Tuesday 12 November 2013

How Award Winning Authors Make It To The Top

By Katrina Wheeler


The road to success for award winning authors is not a simple one. Anyone aiming to be in this number needs to be prepared to work extremely hard and rise over rejection. These tips are a great starting point to help you achieve those goals.

Writing skills, like muscles, need to be used often or they lose their form. Just like an athlete trains every day to improve their skills, so should a writer. The more you write the easier it becomes to produce quality content, deserving of praise. When you are felling uninspired, just look around you. You can surely find a story in many places such as a picture, a sculpture or watching people in the mall.

There are a variety of methods and techniques available that can add more quality to your writing. Where possible, take the opportunity to study the art. Whether you attend a paid course at a university or a free community class, the information you gain will make a valuable contribution towards your writing skills. All of which is significant to identifying your unique voice.

It is not easy to take something you have written and put it out for all to see. However, publication is important. Start by finding a publisher who believes in the piece of work as much as you do. The editor should be open and constructive. It is not easy to let go but at some point it is a necessity.

On the other hand, self-publishing is an option that more and more authors are considering. This option essentially cuts out the middle man. In this option, the author is responsible for all aspects including writing, editing, and book design. There are many platforms that can be used to publish your own novel or story. It also means control over distribution, PR and marketing.

Rejection is a reality in this industry. As demoralizing as this many be, find a way to deal with rejection. Any author will tell you that they received many rejection letters before they finally got an acceptance. This is a rite of passage, part of the process for anyone looking to succeed. Anyone putting their literature out there needs to build that thick skin and persevere. The important thing is to keep trying.

Writing competitions are everywhere. Some are free, some not. Either way, you should try to enter as many competitions as you can. It's a terrific opportunity to get your work read by other people, particularly those active in the industry. A lot of the times, competition judges are writers, editors or publishers. This will potentially get you the access you would not ordinarily have, especially since finalists are often provided with valuable feedback and constructive criticism for growth purposes.

If you are looking to be enter the ranks of award winning authors, then you need to be willing to put in the work. Prepare yourself for some failures along the way but also leave space for the success. On top of that, make space for a little bit of luck. Sometimes you just need to be at the right place at the right time.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment