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5 survival tips for writers...

Submitted by Suraya Dewing on Thursday 9 May 2019

Persist.

This is surely the most important quality a writer needs. There are many good ideas. But having a good idea, written well that actually touches reader's hearts is another matter. It takes persistence to keep perfecting a skill and self-belief. Follow the dream. One day it will be reality. This is the key to success.

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” Winston S. Churchill.

Writers Need Feedback

Submitted by Suraya Dewing on Wednesday 10 April 2019

Creativity - is it important?

Submitted by Suraya Dewing on Saturday 16 March 2019

Is creativity important? Ask any writer frantically juggling work and home commitments with finding time to write and they will say, creativity is as essential as breathing.'

The importance of acknowledging the need to express ourselves creatively was brought home to me when a member of The Story Mint, who had not written for a while, contacted us with a chapter for her story. In her message she wrote, “It feels fantastic to be writing again.”

Writers connecting with readers (written for Lalitha Ravindran, India)

Submitted by Suraya Dewing on Thursday 24 January 2019

Before you put that first word on the page take the time to understand your readers. Consider their interests and how to connect with them. Readers have millions of titles to choose from so why should they pick yours?

Give them a very good reason or better, several reasons. Make the cover unmissable, ensure the first paragraph grabs their attention and keep the story going using great description, strong characters and fast paced story line.

Editing - an important phase of the writing process

Submitted by Suraya Dewing on Friday 19 October 2018

In her opening address at Breaking the Code: from published to best-selling author, Linda Langton stressed the importance of editing. Linda is Founder and President of the successful international literary and film consultancy, Langtons International Agency, based in New York. She was not alone. The importance of meticulous editing was a recurring theme throughout the symposium.

What writers do to get on to best seller lists

Submitted by Suraya Dewing on Tuesday 18 September 2018

The Common themes that appeal to readers

Studying what books make the world-wide best seller list can be useful if you want to be the author of a best-seller. There are common themes that appeal to readers and after all, it is readers who create best-seller lists.

Most books, with the exception of one or two, do consistently appear on alternative lists. The list I referred to is a global list compiled by a service called, Global English Editing[1]. 

Will robots write better stories than us oneday?©

Submitted by Suraya Dewing on Saturday 15 September 2018

woman sitting between white fluorescent lights

 

AI writing stories may sound far fetched but is it?

Go into business - write a book

Submitted by Suraya Dewing on Friday 6 July 2018

Go into business for yourself – write a book.

Before you cast your first sentence on the page research who might read the finished product. These readers are your customers.

In her article, 'How writing book is like launching a business,' https://lnkd.in/g94RVEj Carol Roth draws this parallel. She headlines several key requirements for both business and publishing a book.

These are: Know your customer; The idea isn’t valuable, the execution is; and, The day you open for business is where the hard work begins.

Published - a dream come true?

Submitted by Suraya Dewing on Tuesday 22 May 2018

It is natural for writers to have the goal of getting published as their main focus. It is a dream come true when, after years of hard work, you hold your own book in your hands with its beautiful cover.

At last we hold tangible evidence of the many hours spent working on the story line. 

The act of getting published validates all that effort. This is especially the case if the publisher is a traditional publisher. Someone else has validated your hard work, your effort.

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