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Writing
Tips from Lisa…
1)
The best thing you can do as an aspiring writer is to read, read,
read, especially the kind of books you'd like to write. Study
your favorite books—how characters and plot and subplots
develop, chapter by chapter, what principle action takes place...if
you take the time to outline your favorite book, it might look
a lot like what the author began with herself!
2)
Subscribe to Writer's
Digest. It is a monthly magazine that helps aspiring
writers of any genre with some craft basics. From it, I learned
enough to write my first novel! You can too!
3)
Study the market. It is difficult for an unpublished writer to
get published, so you have to work every angle you can. What does
that mean?
(a)
Target ONLY publishers who publish the kind of books you like
to write!
(b)
Study their current line of books—see if you can spot
any trends, preferences. Again, make sure your project fits
with their direction.
(c)
Not sure where to start? Go to Sally Stuart's Christian
Writer's Market Guide for a complete listing of publishers
and their publishing needs.
4)
The
Christian Writer's Market Guide is also an excellent
place to find out about writer's conferences near you. The four
best Christian writer's conferences that I know of are held every
year at: Sandy Cove, PA; Estes Park, CO; Glorietta, NM; and Mt.
Hermon, CA. Keep in mind that you can apply what you learn from
a secular writer's conference too...but one of the major benefits
of attending a Christian writer's conference is that you have
access to editors and agents! If you spend the money to attend
one of these conferences, you should plan on either (a) relaxing
and just absorbing all the information/schooling you can as a
beginning author; (b) go ready to learn at an intermediate level
AND pitch your project. Sometimes it's great to go two years in
a row specifically to follow this plan. Be prepared...publishing
is NOT a fast process!
5)
See if there's a critique group in your area that you can join.
The key is that you have to respect the author writers in your
group AND their opinions.
Two
things I had to work hard to define when I was starting:
SASE:
Self-addressed, stamped envelope.
UNSOLICITED:
Without an agent, or an accepted query, a publisher will not look
at these proposals. Some won't even look at queries! See the Christian
Writer's Market Guide for information on how to get in with a
publisher.
I'm
sorry, but I cannot read your manuscripts—even a portion.
While I'd love to help, I must dedicate any spare moments to family!
But I do wish you every good thing as you pursue this passion
we share!
Copyright
© 2007 Lisa Tawn Bergren
All rights reserved. Any reproduction or transmission in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
or by any information storage and retrieval system without the
expressed written consent of Lisa Bergren is strictly prohibited.
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