Tag: Author Tips And Tricks

Ask the Author

Ask the Author: Can I really become a published author?

Mandy Webster

Dear Mandy,

So this is kind of random, but I wanted to be an author as a teenager and kind of gave up because it was made out to be impossible by the adults in my life. Is getting something published realistic?

A writer’s desk with a globe, maps, travel photographs, a pen and notebook, and a stack of books labeled “Write,” “Revise,” “Submit,” “Publish,” and “Repeat.” A handwritten note reads, “People like us don’t do things like that,” while the notebook reads, “Same dream. Different path. Still possible.
Becoming an author may not be the most practical path according to someone else’s definition of practical—but if writing is the path you’re meant to follow, it’s worth finding your way there.
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Answer:
Yes.

Seriously. That’s the short answer. And I know that answer because I spent a lot of my own life believing the opposite. When I was a kid, my grandmother had a wall of old National Geographic magazines. I would sit and page through them, fascinated by the photographs and the stories of places I had never seen. I dreamed of writing for National Geographic someday. I wanted to travel the world and write about the things I saw.

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Ask the Author

Ask the Author: What do you do with your first draft?

Mandy Webster

Dear Mandy,

I’m curious as to what other writers do when starting their second draft. Do you trash what you wrote in draft one and start totally from scratch? Or do you take some of what you wrote in the first draft and refine it? Or something else entirely? How does it work for you?

A first draft doesn’t have to be good. It just has to give you something to work with. The messy parts, the awkward scenes, the holes in the plot—they’re all part of the process. The magic happens when you give yourself permission to write badly enough to find the story.

Answer:
For me, the answer is pretty simple: I revise my first draft.

I know some writers who essentially start over when they reach the second draft. They might keep the basic idea, characters, or plot, but the actual manuscript gets tossed aside and they write the book again from the beginning. And honestly, I can see the appeal. Sometimes a first draft teaches you so much about the story that you realize the book you originally thought you were writing isn’t actually the book you want to write. But that’s not generally how I work.

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Ask the Author

Ask the Author: How do I share my work without having it stolen?

Mandy Webster

Dear Mandy,

How do I share my work without having it stolen?

The question isn’t really, how do I share my work without having it stolen? The real question is: What makes you think anyone wants to steal your work?

My answer: Oh, precious. Do you really think the word vomit you’ve dumped into your Google Doc is worth stealing?

Graphic: Worried someone will steal your novel if you let other people read it? Here's the truth: your ideas aren't what make your story valuable—your execution is. Don't let fear keep you from getting the feedback that will make your writing stronger. Share your work with people you trust, use a little common sense, and keep writing.
Worried someone will steal your novel if you let other people read it? Here’s the truth: your ideas aren’t what make your story valuable—your execution is. Don’t let fear keep you from getting the feedback that will make your writing stronger. Share your work with people you trust, use a little common sense, and keep writing.

Probably not. My rough drafts aren’t worth stealing either. As plenty of famous authors have said over the years, first drafts are garbage. (Or, to quote them more accurately, they’re shit.) You’re going to spend a long time revising that manuscript if you hope to make it worth reading. And if you’re sharing it with critique partners or beta readers, chances are you’ll be sharing it with several people who can all attest that the work is yours.

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