scintillating secrets to semi-success!

Actually it's same old stuff everyone says. My longer version is the quicky article on getting published over at Amazon that I wrote when I was still feeling like a gazillion bucks about the Somebody books.

The shorter version is two familiar words: Write it.

In the end it doesn't matter if you have to use charts or graphs or just the inside of your head--it is a matter of getting your fingers on the keyboard or around the pen and keeping those fingers moving until you're done.

Okay, that's it. . . the not-much-of-a-secret: Forget Inspiration, Write the Damn Thing.

But we can always use some good links, right? Here are the ones that did me a world of good:

One of the best links for links. You don't have to go farther than this for articles about every subject from your outline to your query letter. Charlotte Dillon should be proclaimed a Romance Writer's Living Treasure. I hearby declare it!!

CHARLOTTE DILLON ROCKS

If you're too lazy to go out searching for advice, then Donna Caubarreaux can help. Sign up for her writing tips and she'll send you links to articles every day. (You can find the about spot halfway down her page.) I used to read all of the contest alert stuff she links to, too.

I pay my bucks to RWA but Charlotte, Donna and my personal writing goddess Linda I. are the reason I'm published in rrromance. (okay, and the NJRW conference too.)

I'm published in non-fiction because that's far easier work to find. Little newspapers are always looking for free-lancers. If you can:

keep to a deadline
write English that 12-year-olds can understand
know or learn how to do reasonable research/interviews
comprehend that there's more than one way to approach any story

you can have a badly-paid job for life! ** Or eventually the credentials to do better-paid but perhaps more boring newsletter sorts of projects. Or maybe a job on one of those New York magazines that pay ten thousand an article. It doesn't hurt to know the difference between writing hard news, feature stories and editorials or how to write a kick-butt ledes--on the other hand, from some of the stuff I've seen, that knowledge isn't essential after all.

Okay. You still want more links for the secret of success? Go to PBW and look at her lists. I'm not doing more. I don't want to be responsible for anyone not getting those 1,000-3,000 words written today because she had to cruise around the internet instead.

When you have time, PBW's got great links about self-editing and world building and about a thousand other amazing connections to fun.

Just don't blame the links when you look up and see your writing time is gone because it's more fun to reading other people's inspirational articles than typing your way through some of your less inspired chapters or the story about the dog food factory scandal.

__________

** I didn't have a degree in any kind of writing, but I was nervy and I was willing to write a couple of sample pieces.

Comments

  1. I don't need inspiration, I just need time and energy.

    Just me, tired and depressed that I haven't written anything since Saturday (I should kick myself for bragging about how productive I was).

    ReplyDelete

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