Stories are a strange thing, I don’t think there’s anything else quite like them. They are the closest thing that we have to portals to other worlds. You open a book, you turn a few pages, and suddenly you’re no longer in your room.
Instead, you’re fighting dragons (If you like dragons, check out these books from Wings Of Fire), falling in love with mystical creatures, you’re traveling back in time, you’re a hundred years in the future. The possibilities are endless.
But one thing is for sure, as you caress those delicate pages, and read those small words, something magical happens. The world you know ceases to exist and you are somewhere else…somewhere new.
Chances are if you fell in love with reading, the idea of becoming an author and creating your own new worlds is really appealing.
Maybe you already have a story in your mind, maybe your story has already made its way to a page, but you’re just not really sure how to go about it. And by it, I mean starting your career as an author.
Well, in this article, we’ll look at some of the most helpful tips and advice that can get you on your way to becoming a Best Seller.
5 Steps To Becoming An Author
1. Educate Yourself
While having a creative and imaginative mind is certainly necessary, there are so many fundamentals that you’ll need to learn to write to a publishing standard. A college degree isn’t necessary to become an author, but it sure will help.
Learning the disciplines of writing will make writing your novel a whole lot easier. And better.
The experience you will gain from a writing degree can also help a great deal in terms of internships. If you’re looking for a formal degree that relates to writing, consider bachelor’s degrees such as Creative Writing, English, Literature, History, or Communications.
2. Build Your Writing Skills
Developing your writing skills is so very important if you want to become an author. Perfect writing won’t happen overnight and the more practice you have, the more your writing will improve.
A great way to improve your writing skills is to take a relevant internship. For example, working for a newspaper or magazine would be perfect.
It’s not just writing experience that you get from these types of internships. It’s also a great way to start building relationships and networking with people in the industry.
Pursuing a job in writing will also be beneficial. This can help you to develop ideas about what you’d like to write or what you are good at writing about. It also gives you the opportunity to build a portfolio of work that you can showcase to companies or publishers.
3. Master Your Author Skills
Becoming an author is so much more than just putting pen to paper. In such a saturated market, what is going to make your story stand out from the crowd? There are many other skills you will need to learn.
Authentic, Engaging, Creative – your stories need to be authentic, engaging, and creative. You will need to learn how to write something that is going to resonate with an audience and draw them in.
Research – Don’t get too excited and forget about doing your research. There is nothing worse than a story that doesn’t quite add up. You need to know your subject in great depth and detail otherwise you risk disappointing your reader.
Explore Different Genres – The best way to improve your writing is by reading. Read from a whole range of genres to find which style suits you and your writing best.
Observe – To make a story true and believable it needs to be authentic. Observing both places and people allows you to add details that you may not have noticed before.
Try sitting in the park and writing down all the details that you see – you’ll be surprised at all the little intricacies you pick up on.
Expect Feedback/Criticism – To become an author, you’ll need to develop a thick skin. You can be very proud of your work, and be shot down and told to improve several aspects with certain changes. Be open to these.
4. Write Your Book
By now you should have a fairly good idea of what you want to write and why. So now it’s time to begin.
Outline The Story – Before you start writing your drafts, you’ll want a basic outline of what happens throughout your story. What is your beginning, middle, and end?
Set A Writing Schedule – Without a writing schedule, you’ll probably never end up writing. It’s so easy to push things back and say you’ll do them later. Give yourself a deadline to ensure you stay on track.
Write Your First Draft – It’s time to start writing your story. Don’t focus too much on if things sound amazing. Just get your story onto the page. This is only your first draft, things can be reworded and redrafted later on.
Edit Your Draft – Now you may have two, three, ten, or twelve drafts. It will all really depend on how long it takes you to be happy with your final piece. This is where you get rid of any errors, fix any plotholes, and can further develop your characters.
5. Publish Your Book
When it comes to publishing your book, you’ll have two options.
Traditional Publishing – This is where you submit your story to established publishers and hope that they’re interested in it. This route can take a while, you’ll need to be ready for rejections and understand it can take years before you publish your book.
Self-Publishing – Many authors choose to publish their own books themselves. This is a lot harder though, as you are responsible for everything. You are also responsible for marketing and distribution once the book has been published.
Final Thoughts
The road to becoming a successful author is not an easy one. It takes a whole lot of dedication and patience. It is not something that will happen overnight. Writing a decent book that is likely to get published can take years in itself, and that’s before it is accepted by a publisher.
However, with that being said, there is no feeling that can compare to holding a physical copy of something that you have created. If you’re truly passionate about becoming an author, it is possible.
I have been reading books for as long as I can remember, and have fallen deeply in love with more books than I can count!
With this site, I hope that you can find a novel to get you out of a reading slump, or to get you hooked on a series. So, pick up one of our recommendations today. I promise you that you won’t regret it!
- What Is The Longest Harry Potter Book? - July 3, 2023
- What Books Make Up The Riordanverse? - July 3, 2023
- Who Are The Main Characters In Percy Jackson? - July 3, 2023