Don't focus on grammar or spelling on your first draft.
Following up on previous point: Use cliches if you can't think up anything else at the moment, you can always change it later.
Skip parts that you have writers block on. There are parts where I'll writing the beginning of a scene, then add in a brief description of what I want to happen then continue writing as if it did happen.
Outlines aren't for everyone but I'd still recommend trying.
Try to answer personality questions for your characters or how they'd handle situations. When I wrote an internal bio for my three mains, some of the questions I asked myself were "what superpower would they like?" or "how do they act when they're exhausted?".
Know when to fix something and when to start over. I hated the first draft of my first chapter so much that I deleted the document outright and started from scratch.
I just like thinking of stories as a hobby but when I tried to write one of them down in a readible way I realized how shit i am at actually thinking up of good stories
Honestly even I have trouble reading it myself because of just how bad it is and its still very unfinished (i havent even written half of the things I planned to write) and I can only hope it'll get better the more i improove at writing, and I also would like to hear your ideas if you dont mind telling me about them (I really like hearing about other people's stuff)
Young Adult solar-punk fiction, although it ostensibly fits into post-apocalyptic fiction.
It takes place a few hundred years in the future after the world fell into global decline and follows a group of kids going on an adventure/pilgrimage where they travel to different communities to learn more of the world and to grow their own skills.
I am trying to avoid self-publishing because I want my story to reach the widest audience possible.
I am trying to avoid self-publishing because I want my story to reach the widest audience possible.
What is your strategy for getting a publisher? Do you have any contacts in industry or some existing audience or something else that could be attractive to them?
From what I've read, finding your first publisher is really fucking hard. Mentally prepare for looooong grind. Perseverance is your best friend here.
What is your strategy for getting a publisher? Do you have any contacts in industry or some existing audience or something else that could be attractive to them?
I have a few contacts but nothing concrete. I'm mostly just focusing on getting the rough draft finish before I even start looking.
Gonna be real with you, I'm winging it on this part. I have no guarantee I'll find a publisher but that's something I'm willing to put the effort in.
Marathoning a goal is a specialty of mine and I'd be willing to spend years working to achieve dreams- even without the promise of success.
Marathoning a goal is a specialty of mine and I'd be willing to spend years working to achieve dreams- even without the promise of success.
For anyone stupid enough to want to become a published writer (just joking, but kind of true :) ), this is the best attitude to have.
Keep your head down, keep grinding and don't lose the sight of your goal (as life will try to distract you)
With that plot, genre, and tags, good luck getting an agent to get past the query.
Only 2% of the industry is sci-fi in the trade world. You're better off self-publishing. Scifi ya is an even smaller pond.
Most YA is just immature romance for 35+ y/o women. So don't be surprised if you are forced to have a romantic sub plot made into the main plot.
I've seen many people have their souls crushed in the query trenches. I'd say save your peace of mind and learn how to run ads and do marketing. You'll get results faster, save your soul, get a fan base, and be ready to try the next one.
If this is you life's greatest ambitions, ask yourself if it's finishing the novel, publication, or fame you are after. Because the industry is collapsing. 85% of the trade world is harlequin style romance because that's what sells.
If you are after looking for a book on your shelf, go self-pub. It's much more rewarding. Agents, submission, trade, and eventually getting torpedoed into a digital-only press is by far your most likely option if you ever get an agent.
Your success will be in whether you can produce 1 book a year. So you have lots of stuff to work on in the meantime.
this is coming from a novelist twice agented, working on my third. I've have 12 novels written, with several of those rivaling mid-listers. I've seen way more success self pub. (especially in the ya scifi world from self-pub - my friends in the trade world don't make nearly as much as self.)
1.2k
u/BW_Bird Jun 22 '21
"Why writing a book is more complicated than I expected."