Get serious

[Janet842]

Getting your book published doesn't have to be a mystery or a pipe dream. The information is out there just waiting for you to find it. Here are some questions everyone should answer who is NOT majoring in journalism:

#1. How many books about writing have you purchased and have you actually studied them?

#2. How many writing conferences have you attended?

#3. How much time to you spend online each week researching what it takes to become a published writer? (Online chat rooms and forums do not count.)

#4. How much time do you spend every day writing?

#5. Do you attend an active writing group for support, education, critique, networking, or encouragement?
__________________________


OK now, everyone be truthful! I'll start...

#1. I have 4 books on writing that I have read at least once cover to cover, 2 others that are strictly reference (no need to read cover to cover), 1 huge dictionary, and I use an online Thesaurus.

#2. 1 conference so far which caused a major paradigm shift in how I view being an author. Writing is a serious craft and I got a lot more serious about it after that conference.

#3. From 15 minutes to 2 hours

#4. From zero to eight hours – I sort of lack consistency.

#5. I'm not in a group. The groups in the Denver metro area where I am have meetings that focus around a guest speaker and socialization time. That's just not what I'm looking for, especially as none of the guest speaker topics have interested me (so far, anyway).

Tag, you're it!

Janet

 

[writergirl4god]

#1. - I have read and studied many books about writing - some of them more than once. For financial reasons I did not purchase them though, I've checked them out from my library. At the moment I'm re-reading "The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile" by literary agent Noah Lukeman. (I highly recommend it!)

#2. - I would love to attend some conferences, but as we can barely pay our bills right now that's not likely to happen anytime soon.

#3. - I don't need to do daily research on this anymore, I've already done it and know the steps. I do still read agents' blogs about the industry though.

#4. - A minimum of ten hours per week working on my current manuscript. (If I have article assignments, the time I spend working on those does not count toward this time.)

#5. - I have mixed feelings about writing groups - I think there can be something of a 'blind leading the blind' component there. I do believe in critique partners and beta readers though, and utilize those.

Thanks for asking!

 

[Key]

These are great questions, and my answers are rough, however I am an aspiring writer, or more a writer that only writes for himself as I know full well that my work is not on par to what I have written, but I enjoy making up stories and things like that.

#1. How many books about writing have you purchased and have you actually studied them?

Three, well, not fully. I have read half way though three writing books, and by the end of them I nodded my head going "WOW that is great insight!"

Now if I could remember the names of the books, I'd list them here, but they were random books I spotted in my local library and started to read to pass the time.

I hope to find a few more that seem engrossing.


#2. How many writing conferences have you attended?

None

#3. How much time to you spend online each week researching what it takes to become a published writer? (Online chat rooms and forums do not count.)

Almost None. I did spend an exorbitant amount of time a while ago looking into it and it just managed to overwhelm me, so, I fell back from that and decided to just focus on writing and then once I have something finished, then I'll look into how to publish it.

#4. How much time do you spend every day writing?

I had writers block for almost three years, but it seems it finally broke and now I am putting in roughly an hour or two a day in writing, in some cases I can just sit and write for several hours at a time enjoying the story as it unfolds.

#5. Do you attend an active writing group for support, education, critique, networking, or encouragement?

I used to, I had hung around several forums on writing, but it was just depressed me and distracting me from what brought to them in the first place. Now I shy away from that kind of thing and just write for myself.

If some day when I finish what I started, I'll think about getting published, which would be great, but till then, I'm just going to write a story for myself and see where it takes me.

I know.. gushy lame answers, but, it is what I have, and, unfortunately it's honest

 

[kittycat7]

#1. How many books about writing have you purchased and have you actually studied them?

I don't remember; I've gotten most of them from the library.

#2. How many writing conferences have you attended?

One. Done by a Christian writers' group whose president goes to my church.

#3. How much time to you spend online each week researching what it takes to become a published writer? (Online chat rooms and forums do not count.)

Depends. I guess anywhere from zero the five hours.

#4. How much time do you spend every day writing?

Again, it depends. Not as much time as I should, though.

#5. Do you attend an active writing group for support, education, critique, networking, or encouragement?

Yes, an online critique group. If you're interested, google Critters. The only thing I don't like about it is that they only do science fiction, fantasy, and horror right now. Sometimes I like to experiment with other genres. Also, it can be hard to determine what genre your story is in.

 

[liesje]

Well I'm minoring in Journalism...so I guess I'm still in.

I haven't read any books about writing yet. I want to, but it's a matter of finding the right ones. I don't want to buy any until I know they're good, because there are just so many to choose from. I've never been to any writers conferences either...I'm not sure whether we have them in New Zealand. I'm serious about my writing, but at the moment I'm not aiming to have any fiction published. I write it simply because I love to write.

 

[Billnew]

Getting your book published doesn't have to be a mystery or a pipe dream. The information is out there just waiting for you to find it. Here are some questions everyone should answer who is NOT majoring in journalism:

#1. How many books about writing have you purchased and have you actually studied them?

#2. How many writing conferences have you attended?

#3. How much time to you spend online each week researching what it takes to become a published writer? (Online chat rooms and forums do not count.)

#4. How much time do you spend every day writing?

#5. Do you attend an active writing group for support, education, critique, networking, or encouragement?

#1: looked on line at three articles, intend on going to the library, have a list of 8 books the articles I read suggested.(Inlcuding first 5 pages)
#2:none, just got into writing seriously a few months ago. Finished the seventh edit/rewrite of my first completed novel last month. Did not think researching publishing when I wasn't even sure I liked writing was smart. (Cart before the horse thing) Have no money to attend classes or confr.
#3:research up to know was in novel research.
#4;Write at work when I have free time, just bought a computer so I could write at home.(have to find my Microsoft office software now)
#5 no groups yet. I have had co-workers enjoy my prose, and had offers to print from two newspapers that I never had the chance to call back.
(No long distance service.)