More insights and advice for would-be authors and writers.

There are a lot of misconceptions about being an author. It sounds good to say you’re an author, but, in my view, writing a great deal demonstrates that you are. I’m not just talking about books you write. If authors are serious about communicating, they will write blogs as well, and do interviews to communicate their ideas. Authors have to wear many hats, and do most of the marketing themselves, unless they are big names.

The journey towards becoming an author is more important than the arrival. This means it is hard graft, and good writing begins with good reading. Any author who is not well-read will not show discernment in their own writing. How could they? You need to be familiar with writing rules in order to break them, and reading is the key to discovering your own way of doing things.

In the world of writing, there is a lot of hype about established authors who have made it and bigging up of ANY book they write by publishers. I know from reading some modern “literary greats” that not every book they write is as good as they would have us believe. But, when you are trying to get known, it’s a hard road ahead to get recognized, if at all, and you have to produce excellent work every time to get noticed.

Write for enjoyment, but treat it seriously, and don’t concern yourself with the trappings of success. As is often said, success is like an iceberg, so much preparation, so many obstacles the author has worked hard to overcome are hidden below the surface. It’s a long road …