Guest Blogger - M. J. Kane
‘I can write better
than that!’
As a reader, it’s very easy to attack an author’s work,
whether they are your favorite or not. It is easy to say you could have written
a story better, but unless you have studied or practiced the rules of writing
to some degree…it is impossible to do. Unless of course you are a savant, or have the God-given
ability to do things perfectly the first time.
My statement is not said to start an argument, it is just
pure fact, one that I am not ashamed to say I have experienced first-hand. I
was one of those who said, ‘I can do better,”. I took a stab at it and thought
I was ready to publish a perfect story…until other authors who were years ahead
of me in their writing careers took a look at my work and politely (and very tactfully)
informed me I had a ways to go before publishing a thing. Why? Because I didn’t know the rules of writing, much less
the rules of writing a romance novel.
They say in order to develop a talent or skill and be able
to perform it professionally; it takes a minimum of 10,000 hours. There’s 24
hours in a day, and out of those and your personal responsibilities, you may
carve out 3-5 hours a day to dedicate to studying, learning, and practicing
your craft, whatever it may be.
Research. Study. Practice.Repeat.
It never ends. Learning the art of being a good storyteller
takes time, patience, dedication, determination, and imagination. And that’s
just to get your idea on paper! Then, no matter what path to publication you
take - be it self, Indie, or traditional - nerves of steel, thick skin, and the
desire to continue to work hard. You have to be willing to accept feedback from
readers, reviewers, publishers, and agents…those things will keep your career
alive. Oh yeah, did I mention sleepless nights?
My point is, during my time as a writer, I have run across
authors who have become discouraged and given up on their careers, those who
continue to doubt themselves, and those who are ready to give up at the first negative
remark made by a reader. Then there are those who are talented but scared to
let their light shine.
As authors, we can’t give
up. Remember why you wrote in the first place? Was it to free yourself, work
through some issues, or just for the fun of it? Did your characters spring from
your imagination to entertain you? Remember the day you shared your talent - no
matter how well developed it was - with friends and family who in turn
encouraged you to share it with the world? Then of course there’s the who money
thing, and the name or picture recognition, lol, can’t forget about that!
Whatever the reason, just remember these two things:
- Writing is a gift and a passion that continues to take practice. Mold your writing style, find your voice, build your platform, and never stop reading the works of the talented authors published before you!
- As long as your writing muse keeps talking, listen! The day you choose to ignore it is the day your career will end.
Take that passion, continue to develop those stories and
characters to the best of your ability, and gird on the armor it takes to see
it through to publication and beyond. Find a beta reader and ask for honest
opinions of your work. Doing so will teach how others see of your work with a
fresh set of eyes. Join a critique group or a writer’s group and associate with
other writers. Sometimes just being in the room with others who understand your
passion can lead to creative bursts of energy, new ideas, or techniques that
will help your writing improve.
And above everything else remember, YOU CAN’T PLEASE
EVERYONE! That’s why the writing God’s created GENRES! There’s something out
there for everyone. All you have to do is find your niche and become the best
you can be!
Good luck and happy writing!
M.J. Kane
About the Author:
M.J. Kane, stumbled into writing. An avid reader,
this stay at home mom never lost the overactive imagination of an only child.
As an adult she made up stories, though never shared them, to keep herself
entertained. It wasn’t until surviving a traumatic medical incident in 2006
that she found a reason to let the characters inhabiting her imagination
free. Upon the suggestion of her
husband, she commandeered his laptop and allowed the characters to take life.
It was that, or look over her shoulder for men caring a purple strait jacket.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
No longer a television addict, if M.J. isn’t reading
a book by one of her favorite authors, she’s battling with her creative muse to
balance writing and being a wife and mother. She resides in the suburbs of
Atlanta, Georgia with her high school sweetheart, four wonderful children, and
two pit bulls. MJ can often be found hanging out at the local library where she
is director of a local writer’s group, or online connecting with readers and
other authors. Other activities she enjoys include: creating custom floral
arrangements, assisting her children in their creative pursuits of music and
art, and supporting her husband’s music production business, 3D Sounds.
MJ’s debut novel, A Heart Not Easily Broken, Book one of the Butterfly Memoirs,
became an instant Amazon Bestseller in Multicultural Romance and
African-American Literature and Fiction within hours of publication, and
continues to sit on the Multicultural Bestseller list.
You can find MJ on social networking sites, sharing
writing tips, talking about music, life, and family. She’s always excited to
meet new people. Connect with her via the websites below.
Kimberly T. Matthews"I knew exactly how many condoms were left in his gym bag, in a little black box, wrapped in gold foil. Seven. Each time I randomly checked for no other reason besides I knew they existed, there'd always been seven. So I was taken aback that morning when I went to do his laundry, peeked in the box and only found three..."
Lisa from - "Lisa's Dress"
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6 comments:
Great advice on all fronts.
Thank you. Nothing teaches you more than personal experience! :)
Thank you for letting me stop by to share my thoughts, Kim!
Great article, M.J.
It's so true. I know so many people who just say "I can write a book." And that's great! I encourage them, always. But until you actually sit down and hone your craft, until you actually write that book, edit, and attempt to get better, you can't write a book better than Stephanie Meyer or any author for that matter.
Exactly! You never know how much to appreciate the amount of work an author puts into telling a story until you write one of your own!
I'm honored to have you here MJ. :-)
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