The image appears on the cover of the soon-to-be-released “50 Tips for First-Time Authors.”
By Shelley Widhalm
Writing has a bit of mystique to it, since it’s something we all do, but it also has what I like to call the Gold Star Effect.
Writing is essential to work, life and business, but …
What Exactly is Good Writing?
Good writing tells a story, inspires change and is layered in purpose and in meaning, causing readers to ponder, think and act.
Good writing is structurally sound with clear, concise content and, if fiction, a fully fleshed-out story.
Good writing also looks impeccable on the page, free of errors in grammar, mechanics, syntax, punctuation and spelling.
But to get that place of good writing, or the Gold Star Effect, work is involved, along with discipline, motivation, practice and, of course, revision.
I’ve been writing professionally for more than 20 years, first as a journalist, then as a freelance writer and editor, but also as an aspiring author. I have plans to self-publish two novels and am trying to get agents for two other novels. I also have two I shelved, because they just didn’t work out.
50 Tips for First-Time Authors
Through all of this writing work and experience, I’ve gathered my top tips for writing, editing and doing the work of both.
I share my tips in “50 Tips for First-Time Authors: Learn the Secrets of Writing for Publication,” which will be published on Kindle and in print on Lucky 7/7, or July 7, 2020.
In my booklet, I cover tips for getting started writing, what’s involved in the writing process, the difference between writing fiction and nonfiction, and editing best practices, plus ways to avoid the dreaded writer’s block. I wrap up with a dozen reasons for loving writing.
Here’s an excerpt from the book:
A writing list is a great way to get motivated and stay on task, turning a desire to write into the action of writing.
It provides a few rules to live by that make writing a routine and, over time, a habit without too much planning, thinking or agonizing about it.
It’s a way to show up for the writing, finding that once you get started, you have something to say, a short story to write in a sitting or two, or descriptions and storylines to add to a work in progress.
To find even more tips, visit Amazon for a pre-order to have the book ready to go on Lucky 7/7.
Thanks for checking out years of tips made concise in nine chapters. These tips have the Gold Star Effect in that they rose to the top from the hundreds of tips I’ve learned and collected!
(Note: I must admit the idea of self-publishing seemed intimidating, so I attended webinars, workshops and seminars and read two books on the subject. Two particularly useful tools are Gundi Gabrielle’s Kindle Bestseller Publishing: Publish a Bestseller in the Next 30 Days!! and Richard N. Williams’ Self Publish Your Novel Made Easy.)