During the last few weeks I have had several people approach me and ask me, “How did you get started in your pursuit of becoming a writer?”

While I have not arrived at the goals and dreams I have concerning writing, I will be glad to share a little bit of what I have learned over the past few years.

Three years ago I began to seriously pursue a career in writing. Writing had been part of my life since I was 9 years old and I had enjoyed writing for fun through school and into marriage. Starting with poetry, I then went to short stories but early in my marriage and while my children were young my writing ceased as a busy life took over.

When my children were older I began writing for a church newsletter and worked on Bible studies that I shared with my friends. I wrote a short non-fiction book based on some of the Bible studies and sent it to a few publishers in the early 1990’s with no success. The desire to write was something I could not get past however and a chance peek at the local newspaper one day changed my life and its course forever.

Advertised in the paper was Community Education and its winter schedule of classes. I had participated in Community Education before, taking a hair braiding class a few years earlier. What caught my eye this time was a writing class; four weeks for a small amount of money. With the state of my finances this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to see how serious I was about writing.

This brings me to the first topic in this series of articles on pursuing a writing career. Topic one is to take a writing class. Whether it is a course in college, community education or lessons on-line, go ahead and sign up for a class to get your feet wet. How will you know how serious you are if you never step out of the boat? Many people talk about doing different things and living their dream but never follow through. Here is one easy step if you want to be a writer: take a class.

When I arrived at the first class I almost ran back out the door. There were eight other ladies and I was sure they were all expert writers and would probably laugh at my feeble attempts to create on paper. Taking a class made me realize what little self-confidence I had and how afraid I was to share what was in my heart. On a more positive note, it also introduced to some wonderful ladies who were really no different than me and helped me to realize that I did want to go to the next step in becoming a career writer, joining a writing group. Join me next week for more tips on pursuing a career in writing.


- Jennifer Hallmark

It may be the hope of all who have ever put pen to paper that they might be able to write on a full-time basis. The romantic notion of a writer’s life is compelling enough to many to find them seeking ways to make a living by crafting the written word.

David Boles is the publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Go Inside Magazine. Boles indicates his day starts at 8:00 a.m. and he rarely finishes writing until midnight. Boles has additional words of wisdom for new writers.

1. You will not get rich overnight

Some of Boles’ advice runs counter to the idealistic notion of what a writer’s life is supposed to be, “The best thing you can do to prepare yourself for the life of a writer is to make certain you have a steady form of income that will cover your monthly nut.”

2. Creativity may be overrated

Boles also indicates creativity is less about devising something altogether new and more about a willingness to find new ingredients for an old recipe, “There’s nothing new in the world and good writing is simply reinventing what has come before you in a new and delightful way.”

3. Muse cooperation is not optional

While many writers feel that creative inspiration is required if you are to write anything of meaning, Boles has a more pragmatic approach to writing, “Making yourself sit down and create is more important than the desire to write.”

4. An understanding spouse is worth their weight in gold

When you sit in front of your word processor for hours on end it may be difficult for others to see how what you are doing has much meaning, but Boles indicates if you are called to write you should, “Find someone who understands your need to write—for writing is a lonesome life and sharing that isolation with someone who unconditionally accepts your Calling is paramount to protecting your sanity and career.”

5. Writer’s Block

Boles has some very straightforward advice for those who may feel they are experiencing a season of writer’s block, “Write. Just write. There is nothing else.”

It should be clear that the life of a writer is not a pristine existence where creative thoughts are ever-present and publishers are always willing to publish your material. A writer’s life is hard work and rarely filled with instant gratification. However, for those who have experienced the call to write it is difficult to imagine a life lived any other way.


- Scott Lindsay

Writing is an addiction. Those of us that really enjoy writing are most happy when we are continually writing. The rest of the time we are just biding our time pretending to be happy until we can write again.If you can relate to this, why not make a few dollars with what you write?

Writing a novel has always been a desire of every writer, whether it is read by many or a few. Of course, many would be better. It goes with the territory. You probably also like to read. You may have a job that lets you write a little here and there, like newsletters, pamphlets and such.

I will let you in on a secret; eBooks are the way to go when you like to write but are not quite good enough to write the best selling novel. Writing a best seller is sort of like playing in the NBA, a lot of people play basketball but there are only so many spaces in the NBA. So players play in Europe and other places to do what they love while always hoping they get their big break.

Well, eBooks allow you to build on your talent, while making quite a bit of money. They allow you to practice your craft, what you love doing, and build on your resume. There is no limit on what you can write about. There in no end to the people looking for eBooks on whatever subject that comes to mind. A good eBook could go on for years, earning you money, with just some updates every now and then.

To create a great eBook you need to do the following:

1. Give the reader quality – Write what you know about or research a subject until you know about it. Don’t try to feed the reader a line of slop.

2. Letting someone else read your book and review it for you. Take their criticism to heart and correct any problems that they find. Ask them how they felt when they finished it. Were they satisfied or was something missing? Did they want something more? By trying to fulfill their needs you will end up with a more complete eBook, as long as you stay true to the subject.

3. Give the reader value – Don’t price yourself out of the market. Always give your readers value for their money, it is important to them. Check out what eBooks are selling for that are of a similar topic and size. Offering free updates is a way to add value to an eBook.

Writing a best selling novel has always been a dream of mine as it is for so many writers. It has not happened yet but I am still trying; and I am able to get some satisfaction by writing eBooks and various other web items.

Creative people tend to want to create. I get the most satisfaction when I am creating something and eBooks allow me to create a lot of things in a short amount of time. This is very satisfying indeed. There will be time for my novel later.


- Mike Clifton

If you write poetry do you write it with the hope or intention of having others read it? Or do you write poetry simply as a form of self expression without the need or desire to have anyone ever see it?
Explain why.
- 400wordz.com

I really need to figure out what the climax should be…
- Jenna L