Advice for New, Unpublished Writers

As a member on many creative writing forums I find that many people aspire to write, to have their work known, but still hold confusion. Here are some things that a degree in Creative Writing and the beginnings of my own experience as a writer have taught me.

READ LOTS. I always feel confused by aspiring writers who claim to not read much in their spare time. This is utterly essential to know your market and gain inspiration. I find it particularly important to support independent writers and publishers as well as more mainstream ones. This may be you soon.

Don't try to write like someone else. Try to write like you.

Accept and embrace criticism as well as rejection. It's a part of the process. Many people don't even get to this stage and with every rejection you're one step closer to a publishing deal.


Don't forget: if you write then you are a writer. Do not forget this.

Everyone always talks about the "writer's craft" and how we create our work. Find out what this means for you and make sure to always go over your work to "craft" it and also do the basic things: spell check, read everything through to ensure it makes sense or conveys what you want to convey to the reader.

Be creative. Imagine your work being pitched against the work of twenty other writers. You want your work to stand out. Try to make sure to always write a killer opening line that sucks a reader in within seconds.

Write in a way that works for you. Are you having trouble finishing the piece because you are procrastinating? Why not put aside time to write and a minimum daily word count to ensure you finish your work. Then, once it's written to a basic standard, go back and edit your work.

A lot of us writers seem to be quite introverted beings. It can be a little bit harder for us to socialise. It is, however, hugely important to go out and attend readings, lit conventions, signings etc. In supporting and circulating within our contemporary and local literature we can make invaluable contacts that may help get us ahead, and we can do the same for them. In attending poetry readings we may find inspiration for our own work whilst supporting the dreams of someone else. Hopefully, when it is our turn to host a reading event, they'll be in the crowd for us. Increase the size and quality of your network as this will really be of great help in your future.

Just keep at it and don't lose faith in yourself or your work. Keep writing it, keep sending it to any publisher you can, keep trying to promote your work independently before you score a deal. It's an uphill run but it will hopefully happen for you some time soon so stay positive. I have hope for all you budding writers out there.