How To Become a Fiction Writer

You have always enjoyed reading and writing, but another career path led you away from your dream.  Perhaps you find the fulfillment of personal expression in writing or maybe you want to be the next millionaire novelist.  Whatever your goals, there are practical suggestions for easing into the exciting, but sometimes intimidating world of fiction writing.

1. Set personal goals.  You may not know where you expect writing to take you, but there are so many options out there that finding a starting goal will get you down the right path.  For example, you may want to learn the basics of writing a story.  You may want to start by learning from other writers.  You may want to find someone to read and critique drafts that you have already written.  Whatever your goals, they are valid because they are personal and they will start you on your journey of writing.  They may change along the way so keep an open mind.  There are so many possibilities out there!
2. Seek out others who share your goals.  Do not try to become a writer in isolation.  Writing itself can be a very solitary practice.  You may find this incredibly peaceful or enormously isolating.  Especially if you are planning to commit to writing over time, you will want a sense of community.  If you live in an urban area, there are probably many universities, community colleges, and community centers at your access.  Go to these places (or check online) for information about adult extension classes and writing groups and programs.  If you do not live in an urban area, start with your local library or classified ads.  Even check out bulletin boards in coffee shops or artsy gathering places.  There are writers everywhere seeking community, you may just have to search a little harder if you live in a less populated area.  If you don't have luck, place your own ad or put up your own flier.  In addition, you don't necessarily have to shell out a lot of money.  While some courses may be pricey, find alternative options.  Also ask about scholarships, work study, and sliding fee scales.  You don't want to let finances hinder your goals before you even get started.
3. Choose a class or workshop that is right for you.  Even if you feel that you have a solid foundation in the craft of writing from your previous education, if you are just rejoining the world of writing, taking a class is an excellent way to get fresh inspiration and to network.  If you are shy or don't yet have writing to share, then a workshopping class (one where writers exchange manuscripts for critique) may be overwhelming and cause you to shy away from writing.  A course that looks at the works of published writers for discussion and has writing exercises that you may or may not share is a great, non-threatening way to find your place in the writing community.
4. Network!  When you go to your class or workshop, don't be too shy to talk with others.  They are probably just as nervous as you are.  You may want to consider setting up an email account that you use for your writing pursuits.  This enables you to give out the address more freely and to distinguish from work or other personal email. You can even make business cards on your printer at home with your new writing email address and hand it out to people you connect with.  Find out where there are literature readings or open mike nights in your community.  Go to writing festivals and book festivals that come to your community.  Talk to people and ask questions.  Rest assured that in every crowd there are many novices.
5. Join a writing group.  Find a few fellow writers who share your interest and meet with them regularly to exchange writing and discuss.  Find people who are at your level or slightly above to push you forward with your goals.  Set norms for the group and stick to them.  These groups notoriously turn into social gab sessions, so try to stick to the task.  Treat the group as a semi-formal gathering.  Meeting at a coffee shop, library, or community center is often times the easiest.  Some groups meet in the homes of the members.  A sample structure is to workshop two members per session, meet every two weeks, and to submit stories via email or at the previous session.  You may also want to use an anthology of published short stories to guide and mentor your discussions.
6. Read.  Read a lot.  The best way to improve your writing is to read.  The best way to support the community of writing is to be a reader.  Take an open approach to reading.  Keep ‘to read' lists.  Read a lot in the genre that you write and get to know what's out there.  Read outside of your genre for inspiration as well.  Read what authors say about the writing process.  Read books, writing magazines, print literary journals, and on line literary journals.  Be a connoisseur of literature.  Read short and long works.  Read classics and the trends.  Study what you read and take notes.  Try to emulate an author or specific story style in order to get in touch with your own voice.  Read book reviews and listen to recommendations.  If time for reading is an issue, read more short stories than novels.  Just read.
7. Develop your craft.  Whether you want to write stories to read to your family or you hope to publish your stories, you owe it to yourself to learn what makes a good story.  There is infinite room for variation and creativity in your storytelling, but there is a difference between a good story and a poorly written story.  If you need to hone your grammar or punctuation skills, do so.  If you need to learn about the basic elements of a story, do so.  Start with a good foundation and build from there.  Again, paying attention to what you are reading will help you with this.  Learn how to use metaphor effectively, learn about the nuances of narrative voice, and learn the effects of various styles.  Whatever your level, there is always room to strengthen and hone your craft.
8. Learn to take critique and plan to spend significant time with revision.  You must have an open mind and a willingness to see the point of view of others if you plan to improve your writing.  You don't need to change everything that everyone suggests, in fact, you won't.  Suggestions are suggestions and you are the writer.  Try to notice the big picture of the type of critique you are getting and tackle revisions in a way that makes sense to you.  Revising your work can account for the majority of time you spend with your writing.  Rarely is a piece complete on the first try.  Nurture you work; find out what it needs.  Care for it like a garden and it will blossom.  Set norms in your writing group about the types of feedback given.  Always start with positives, of course.  No one can thrive without positive feedback.  Also, critiques should be worded sensitively.  They should not be personal or derogatory.  They should be in the form of questions or suggestions, such as, "I wonder if we need to know sooner where this scene takes place to give us more of a sense of context," or "Do you think an ending that answers some of the intriguing questions raised in the story could be more effective?"  These comments are certainly more constructive than: "We don't even know where this scene takes place," or "The ending is so abrupt that you just feel cut off."
9. If you plan to submit your writing for publication, research how to do so professionally.  Learn the norms, learn the etiquette.  There are entire books out there about how to submit stories or novels for publication.  In addition, there is a plethora of information on the Internet.  You will find bad information out there and suggestions that are contradictory, so you need to do adequate research to find the commonalities in the advice.  There is probably no single approach that is correct, but it is important to wait until your work is the very best it can be before you send it to editors asking them to include it in their publication.   Don't waste their time and yours.  The bottom line is: don't send drafts and don't send out stories that you don't think are stories that others will love reading.  Be professional and businesslike in your correspondence.  Invest in nice paper, address labels, quality envelopes.  Presentation counts and, most importantly, quality of work is everything.  Don't start by sending to the biggest, most prestigious publications out there.  If you are an unpublished author, your chances are extremely slim.  Consult the ‘Novel and Short Story Writer's Market' that is updated annually.  This book is the best resource for a variety of markets including on line publication opportunities, small circulation magazines, and contests.  You will be able to read about what each place is looking for.  Pay attention to their guidelines.  The exchanges between you and editor should be mutually respectful.  Sadly, there are a few places so jaded by bad submissions that they have a rude, snobby tone to their requirements.  Expect high expectations clearly and specifically expressed, but don't tolerate feeling put down because you are a lowly, unpublished writer.  There are plenty of people out there who are courteous and will thank you for the opportunity to read your work.
10. Have a lot of patience and compassion for yourself in the process.  If you are trying to publish your work, get used to rejection.  Learn from it.  Often times you can see what you did wrong, and sometimes you won't have a clue why a particular editor did not like your piece.  Remember that a good story will eventually find a home.  Correction: a very good story will find a home; a good story may need work.  You will feel the crux of needing to be published in order to get published.  Hang in there.  Once you receive your first acceptance letter, you will be on top of the world!  

The world of fiction writing can be a daunting and overwhelming one.  Hang in there.  Set your own goals and stick with it.  Remind yourself of the intrinsic rewards to writing.  Like everything else in life, if it's worth it, it's worth working hard at it.