I am 12, very serious about writing, and wanting to find...well you see thats the thing. I have no idea what I'm supposed to be looking for. All I know is that I have written a few poems, one story and am currently writing a 'book'. Does anyone have any suggestions or tips on what to look for?
If you are a serious about writing then keep writing. Write as much as you can. Read as much as you can. If you have questions then research or ask. It boils down to....if you are serious about writing...then you have to write. Best, Whiskey
Publishing is probably the last thing you should worry about at this point. It usually takes years and years of deliberate practice to become publishable. Like whiskey said, if you are serious, you should focus on improvement, and improvement only. Don't focus on pleasing readers or understanding the publishing world, because at this point it is a waste of energy. Just develop your own talent. Most people start by publishing short stories in literary magazines. What you would do is research these magazines, and on their sites, they would have page describing how exactly how they want you to send your manuscript. One thing you need to do is learn your genre. Whichever genre you write in(fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, horror, etc), you will want to read that sort of material, and find out major publishers of that particular genre. Many publishers don't publish anything outside of the genre, no matter how good it is, so you have to send your writing to the right people.
I don't think you should be looking "for" anything, specifically. Read a lot - hundreds of books a year - in various genres and topics. Doing this will give you an almost instinctive grasp of grammar as well as expose you to different storytelling styles and techniques. Keep a journal/diary and write in it daily. Continue writing your poems, stories and book. Good writers got that way by reading and writing and persevering. I started writing semi-seriously at about your age and regularly published with the local newspaper when I was 16 (reports about goings-on at my high school). I started my own "underground" newspaper at 18 (Hey! It was the 60s!) and sold my first magazine articles in my early 20s. At 52, I published my first book. It's a rocky road and there's no guaranteed map to success. Read. Write. Re-write. Repeat.
I think that's pretty good advice. Although I might say if you're looking "for" something in addition to advice and experience from others, it ought to be within your own writing. Look at your own poems and stories and listen to the themes and think about (and enjoy) the imagination you've embued them with. There's a lot to learn from doing that, which can be useful in pursuing various kinds of things--interests, tendancies, improving weakness, enhancing strenghts, choosing what you read (and read a lot, including work that challenges and stretches you). Gives you a way to filter through advice and experiences others will share with you and better understand those aspects you're most likely to find useful. Writing is something to be enjoyed with an alert and watchful eye toward aspects that resonate with your own objectives and ambitions. Ask lots of questions and make them specific to your needs and interests as you grow. But don't stop there, research your answers and verify their validity through what you read and how you read it. Good luck with your writing journey!
