The way to become a published writer is to write (and to submit what you write). Seems obvious, yet so many would-be writers produce that one story or novel and then rework it endlessly, or submit a story or three, get rejected once (or a hundred times), and decide to give up.
I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite ways of finding inspiration — some of them obvious, some of them less so. But it’s always good to have reminders, and if you haven’t used a few of these sources of inspiration in awhile (or ever), give them a go.
…I firmly believe that the joy found at the heart of reading is the same joy found at the heart of writing: it is the joy of discovery.
While there are certainly advantages to Amazon’s program, anyone who thinks Amazon is in this to help authors is a fool. Amazon, like pretty much any other business, is in this to make money.
…I’m not going to discuss the importance of goals today. Instead, I’m going to discuss how worthless they are.
You don’t have to be a fanatic to use Twitter; it doesn’t have to take over your life. Just get an account, use your real name, start following some people, and post some things. You don’t have to do it all at once, but you should do it. If you follow a publisher, a lot of times the publisher will follow you back.
I’m going to touch on something that I’ve discussed briefly before but which I think is worth reheating into its own post. Here are the best selling books in the US from 1912, which is (for those of you for whom math is not a strong suit) 100 years ago.
One of the first published novelists I got to know told me that it was really awkward to be friends with a writer whose stuff you don’t like.
Buying into a personal mythology of hierarchical status can harm your career. It’s one thing to expect respect for your work and experience. It’s quite another to expect demonstrations of your status or to make pronouncements like “I will not attend any conventions at which I am not a guest of honor.”
We do need, not more, but a deeper relationship with what we have. Not knowledge, or not just knowledge, but understanding. That’s what writers give us.
This historical horror story follows Kenneth Lockwood, a Lieutenant in the British colonial armed forces, marching from Nigeria to East Africa during World War II as he comes face to face with the horrors of colonization and war. A free eBook.
Dilman Dila is a writer and filmmaker. His books, Where Rivers Go To Die, was shortlisted for the PKD Awards (2024). He was shortlisted for the BSFA Awards and the Nommo Awards for Best Novella. Watch his scifi films on patreon.com/dilstories
