08 May, 2009

Resuming Lessons: A Quick Recap

Before the Christmas break, I'd started a series of lesson I called 'Getting There', where getting there means getting your work published. As the saying goes, a writer who doesn't get published is one who stops trying. Needless to say, unless the work you're putting out there is up to par, no one will publish your work.


And even if you go the self-publishing route, you won't be able to sell your book after the reviews your first set of readers will give.


After the VERY long break, I think it's time to resume the lessons. I will post the next in a fresh post, but for now, here's a refresher:


Lesson 1: Getting started

     Step 1: Assess where you are as a writer
     Step 2: Decide what you want to achieve with your writing 
     Step 3: Set targets (e.g.: a page a day)
     Step 4: Get your basic resources
            i -   An imagination (you have to have one, and keep feeding it)
            ii -  Dictionary
            iii - Thesaurus
            iv - Grammar book
            v -  Internet

     Some helpful resources:
          1. Dictionary
          2. Thesaurus 
          3. WordWeb
          4. Google (or Yahoo! or Bing, if you prefer those). Learn how to use and maximise search engines.

Lesson 2: Starting your story
  1. Plotting
  2. Question to ask yourself about your story
  3. Your opening line (or hook)
Feel free to add any other resources you've found helpful


Later, 

Empi