Seven Ways To Write For Success

The perfect piece of writing.

Your wonderful idea won’t work unless it’s cut and polished to perfection.

Get paid for your work.

To be a professional you must get paid for your work.

Use your imagination.

Be rich, poor, old, young, human, animal or alien on this world or anywhere in the universe.

Beware the difficulties!

Writing might be fun – getting published is difficult.

Present your work professionally.

When the editor picks up your ms or puts it up on the computer it should LOOK professional.

Self Publishers also need to follow the rules.

1.         Every piece of writing, whether it’s a short filler article or a lengthy Aga saga, should be like a perfect piece of jewellery. You wouldn’t buy a lump of gold and some diamonds that still looked like small pebbles. You would expect the finished article – say a pretty brooch. You might have a wonderful idea for an article, short story or book but, like the diamond, if it hasn’t been cut and polished to perfection, it won’t sell.

That isn’t all that matters. Just as the diamond won’t sell unless it’s in a well prepared setting, you masterpiece won’t sell if it’s not presented properly.

2.         You should aim at producing material for which you will be paid. Too many hopefuls are so desperate to appear in print that they will let their work go for nothing. This is only acceptable very rarely for the would-be professional writer who wants to build up a portfolio. For many years now I have refused to agree to the publication of any piece unless I receive a fee – even if it’s only a reader’s letter to a magazine or newspaper. If an editor hopes to publish for free I point out very pleasantly that actually my words are my living. In all cases they have acknowledged this and we have come to a satisfactory financial arrangement.

Writing should be your paid profession. You wouldn’t expect a plumber to repair a burst pipe for nothing just because he enjoyed plumbing would you? Think about it.

3.         Writing is one of the most rewarding things to do. We can give free rein to imagination and move in whatever realms we choose. We can live lives totally different from our own. We can be rich or poor, old or young, travel the world, even travel the universe. Creating and controlling characters and make us the gods of our own worlds. Create the environment that your readers will want to visit. Create a storyline they will want to be in. It can be beautiful, thrilling, scary, familiar or alien but it must ‘painted’ in words so that your readers can visualise it.

4.         Doing what we like, when we like and how we like is fine – unless we want to get published.

Getting published can be difficult, often painful and necessitates conforming to certain patterns.

If you want to be a real published writer you must ask the important question,  ‘Who am I writing for?’

If you want to get published it is vital. Your target market will only use stories or articles of a certain length and of a certain type. You can find this information from ‘The Writers’ and Artists’ Year Book’ or ‘The Writer’s Handbook’. To find out the style the editor prefers you should study several issues of the publication. This will show you the age range of the readers, their interests, hobbies, what sort of jobs they do and their lifestyles. Don’t just look read the stories and articles. If it’s a magazine or newspaper look at the adverts. They will tell you about the target market.

That all probably sounds obvious but editors could tell you of the sack loads of unsuitable material they receive each year. E.g. Fiction when they never use it. Pieces which are several hundred words too long. Subject matter which is of no interest to the readers of that particular magazine. Poorly researched work which contains misinformation.

5.         It isn’t always the content which results in manuscripts being rejected. Some won’t even be read. Sloppy, badly presented work with spelling mistakes, poor grammar and a generally unsatisfactory appearance will be cast aside.

Work should be presented on A4 paper and should only be printed on one side. Decent sized margins and double spacing leave plenty of room for the editor’s pen.

If you are presenting your work digitally you must make sure that it is prepared in a programme that the publication can use. Always find out whether the publication prefers digital or hard copy. Some like both.

6.         Remember to write regularly. Set yourself a timetable and stick to it! Programme your brain into automatically going into writing mode. Even if you don’t feel at all inspired and the last thing you want to do is sit at your desk and write you MUST go through the motions.

Write the first thing that comes into your mind and keep writing. It’s surprising how often you will find that your brain has engaged gear and you are starting to write publishable material.

7.         Some of you might decide that you are going to self publish your work so all the regular rules for successful writing can be ignored.

Wrong! The rules are the same no matter who publishes the material. The self-publisher has to be even more careful because they haven’t got the might, advertising and publicity budget or reputation of the existing publishers.

But it can be done!

If you are reading this the chances are that you are a writer. That means you HAVE to write. You can’t help it. It’s a great feeling to be able to make a living from your passion and answer the question “What do you do?” by replying  “I’m a writer.” And really mean it.

For more ideas on being a successful author Click Here!