Writing Tips the MK Schultz Way.
All I have learned about writing a novel, I have done independently. Drawing from literary basics I recall from High School, reading books, my professional career and life in general, my writing comes from within. Here are ten things I learned along the way.
1. Don't self doubt your writing. If you are fluent in the language, then all that you create is art, and since art is subjective, you only have one reader to impress. You!
2. Don't compare your writing to others. They are not you. You are you. You cannot do what they do and they cannot do what you do. Remember that.
3. Editing matters. You can read and re-read your manuscript, but there will always be invisible errors hiding within. This I learned from wordrefiner.com
4. Write what interests you. By doing this, you will not loose the interest of you, the writer. This will transfer to the reader as well.
5. Listen to your muse. The muse is an inner voice inside that delivers inspiration. Treat your muse with respect and awe like a god. Revere him or her. I imagine mine to be a little creature who lives in my writing studio under my desk. I put a lamp under there for him and I greet him with a smile whenever I enter the room.
6. Write from start to finish continuously and don't go back and fix anything until you are complete the first draft. Make notes along the way if you must. I don't plot extensively.
7. Keep a spreadsheet that summarizes your progress and update it every writing session. If you contact me, I would be happy to share mine with you. It has proven to be invaluable to me since I do not use fancy book software packages like Scrivener. For me, Google Docs and Sheets has served me well.
8. Consistency is key. When writing a novel, I write three to five days per week. Even if each session is only an hour or two, the consistency keeps the flow going. If you leave it for too long, your muse gets cranky and you don't want that. Trust me.
9. When you self publish a book, you must market it. If you have a literary agent, you may not have to worry about this step. But for the rest of us, this becomes an extremely time consuming task. It is however, mandatory because otherwise no one will ever get to experience the art that you create.
10. Enjoy the ride and accept that you will never reach the finish line. There will always be something that you can improve upon and that is ok. Life in general is like that. Don't over think your art to death. You have to release it at some point, flaws and all.
Until next time, I will always believe that...
The Dream is True.
MK Schultz
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