It's the Writing Life for Me!

Becoming an author isn't some magical transformation. You don't tell yourself one day, "I'm going to write novel and be an author!" and boom, you are one. Writing takes dedication throughout the entire process. From the first sentence you put on the page, to the completion of the final edited version, to cover design, and marketing. It's a long road and it can take a lot out of you.

There is so much to do before you finally put pen to page (or begin tapping away on the keys of your laptop).

There's a lot of planning and plotting. Developing your characters and creating the world they live in. There is so much work involved in crafting your story and there is no perfect or "right way" to go about it. While there are certainly some rules you must pay attention to, like grammar and punctuation, when you're crafting your story there is no right or wrong way to do it (no matter what some might to try to tell you). What matters in the end is that your story makes sense, it's readable, and your characters and dialogue are believable. You want a story that will draw readers into the world you've created.

Don't get me wrong, no matter what you do, someone out there will sneer and tell you it's wrong or cliche. If your character bites their lip, for instance, some will tell you it's too common. But if that is a trait you truly feel fits your character, stick to your guns. Try not to overly stress about cliches. Readers will overlook them them if your story is well crafted and your characters are believable.

You will never make everyone happy, so don't try, you'll only burn yourself out trying to be perfect for every reader. I've seen erotic authors posting reviews where readers complained there was too much sex in the book. It was an erotic work, not certain what they expected from something listed as 'erotic'. There are people out there who have nothing better to do than troll sites and leave crappy reviews. Take them with a grain of salt. Listen to reviews and take away from them what is useful, and leave the bile behind. There are reader reviews that can be constructive and helpful.

To most authors our characters are like family. We love them and care for them. They become real to us and we are careful when crafting all the aspects of their personalities and lives. It hurts us a little when readers criticize them.

A book I wrote a while back had a main character named Ziva. A reader tried to start an argument over the name and stated it wasn't real and I should change it. The thing is, Ziva is a real name, there was a character on the show NCIS named Ziva. Not that that should matter. What is a name, after all? It's whatever someone calls themself. It can be something totally off the wall and not common. It doesn't matter. If that's what you want to call your character, then do it. Rather than begin drama over a name, I simply told the reader that was the character's name and I wasn't going to change it and left it at that. Readers can be very nitpicky about information. You can't allow it to affect how you craft your story or your characters. Don't let anyone or anything dictate your writing style. Be yourself or your story won't come off as realistic. Don't write in a genre simply because you think it's going to sell. If you aren't the romantic type, romance probably isn't the genre for you.

Having said that, do remember that research is important. If information isn't correct, then readers will definitely call you on it. Things like laws in countries or states vary, and if they aren't accurate people will point it out. How medical procedures work is another example. If you're writing about a country other than the one you live in, then you'll want to talk to people who live there to get a feel for things.

If you can take a story that has been told over and over and create something new and exciting that readers will buy, then it doesn't matter how 'overdone' people claim it is. Cinderella has been told and retold again and again, but if you can create a story so out of the box that readers will enjoy it, then you've done your job as an author.

Take the time to create characters with depth, make them as real as possible. Create a world that readers want to get lost in and your story will be real to readers.

Writing is a difficult journey, but if it's what you enjoy doing, then you stick with it no matter the roadblocks that come along.