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I don’t really think of myself as an “author” or a “writer”, but when you write multiple books I guess you are those things by default. (You can see my creations here at Smashwords)
For some people writing is really their thing, their bread and butter, their life’s mission. Me, I do it because it is a creative outlet. (Making music used to be my thing, then it was producing television shows, now its writing… and making chocolate chip cookies).
Often I get “I want to write a book” or “How can I write a book” or some variation of those questions. I’m always willing to give advice to anyone who has the desire to do it, but really my best piece of advice is this…
SHUT UP, AND START WRITING ALREADY!
Look, your book isn’t going to just mysteriously start seeping out of your brain and coagulate into words on a page. You have to sit there and write, type, or speak (using Dragon NaturallySpeaking Home 13.0, English
or other program) your book into existence. Stop “wanting” to write, and write!
Is writing a book easy? No, but if you are like me and just doing it at your own leisure, then there isn’t any pressure from publishers, etc. You don’t need to go around telling everyone that you’re writing a book either. That’s just a set up. Write it, and show it to them when you’re done.
There are plenty of good books on writing available, but here are three that I found helpful (Amazon links)…
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft
Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity
Again, there are tons of good books out there, these are just three that resonated with me.
Anywho, if you are one of those people who “want” to write a book, you already know my advice.
If you have any advice for would be writers, please share it in the comments section.
The Wonderful World Of Lamont Clark 