Every writer who has ever subjected herself to a live Q&A knows that some questions are classics.
"Where do you get your ideas?"
"Who's your favorite writer?"
"Which of your books is your favorite?"
I love these questions, to be honest. These are three of my favorite things to talk about. But I'm adding a new question to the list, and it's one I like to get because it's a topic I am very enthusiastic about: "Do you have any advice for new writers?"
This is a great question because it means that even with all the challenges facing the publishing industry right now, people are still eager to share their writing with an audience. And that is good. Creativity is a gift that grows the more it is shared.
My advice for aspiring authors? Follow the Three C's: Community, Craft, and Commitment.
1. Community: Writing is a solitary endeavor, but being a writer is a communal one. Finding a squad of supportive fellow scribblers is one of the first things new writers should do. No one understands like a writer how hard writing actually is, how challenging it can be to stay hopeful, how insidious self-doubt can become (especially when it's time to start submitting and the inevitable rejections start coming in). I tell writers to check their local offerings first—if there is a nearby writers group, even if it's not specific to one's genre, join it. Find out what organizations regional or national writers in your genre join and then join that—for me, it was Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. Find out what conventions and conferences writers in your genre attend, including fan conferences where you can meet other writers at all stages of their careers, and then attend those (even during our current "interesting" times, many conferences are hosting virtual versions). You might meet some of your writing heroes this way—say hello and introduce yourself as a writer. Enjoy your shared interests. Who knows? The relationship might prove fruitful down the road (spoiler alert—some of them definitely will).
2. Craft: A writer writes—a professional writer writes with the understanding that you should always be improving your craft. Writing is one way to do this (the best way, in fact, as is reading writers whose work you admire, which is why writers also read). One of the benefits of community is that workshops and learning opportunities abound. In Sisters in Crime, for example, members get access to an archive of webinars on topics from character creation to plotting to making sure your work is appropriately inclusive and diverse. There will never come a day when your work cannot be improved, never. Consider that a good thing. It means you're always in control of your own improvement.
3. Commitment: And this is the doozy. Everyone understands that the ideal writing life—that Pinterest image of the writer at her desk, a glorious view through the window, words pouring from her fingertips while money pours into the bank—exists for only a minuscule, impossibly small fraction of the writers in the world (and even they have writers block—just saying). So being a writer means that you are willing to deal with every aspect of it, even those you loathe, like tax paperwork or making promotional materials. More importantly, it means making time for yourself as a writer, honoring that promise by deciding what it means to you and then following through. For some, that's sitting down to the computer and making words every single day. For others, it's submitting X number of queries every week. You get to decide what that looks like. And then you get to commit. Success as a writer is only minutely linked to talent—most of it is about showing up.
And there you have it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a word count I need to hit.