10 Things I Wish I Had Known
1.. That manuscripts sent in by nineteen year-old high school graduates WITHOUT self-addressed stamped envelopes usually are not returned.
2.. That when you’ve typed the bulk of the manuscript in #1 on a word processor, not keeping a copy before sending it in without a SASE is not a good thing.
2.. A 180,000 word manuscript is a little hard to market as a non-published writer.
3.. How important it is to establish yourself in the writing field as a WRITER first, then aim for novelist.
4.. That literary agents who send you a contract that looks like it was made in MS Word. 3.1 with really bad clip art is PROBABLY not legit.
5.. Having a website and a blog doesn’t guarantee you’ll become the next Stephen King overnight.
6.. How important it is to keep copies of EVERYTHING you’ve written if it gets published – even if it’s for free, $10, for your college literary journal, or for a small-town newspaper. I lost several years worth of publication credits this way.
7.. That adverbs aren’t always the best way to go.
8.. Good dialog is learned by observing the way people speak, and talking lots with people – not watching movies: “Great Scott!”. “Caesar’s Ghost!” and “I’m a doctor – not a grammar mechanic, Jim!”
9.. To always back up everything, relentlessly and obsessively. Again – too many re-writes because of not doing this!
10.. That you need to simply push on and finish a rough draft, saving your editing for the second draft. Otherwise, you’ll spend two years continually re-writing the first half of your manuscript without finishing it!
Kevin Lucia
Kevin Lucia writes for The Baptist Voice, The Country Courier, Infuze, and Title Trakk, and edits the official newsletter for the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance. He lives with his wife Abby and daughter Madison in Castle Creek, New York.
http://www.kevinlucia.net/
www.kevinlucia.net/bookreviews
So now I believe you! LOL I looked yesterday and it hadn’t been posted yet. Now where did you learn all these things you posted? Hmmmm . . . I agree on all counts!
Years and years of mistakes, foibles, and goofs! It’s all about the journey, though…now if only someone would invent time travel…hmmmm.
Only ten things, huh? And you call yourself a teacher! lol
Very good advice. Especially the stuff about backups. I have my first novella on really old media (well, not as old as paper, but on a 5 1/4 floppy) and have no easy way to retrieve it. I’ll have to dig around for an old drive somewhere!
Kevin – For me, #10 on your list was the single biggest breakthrough. Finishing is the most important step; then, you have raw material to beat into shape.
Thanks, Kevin. Since I’m at the beginning, it’s nice to know these things now!
These “Ten things…” are informative. Will be stopping by again. Thanks Tricia!
Kevin, really good tips to know. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing, Kevin!