To Beginning Writers

A lot of people ask if I will read their manuscripts, but I can’t for a couple of reasons. The first is that my lawyer and my contracts prohibit me from reading any manuscripts that are not already under contract to a publisher. Second, and far more pressing, is the fact that I’m buried under work of my own and struggling to get all of it done.

Here, however, are recommendations I regularly make to authors seeking help as they start out:

1) Buy or borrow a copy of the book Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card. It will help you discover problems you may not realize you have, and point you toward solutions. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

2) Read a lot and read critically. When reading a book, jot down notes at the end of a chapter. Ask yourself what you liked and didn’t like, what surprised you and what you could see coming. Did you feel compelled to immediately leap into the next chapter? Do you like this character or hate that one. Just jot down your impressions and then, after you finish the book, use your notes to analyze what was written in it. Teach yourself to do the things you liked, and train yourself to avoid the things you didn’t like.

3) Read more than just fiction, since non-fiction is the soul of research. Read more than just the classics — read the current fiction that will be your competition. Learn what is out there, what is defining the literature you want to write, then find out how you can get there. (A glance at my reading list can show you what I read….)

4) I strongly recommend against writing your first novel in someone else’s universe. Writing in someone else’s universe for your first book is akin to learning how to play basketball on an 8 foot rim. You’ll certainly develop some skills, but not enough to get you into the NBA, and that, ultimately, is the goal.

Moreover, when you write in someone else’s universe, the chances of that book seeing publication are really zero. While writing that book certainly will be a learning experience, you’ll get the same experience and even more by writing in a world you create. It took me 11 years to sell my first novel, but eventually it DID sell (Talion: Revenant). Don’t cut yourself off from that same opportunity.