What Kind Of Writer Do You Want To Be?

Last year a local writer's group started meeting at the library. We're still trying to find our footing, but we're getting there.

 

One of the things I love about our group is how varied our interests are. The organizer of the group and I are the only published writers, however we do have a couple of bloggers who post regularly, as well. 

 

This month, we had three new faces. They all were in various stages of their writing journey.

 

One woman wants to write, but didn't know where to start. My first question to her was where do you want to go?

 

 This might sound like a silly question, but it's really important. When you decide you want to write, knowing where you want to end up will help you to decide how to proceed. Are you wanting to pursue traditional publishing? Do you want to self publish? Are you looking to start a blog? Or are you purely wanting to write as a hobby and have no intention of sharing your words with the world? The answer to this will determine your next step. 

 

If you're wanting to go down the traditional publishing route, then researching what all is involved might influence what type of story you want to write. Knowing your genre and the audience you're writing for will guide you not only in your writing, but also when it comes to finding a literary agent and hopefully getting your book published.

 

The same can be said for self publishing. Researching what is involved and how to market effectively may sound like you're putting the cart before the horse, but if you're planning to publish, whether it be traditional or indie, I'm assuming you want people to read your stories. If you think you're writing a romance and there's no HEA or HFN, then that could be a problem.

 

That's not to say you have to publish if you're going to write. Some people write purely for their own pleasure. They have stories inside them they want to get out, but for whatever reason, they have no desire to share those stories with the the world. If that's the case, then there's no need to know what genre norms are, or how to query an agent, or how to market a book.