DO YOU WANT TO BE AN AUTHOR?

Have you ever thought you’d like to be an author? Well, why not! The way I began to write books was a little unusual. When asked to write some articles for an Arabian horse magazine the editor at the time told me that my writing was too fluffy. I took this on board regarding the articles but I began to wonder if I could make use the so called ‘fluff’ and write a book. So, I did! I began at the beginning and kept going until the end, over a decade later.
I learned the more chapters you write, the better you’ll be at articulating stories and ideas. The more books you read, the more you’ll learn about writing a book, which equates to more books you’ll finish.
The thing is if you’re going to write you need to act like a professional. You need to have a clear idea to begin, it can be altered later but you need to keep moving forward and write something every day, not just when the inspiration grabs you.
The chapters you finish are akin to bricks in a wall, you stack them together day by day until your work feels secure and you gain enough confidence  to finish. And finish is the word. There are an uncountable number of unfinished books on shelves forgotten and dusty all around the world.
If you’re anything like me or other writers I’ve met, you’ll know more about disappointment than success. Writing is such an isolated, personal thing and certainly not easy. However, we all know that anything worthwhile isn’t always easy. If you want to finish writing your book and become a successful professional writer, you have to stick at it and believe in your ideas and your ability.

If you make a mistake the exercise becomes a learning opportunity to assist you to reach your goal. Then rescue what you can, and use the experience as a lesson to improve your skills. You never forget a failure on your journey to becoming a better writer.
Wondering if you’ve got what it takes, isn’t helpful. Just begin! If you feel you need some input from others, join a group to get their opinion. Feedback is invaluable. It offers you chance to learn how to become a better writer for free.

Neil Gaiman offers lots of tips on becoming an author. My favourite is his writing advice:
Whatever it takes to finish things, finish. You will learn more from a glorious failure than you ever will from something you never finished.
Learn what you can from the experience, and write a better book next time.
Besides, when you finish writing 62,386 words, your career gains momentum.
You become the kind of writer who thinks of an idea, fleshes their idea out, edits, rewrites, polishes and the rewrites some more, then presses publish.

If you succeed, you’ll discover a new side to yourself and your craft, which will only enrich your life. So, hold on to the belief in yourself and to your values. And finish writing your book. At the very least, you’ll be able to afford a new dress or a pair of jeans or maybe even a gym membership.