I am a new and very inexperienced writer. I have long day dreamed of having a book published and for years now have been slowly gathering stacks of notebooks full of scribbled ideas. My brain however, is slowly being filled with the niggles. How do you know if it's the right time to start focusing on the writing as a possible career? How do you know whether you have a credible idea or if it is quite frankly rubbish? How do you know when your work is READY?
I may be a precocious young scamp, and it's very impolite to enquire about a lady's age but, you haven't actually said how old you are... I'm 21 and I've just started thinking about publishing, amidst doubts about being too young, too inexperienced, and all the above. I don't think there is a 'right time.' As someone (an engineer, of all people) recently told me, and I quote, "just f****ng try it'.
Hi Emma,
You know that your work is ready when you can honestly say that it is the best that it can be, and does not require you to apologise for it when others read it. It should be strong enough to stand on its own.
You'll also know that your work is ready, when you go through your manuscript taking out all the commas and then putting them all back in again on the next draft. This also applies to adverbs when you change them from 'ran' to 'sprinted' and back again.
Having a dream is fine; I think everyone on here shares it. But aim for the target, not the prize, Without a written book, your dream will remain a dream. To turn it into a reality, just get writing.
The first draft you write will not be the finished product, so do not put yourself under this pressure or have unrealistic expectations. It is incredibly rare for a first draft to be the finished article.
You'll know if you've got a credible idea when you get excited by what you are doing and want to be at your desk writing it. If this is not the case, then it's unlikely to interest anyone else.
As to the niggles, let them have their say, then politely tell them to 'shut up'. Once you've got the momentum of a book going, nothing can stop you. Not even those niggles.
Best of luck and keep writing,
Tony
Hi Emma.
We have all been at that stage at one time or another, I know I have. However, at this moment I like to call myself an 'Aspiring Writer'.
Don't allow those niggles of - 'will I make it?' - 'What if it isn't right?' - 'How will I know?' - get to you, because they are only distractions, which the miserable complainers inside our heads feed us, honestly.
I told another member to just enjoy the process of writing, and not to get bogged down with concerns about getting published. Yes, it can be difficult at times, you just have to leave those worries behind until your work is complete. My own process from initial idea was ?? years ago (don't like to give away my age), started writing nearly 2 years ago, and now (120,000 words later) on chapter 4 of the second draft. When will it be finished you wonder? Well truthfully, I have no idea. Someone told me that her own journey took 10 drafts before her MS was ready, and her answer for this was - 'I just knew it was time.'
I agree with Louise, you can't class it as a career unless you've been published, and selling books. It's a dream we would all like, so never give up hope and just keep writing.
Sarah :)