The problem was, that as I still don’t have a published novel, I don’t see myself as a writer, at least not as a professional writer, not yet anyway.  I thought, “Why is he asking me, of all people?”  Then I realised, you are what you do and I do write a lot.

I write maybe three thousand words a day at the moment.  Some of this writing is blog posts like this one, some of it is articles for sale, some is science fiction of varying length and some of it is for Google Adsense or similar “monetised” content.  If a writer is someone who writes, then I guess I qualify, despite my protestations of being a “wannabe”.

So how could I help the guy become a writer?  What *cough* sage advice could I offer?

Well, the single best piece of advice I could offer to become a writer was write often.

Write something every day, even if your head hurts, even if you don’t want to and think your writing sucks.  Of course if it does suck then don’t submit it for publication, but at least you can delete/burn/sacrifice it to a dark God or something.

(No manuscripts were hurt in the publication of this post – Science Fiction Manuscripts Protection League)

Writing is sort of like a muscle.  If you exercise often you become fitter and if you write often you become a writer.  The exercise stops being a chore and becomes automatic.  The fact that your subconscious brain takes up the job makes the writing process a lot easier.

Dare I say it, that if you write every day, writing becomes fun?

Becoming a writer just creeps up on you, sort of like it did for me.

I honestly believe this to be true and I can see no reason why it wouldn’t apply to any area of writing whether you are writing poetry, creative writing, or advanced technical writing for a non-fiction manual.  Write and you will improve.

There are, of course, books and writing courses that will help you improve your writing, such as Strunk and White’s excellent guide which has been an industry standard reference for decades.  Over time I will review some of the many writing instruction books on this site.

As this area is such a big one I suspect that to answer it properly will require a static page.  No doubt this won’t be the last time someone asks how to become a writer and it would be nice to say “Have a look at my website.”

While I was happy to help this guy I can only be relieved that he didn’t ask me how to be a published novelist!

Best wishes.

Dave Felton

Of course since I wrote that promise I have had a P.E., a lengthy hospital stay and a large dose of pneumonia.  These events kind of disrupted my plans…but no more!

In starting this review process I looked for a good candidate that offered the best starting point and I really think I found it.

Becoming a Writer

I think it is true to say this is the single best book on writing I own and has definitely been the most practical use as a beginning writer.

This book was written before all the current trends for political correctness (1934) and offers helpful, pithy advice to a writer that is starting out.  It is because of the books succinct, direct style that I recommend it without reservation.

The printing I received is a small book of a mere 192 pages, yet it is packed with useful information.  Ms Brande shows a great understanding of the psychology of writers and puts that knowledge to use in a friendly, but strict manner.  I truly regret that I will never get to meet her, or attend a writing class of hers.

Amongst the good news the book offers is the fact that anyone can become a writer, it is just that we have varying degrees of ability.  This fact must surely come as a delight to anyone that has been told that being a writer is somehow an innate ability and make the book worthy of purchase on its own.

It needs to be realised that the book is not about the mechanics of writing.  There are a great many books that are about plot, character, English usage etc. and I will be reviewing some of them over later weeks.  This is book is, as the title states, the process of becoming a writer.

I won’t spoil the book by commenting further on Ms Brande’s advice, except to say that it is most worthwhile following the advice she gives and performing the exercises.  Don’t buy this book if you tend to read a self help book and then leave it on the shelf.  Ms Brande would not approve!

If you are a writer wannabe, like me, buy this book!

Becoming a Writer

The only problem I have at the moment is actually finding one!  At this time of year the academic courses have already taken their intake and, as yet, I can’t find a local social course.  For this reason I have been looking on the internet and while doing so I came across:

http://www.hoopwriters.com/creative-writing-masterclass-1-ideas-inspiration/

This is a writers class, given by a published writer, in video format.

Excellent!

So far I am really enjoying the material and it is a nice substitute until I can find a real world class.

Dave