Wattpad brings you a guest post from Kathleen Tucker, writer of vampire romance “Anathema”, on 5 very important tips for any aspiring writer:
Writing a book, whether it be fiction or nonfiction, is one of those aspirational goals that many have but few follow through with. Countless people have told me that they’ve always wanted to write a book or they started to write a book but … and they drift off there. They’ll give all kinds of excuses. No time, no idea, they don’t know how to write, they’re afraid that they can’t do it … People throw so many obstacles in the way of themselves. The key is to realize that they’re only obstacles and obstacles are not twenty-foot high concrete silos. You can get around them, you can bust through them.
The secret to writing a book is simple (it’s not really a secret and you may have figured it out already). You have to start and then you have to finish. There’s no way around those two factors. How you get to each of them and how long it takes will depend on you.
I’m about to publish my fourth book and here are the few things I’ve learned. I believe everyone, no matter how they get to their start and finish points, should live by these:
1. You’ll never please everyone so don’t try - For every person who loves Shakespeare, you’ll find a hater. If he can’t win universal love, why would you think that you could? You’re setting yourself up for failure with that notion. The key is to write the best book you can, find your fan base, and keep writing for those people.
2. Don’t ignore your critics - Seems contradictory to point #1 above, doesn’t it? What I mean to say is that you can learn from critical reviews and better yourself as a writer and story teller. The review may actually help you when you write your next book. The trick is to take what you can and leave the rest behind. Don’t drag it along with you on your journey.
3. You’ll have to sacrifice - Unless you’re one of those fortunate people who has time to spare, expect that you’ll need to make sacrifices in order to get that book finished. Writing a book is a lot of work. When you get into fantasy novels and series, it’s A LOT of work. I no longer watch television (outside of my The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones episodes, of course). I don’t chitchat on the phone. I’ve had to make those sacrifices in order to make time for my true passion.
4. Aim to be both an exciting story teller AND a proficient writer - You may construct beautiful sentences but bore the hell out of your reader. You may have crafty plot twists but your words stir no emotion. If you really want to be in the game, work on mastering both of these skill sets.
5. Write because you love to, not because it seems like a quick way to get rich - Did you know most published authors have part or full-time jobs outside of their writing career in order to make ends meet? Shoot for the stars but make sure your head doesn’t detach from your body and float off into outer space.
These five points have kept me grounded in reality while chasing my dreams and spinning my own stories for you to enjoy. I hope you find them helpful!
Read Kathleen Tucker’s “Anathema” on Wattpad!
Evangeline has spent her teenage years in obscurity. Her foster parents have the emotional aptitude of robots and her classmates barely acknowledge her existence. About to turn eighteen and feeling like a social pariah, she is desperate to connect with someone. Anyone.
When Evangeline meets Sofie after literally stumbling upon her café, she believes she’s found that connection. Willing to do anything to keep it, she accepts a job as Sofie’s assistant and drops everything to fly to Manhattan, where she is thrust into a luxurious world of Prada, diamonds, and limitless cash.
With such generosity and kindness, it’s easy for Evangeline to dismiss certain oddities … like Sofie’s erratic and sometimes violent behavior, and the monstrous guard dogs. She’s even willing to dismiss her vivid dreams of mob-style murders, beautiful homeless people living in caves, and white-eyed demons that haunt her each night as figments of her imagination—especially when one of those figments is the gorgeous Caden. When she wakes up with bite marks on her neck, the fairy tale quickly turns into a nightmare. She slowly unravels the mystery surrounding Sofie and friends, and the reality of the bites and the “dreams.” What she discovers is far more mysterious and terrible than anything she could have imagined.
In a world where everyone has motive to lie for personal gain, Evangeline must decide which deception is least likely to get her killed.