Advice for a First Time Author

first, work out what fee you will charge and what the contractual terms will be...

if you have an agent, that's who'd be advising you and negotiating the contract... did you have one for the book that's currently in the process of being published?

if not, you really should consult a literary attorney to make sure you're covered six ways from sunday... this is not something you should take lightly, or try to save money on, as it can end up costing you many times over a simple consulting fee...

yes, he will own the copyright and negotiate a contract with a publisher [if he's lucky enough to snag one], plus receive any/all royalties, since he's the author and you've simply created a work-for-hire...

that's foolish in the extreme, since if the book is never published [which is more than likely], you'd be out a year or more's hard work that's taken up time you could better have spent working for up-front-paying clients... professional ghostwriters wouldn't write on spec for less than the most famous of clients whose books are guaranteed to spark a bidding war among publishers and bring in bigger bucks than they'd get with their standard, up-front flat fees...

keep in mind that 50% of nothing, is nothing!

you can find sample ghostwriting contracts with a quick 'n dirty google search... but with no legal background, it's not a good idea to do it on your own...

i've done ghostwriting and i've mentored beginners who wanted to head in that direction, so if you want help with this, feel free to email me any time...

love and hugs, maia
maia3maia@hotmail.com

 

To start off, I am mostly a poems and lyrics person. I have always been interested in working in longer forms, but the timing is never there. Over the past few years there has been a lot of change in my writing. Some of it could be reflective of larger attitude changes, I think, but sometimes I worry.
Mostly the change is I tend to write much less than I previously did, and the subject material feels shallow and tends to be angry. I find myself not taking chances, or going deep within myself to write.
For some background, it first started around the time my grandfather passed away, I noticed maybe the writing was political rather than personal, which really isn't my forte. I didn't mind the change so much at first but much of it had an unpolished feel even from the go, I started to feel like none of it would really add up to anything. Not to long after that my mother was diagnosed with cancer and after a year long battle which was not at pleasant and a lot of time virtually waiting for her time to come, she finally found her own peace. My writing has suffered even more after this.
I have always felt that the point to any type of art, writing included, is to discover something about oneself and in turn be revealing that to the world. Even just generally discovering something. But all I seem to have is anger, and I am starting to wonder if there is something I am afraid of finding in me.

I went through all sorts of writer's block things, but the problem is that it is not that I am not writing. The problem is the subject matter is juvenile, the general tone is just rage, and the depth is motel kiddy swimming pool. So just looking at it from a block doesn't help.

I was wondering if any one had a similar experience and maybe had some advice for how they handled it. I mean any ideas whatsoever would be just spectacular. Thank you for your help.

 

i can't offer any advice without seeing the best of what you've been writing, but if you'd like a mentor, or just some neutral and knowledgeable feedback on the quality of your output, drop me a line any time...

love and hugs, maia
maia3maia@hotmail.com

 

As a kid, I read a lot and always wanted to write a book. I was always very good in creative writing classes, I have a good imagination and have always had good ideas, at least I think, on book ideas. Well, Im 42 now, been out of school for a long time and have decided to set down and see what I can come up with for a book. I have concerns that since its been 25+ years since Ive written anything fiction, what I have in my head visually may not come out right on paper. Im debating on taking a creative writing class to refresh myself, but dont know if thats the way to go or should I just dive right in. Any advice would be greatly appreciated at getting me started on a book.

 

Since you seem eager to get started again ( and I understand that ) why not taking that creative writing class AND start writing the story you have in mind? I stopped writing for several years too, ( maybe 15) before taking it up again last summer, and the first attempts were really not that great, but they did serve their purpose because they show the progress and growth as a writer, and that is pretty encouraging when you look back at it. Plus everything you write will be useful to make you a more confident writer, and even though you would decide to take the class and save the idea for later I think the class actually involves a lot of writing... so your story idea would be a way of getting that necessary writing exercise.

 

I say dive right in. Here on this site there is a weekly short story competition if you would like to get your feet wet (as far as I know it is only for bragging rights if you win). It would essentially be the same as getting a writing prompt in a creative writing class. While you practice with those you can come up with your magnum opus idea. Also, after you critique a few other peoples work you will then be able to post your own for critique. Which in the end will also work out almost just like a creative writing class in terms of workshop-ing your stuff with other people.

So basically, what I am trying to say is, if you jump head first into this site and go full steam ahead you will get just as much out of it as you would paying for a class. But this forum will be without any stress over assignments or money involved.

 

mobilesndfx,

It may be cliche, but I also suggest reading simply because it can get those creative juices flowing.

v/Respectfully,
Keven

 

I agree with Keven,

Read, read, read and just write, write, write.

I came to writing my novel quite late (38) and after sitting on my novel idea for 4 years I finally decided to write it.
Wish I'd started years ago.

I had no previous writing experience but have a lot of imagination. I also read A LOT. Not just my own genre (scifi) but a few others too.

The number one rule has to be: Never doubt yourself, you are a good writer.

Rule number two: Don't censor yourself - don't hold anything back.

 

if you've been a good and constant reader of good fiction all these years, then by all means, dive right in!

on the other hand, if you've not had time to do much reading, or haven't been reading much [or at all] of the genre and quality of writing you want to turn out, i'd advise you to put off writing till you've caught up with today's best writers' work, so what you write will conform to the current markets' demands... that doesn't mean you can't just write what moves you, but if you want to sell it, you do have to consider who's going to buy it...

and, once you start writing, if you find that your writing skills have suffered from the long hiatus, and/or that you can't get what you 'see' in your mind's eye into words that work on paper, then you might want to consider taking a creative writing course...

i didn't write my first serious work [a novel] till i was in my early 40s, found i could still turn a phrase and my skills were still up to par and beyond, to the point where i was able to charge [and get] obscenely high fees as a writing consultant, while i turned out my own work... so a late start doesn't have to be an obstacle... unless you make it one!

hope this helps some...

love and hugs, maia

 

Ever notice how the advice from accomplished writers seems to be of little or no help when it comes to actually writing?

They say things like:

-Get a routine. Consistancy is key. Write every day. Don't give up.
-Avoid cliche's. Don't be boring. Be unique.
-Read a lot. Know your subjects.


Why don't they ever talk about plot points or the use of dialogue or just starting the first paragraph for goodness sake?

Sometimes I think they're out of touch with us.

 

Hahaha, you're right. I guess they don't want to reveal their most secret secrets on becoming a successful writer with us those greedy bastards.

 

It won't be to everyone's taste, but as a complete newbie to creative writing I found Stephen King's On Writing really interesting and helpful- he does talk about dialogue and use of language etc, and made me think about writing in a way I hadn't before.

 

Personally, I find the three examples you've given to be very useful, it's all good stuff really.

You develop your style of plotting and use of dialogue on your own, I find, that's what makes each author's work different and interesting. The author Robert Muchamore has some pretty useful tips on his website and some good links to videos and stuff that have really helped me.

 

Am I the only one to think stephen kings 'on writing' was a delusion? The on writing-part was too small and most of the book was about his life. Don't get me wrong, I think it was interesting, but if it's called 'on writing' you expect more writing-related stuff, like advices and why not a couple of secret from the pros? After all we payed to learn more on writing, not about his life and personal problems...

 

Not every writer is the same. Different writers approach their craft in different ways. So advice that is good for one novice writer might be terrible for another. The problem with famous writers is that their fame lends their advice more credibility than it really should. When a famous writer says "Just write all the way through your first draft - don't go back to edit anything until you're finished!", I groan. Because I've the opposite from equally famous writers. One of my favorites, Anthony Burgess, would revise each page as he went, time and time again, until he was happy with that page, before he'd move on to the next page. When he was done, his novel didn't need any more revision, in his mind. And I'll take Burgess over Stephen King any day of the week.

When Kurt Vonnegut says not to use semicolons, I just say "Blow it out your ass, Vonnegut. I like semicolons. And I don't write like you."

Just because somebody is famous and successful doesn't mean he is the ultimate oracle of absolute truth. The advice he gives is what works for him, that's all. Novice writers should learn to write their own way, not to slavishly imitate the habits and techniques of others.

I've read a ton of interviews with famous and accomplished writers (Paris Review, etc.), and everybody works differently. I gravitate towards the ones who seem to work the way I do - THEIR advice, their concerns, their problems and solutions, are the most help to me.

 

I agree 100%! I was interested in the autobiography part. But the actual advice about writing was thin. Not that I'd take much advice from King - he's not a favorite of mine - but if he wanted to write a book on writing, he should have done so, and left his autobiography for another book.

 

King wanted to write a largely autobiographical work that also had some of his thoughts and insights on writing, and on being a writer engaged in craft (rather than on all of the technical aspects of creating a novel).

 

Any general advice is just advice, IMO. While it shouldn't be carelessly ignored, it also shouldn't be unquestionably embraced all the time. Each of us requires different things to produce the best quality work and we have to learn to sort through which advice helps us and which just doesn't go with our writing personality.

 

Absolutely. Plus, that way he would have sold two books instead of one

 

I would very much like to see an actual Stephen King first draft. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that his editors have been doing most of the work, and for a very long time. Just a thought.

 

I actually think all three of those things listed are pieces of good advice.

And I loved Stephen King's On Writing. Found it to contain a wealth of useful information. My one criticism of it would be, of course, that it was also an excuse to write his autobiography. Not altogether boring, but also not why I bought the book. When I refer back to it I have to sift through the stuff about his life to get to what I need. The book still helps me immensely, though.

I read somewhere that a famous author went to a writer's workshop and asked, "How many of you want to be writers?" everyone in the class raised their hands and he said, "Then go home and write," and then he left the room.

To waste less time on simply thinking about or talking about writing in order to get to it is fine advice, but what if you want to be good at writing? Instead of teaching them one lesson and wasting their time, I think he should have spent some of his time to teach them two or three or several lessons.

 

It is good advice, but not about writing because it has nothing to do with the act of writing. It's just some work-ethic rhetoric that can be applied to almost anything. I believe that when amateur writers ask for advice they are asking about writing in an academic sense, not totally in a motivational sense.

 

This kind of advice is probably given out because the situation in which the question was asked only allows for a brief, generalized answer.

I also take issue with the title of this thread. Simply because an author is famous does not mean he is obligated to give advice, and especially not the kind of specifics the OP is hoping for.

 

I suspect that famous authors are just like the rest of us not so famous authors, different. What works for one of them will not work for another of them. So my advice as a not so famous author, would be to listen to what they tell you, then use the part that seems to work for you and forget the rest.

Cheers, Greg.

 

Just turn to "Elements of Style". There is a reason people always recommend it -- because it is actually full of useful help