Guest post: author A.J. Scudiere

Did you ever want to write?

Many readers are writers. I was a reader long before I made it firmly to the other side. We all have something, some story, that we want to share . . .but how do you go from that to being a writer? Some will tell you that you have to get published, but I say that isn’t so . . . It’s really all about doing what you want.

What’s your final goal? Do you want to make a book of family stories? They’ll be good for the family reunion, and for generations after. You can do that. Do you want to write poetry for magazines? Comics? Screenplays? Romance novels? There are so many options out there, that your best bet is to define where you want to go first.

Writers always ask me ‘what can I do to improve?’ but that answer is different every time. For many people a writer’s group of like-minded individuals can be a great help – but that requires two important pieces: 1) you must find dedicated people. It’s no good if you don’t actually read each others’ work and make thoughtful comments. 2) you must be a dedicated person. This means you’ll spend a good part ofyour time reading others’ works and thinking up thoughtful comments. Writers groups can be hard to find for both these reasons.

Classes are always available, but can be troublesome. Who is teaching them? And why? A great recommendation here is to take a class in a similar or helpful genre that is not your own. I write thrillers but took courses in prose poetry and short stories. I became a much better writer because of those, and the criticisms (which you will get!) will be much easier to bear because this isn’t your genre (I didn’t care if my poetry wasn’t good. I wasn’t a poet!) and you’ll learn something valuable, because no one is trying to change your ‘baby’ or critiquing your pet project this way.

I wrote two novels for practice before I started writing the first one I got published. It wasn’t a short journey, and though I thought I was ready a long time ago, I wasn’t. You can do it! But it requires dedication.

Come check out the writer’s blog at Phoenix, the book. It has everything I wish I had known back when I started. Ask questions, bring ideas, join us! And if you’re a reader, you can read the story of a book from start to print, to AudioMovie (read about audiomovies at AJsAudioMovies.com).

A.J. Scudiere is the author of God's Eye which will be reviewed here on the 18th. Check out this fantastic giveaway but hurry, it ends July 20!

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