on my blog.
Every agent lists their submission guidelines, too. Find those and follow them exactly.
Great books have a lot of learning behind them. The authors were rejected tons before they got an agent and then a publisher. It's a long road, typically. But you can do it!
The best thing I did was joined SCBWI - which is a group of agents, writers, and publishers who want to help new writers get published in the KidLit world - which is Picture Books, Middle-Grade, and Young-Adult and Chapter Books. If you want to write for adults, there are groups out there to join for that. I went to conferences and writer meet-ups, and critique groups. All this has helped me get better at writing.
I am headed to a writer's conference at the end of this month, in fact. And after this one, I hope to query (which means sending a letter and my first chapter to agents) in October.
The road to becoming an author is a long one --- but it's my passion. Every No I've gotten is a learning experience for me. I am ready for the YES, but if I keep getting No's, that's okay. I love writing, and this is what I want to do forever....it's a long game.
There are self-publishing routes, but I am choosing to try traditional publishing first. Self-publishing is expensive, and you have to market yourself...I am not a marketing person. I am a writer. So, I want an agent and publishing house to do all that other work for me. But if you have the money and the time, you can self-publish and get your work out there sooner. It's all in what you want and are willing to do.
Check out my blog for more information - it has a lot of great advice from me, other writers, agents, illustrators, and publishers.
Good Luck!
Write~on
Angie
Hello, Ty,Onna,
This is a great question because there are many ways to become an author. It all depends on what type of writer you want to be. Do you want to write books or articles or a blog? Below I will explain each to you, and then you can see what feels like something you're interested in....also I have a blog where I help newbie writers become authors teazurs.blogspot.com - there, you will see interviews with new authors and advice from me - as I was an intern for a well-known literary agent in San Francisco called Andrea Brown Literary. I have inside information on how to get an agent and get published, and I post it there.
The easiest way to become an author is to write a blog. This is where you can, for free, put your ideas and words out into the universe and see if you get followers. You can hone your writing here and learn what works and what does not. I use Blogspot, and now I have over 139k reads there. But it took a long time to get to that point.
How did I do it?
I started the blog just to get to know myself and my way of writing.
I kept to a schedule and wrote at least 4 articles every month.
Sometimes life took over, but I always came back to the blog.
Magazine Articles:
To become a published author of an article, you must know how to write on a subject, how to research for truth, and how to engage the reader.
You then must find out how to submit your work.
How to do this:
First, go to the magazine you wish to write for and find their submission guidelines. They are usually posted on their website.
If they are open to submissions, make sure you follow their rules to a T. Only submit the word count they are looking for on the subjects they are hoping for. You will get rejected many, many times...so get ready for a lot of NOs before you get that YES! It's exciting and heartbreaking, but you are learning and will get better with practice.
Books:
I am a middle-grade and young adult writer. I went to college for my MFA in creative writing. So, I have a lot of education behind me, but that means nothing...in the book world. If you can write, no matter your education, you will get published.
How to do this?
You must start with reading in the genre you want to write. If it's for teens, or adults, or little kids - read those books. Read the top books. The ones winning awards. If you read lesser books, you will learn that writing. If you read great books, you will learn that way to write. Find the books that resonate with you and read read read. Then use your favorite book as a textbook. Follow the pattern of the story. Take notes. Teach yourself how this author wrote the story. I talk about using Dovey Coe - a middle-grade book - on my blog.
Every agent lists their submission guidelines, too. Find those and follow them exactly.
Great books have a lot of learning behind them. The authors were rejected tons before they got an agent and then a publisher. It's a long road, typically. But you can do it!
The best thing I did was joined SCBWI - which is a group of agents, writers, and publishers who want to help new writers get published in the KidLit world - which is Picture Books, Middle-Grade, and Young-Adult and Chapter Books. If you want to write for adults, there are groups out there to join for that. I went to conferences and writer meet-ups, and critique groups. All this has helped me get better at writing.
I am headed to a writer's conference at the end of this month, in fact. And after this one, I hope to query (which means sending a letter and my first chapter to agents) in October.
The road to becoming an author is a long one --- but it's my passion. Every No I've gotten is a learning experience for me. I am ready for the YES, but if I keep getting No's, that's okay. I love writing, and this is what I want to do forever....it's a long game.
There are self-publishing routes, but I am choosing to try traditional publishing first. Self-publishing is expensive, and you have to market yourself...I am not a marketing person. I am a writer. So, I want an agent and publishing house to do all that other work for me. But if you have the money and the time, you can self-publish and get your work out there sooner. It's all in what you want and are willing to do.
Check out my blog for more information - it has a lot of great advice from me, other writers, agents, illustrators, and publishers.
Good Luck!
Write~on
Angie
Nathaniel Wander
anthropology/psychotherapy/writing
35
Answers
Portland, Oregon
Updated
Nathaniel’s Answer
Without knowing your age/stage in school, it's hard to give really specific advice, but if you want to write, read, read and read some more.
Think about what you read. What draws you into a book or article? What keeps you from putting it down? What makes you sad when you've finished, when you've 'used it up' and it will never be fresh and new again? What makes you want to read it again?
If you're a little older and have read a reasonably wide range of fiction and non-fiction, stories, novels, articles on travel, science, human interest, which ones do you wish you had written? A novel about life on Mars in the year 2200? An article about a jazz musician who was exploited by his managers, lost all joy in his music and eventually ... disappeared from public life. A short story about a girl who imagined herself confident but only really learned to trust herself after she was betrayed by someone she depended on? A book about how to identify common coins that are worth far more than their face value?
When you read a story or an article, what interests you most? The plot? The characters? The descriptions of the scenery and the objects in it?
When you can answer questions like these without even thinking up the questions, you'll be ready to write. I imagine you'll get plenty of advice on how to write, what to write, how to market your writing. My advice remains: read.
When
Think about what you read. What draws you into a book or article? What keeps you from putting it down? What makes you sad when you've finished, when you've 'used it up' and it will never be fresh and new again? What makes you want to read it again?
If you're a little older and have read a reasonably wide range of fiction and non-fiction, stories, novels, articles on travel, science, human interest, which ones do you wish you had written? A novel about life on Mars in the year 2200? An article about a jazz musician who was exploited by his managers, lost all joy in his music and eventually ... disappeared from public life. A short story about a girl who imagined herself confident but only really learned to trust herself after she was betrayed by someone she depended on? A book about how to identify common coins that are worth far more than their face value?
When you read a story or an article, what interests you most? The plot? The characters? The descriptions of the scenery and the objects in it?
When you can answer questions like these without even thinking up the questions, you'll be ready to write. I imagine you'll get plenty of advice on how to write, what to write, how to market your writing. My advice remains: read.
When