Getting started

Freelance writing gives you an advantage

'How to write a novel' is a challenge few authors can resist. Freelance writing is the door into the fiction publishing industry for virtually every writer, and for good reason. A freelance does the work on his or her own time and makes the sale later. No contract is involved, and before you've made a couple of sales, you probably won't have an editor's or publisher's expression of interest before plunging in and writing.

Freelance writing is the best school. Humans 'learn by doing,' and as a freelance you'll be your own boss. You'll progress at your own speed, decide what you want to write (not write what you're told to!) and you'll generate your own motivation. This is always the way to build strong foundations. The writing habits you're developing right now will support your career.

It might sound like a silly question, but ... where do you get started, to write a novel? Writing anything at all, from a letter or poem to a novel or thesis, comes down to a single starting point. Good writing. It's as simple as this: if you can write well, this ability is applicable to any project from a business email to an epic novel.

However, the subject — writing in general and fiction writing in particular — is quite large. There can be a lot to learn, especially if you're playing 'catch up.' Where to start is an extremely good question, and it's best answered by yourself!

Making a start in freelance writing, you have a major advantage on day one. As your own boss, you write what pleases YOU, so the learning process is fun ... and we all tend to be good at what we enjoy. The more fun it is, the better at it we get. Creating fiction is vastly rewarding. It can begin as a great hobby, and become a fine career.

Turn page to Fiction writing can be its own reward

You're about to write a book ...

Every writer knows the feeling. The pleasant shiver of anticipation, the buzz of ideas, fingers itching to work. To write a book. Great novels are conceived in this moment and born a while later, after being nurtured and grown. That nurturing and growing process is what this blog is about.

To write a book you'll need three things. A story idea — which you probably have, since you're on this page! Determinaton, which you already have in abundance (again, you're reading this page. You're ready to write a book). Lastly, you'll need some basic skills — and you're in the right part of the world.

Creative writing is an art. Good writing can be learned, exactly like playing an instrument. All you need is a little patience, some spare time, and the determination to do it.

Some writers seem to be born with good grammer and great sentence construction. Everyone else has to work, but luckily writing is also a lot of fun. You'll enjoy the process, make friends, go places you never imagined ... and the skills you gather as you write a book, be it fact or fiction, or a blend of both, are an investment in your future as a novelist.

Writing is a personal journey. Your stories are spun from your own thoughts. When you create your own character, he or she is born from your imagination and wears the face you decide. Each time you create characters, they speak with a version of your voice, delivering dialog that was first heard in your mind. Heroes, villains — they're all your brain children. You can create unforgettable characters, icons to adore and those we 'love to hate.'

So when you craft your novel, write well. Let your creativity flow from the heart. Gather the skills of the author, hone them, and when you sit down to write a book, everything will click into place.

This is what this blog is about.

Ready to write a book? A good book? Then, let's do it!

• Getting Started: freelance writing is where almost all authors -- of fact or fiction -- begin Every writer begins by tackling the same puzzle: 'how to write a novel?' There are many solutions -- succesful freelance writing begins here.


• WRITE! How to write a novel from the ground up! A nuts and bolts approach to 'how to write' anything from a vignette to a novel ... and have fun while you do it.


• EDIT! Freelance editing is a vital part of the process: but how do you do it for yourself?Every writer, without exception, needs to go through the meticulous process of editing. Some can afford to hire editors, but when you're starting out it's best to get your own editorial feet under you. Here's how.


• PUBLISH! You're sure the book is done, it's time to publish ... but where do you begin? In the twenty-first century the world of publishing is filled with opportunity. Hunt down a major publisher, sign with an agency, sneak in the back door with a small publisher ... paper or electronic? Magazines, ezines, ebooks? And don't forget POD, which is booming!