How do writers become? Tips, recommendations. Aspiring Writers. Creative professions: how do writers become? Is it possible to become a writer without education

The art of writing is the ability to clothe human experience in literary form. Writing is a special craft that requires adherence to various techniques and canons. In order to excel in various areas of this art, such as writing scientific, journalistic, technical or artistic works, it is required to have a bachelor's or master's degree in philology, literature or journalism.

Steps

How to draw inspiration

Decide what you want to write. Fiction is subdivided into genres such as poetry, short story, short story, novel, or even such specific subtypes as mysticism. If you find it difficult to decide what you want to write, you need to be guided by what you would like to read. Your best work should be about something that you are passionate about. If your manuscript is saturated with inspiration, it will return to you a hundredfold in the form of increased reader interest in what you have written. If your manuscript becomes a source of inspiration for you, it will serve as a starting point for starting a career as a writer.

No need to set limits and limit yourself to any one area. Many successful writers push the boundaries and start to try themselves in new genres - they write works of art, at the same time they publish scientific work, and poetry can be found in the collection of their short stories.

Choose a convenient work schedule for yourself. Determine the time of day, place and environment in which you will be comfortable writing. Once you establish your routine, the creative part of your nature will gradually adapt to work in these conditions. It is worth paying attention to such nuances:
- Noise: Some writers prefer to write in absolute silence. Others listen to music because it is a source of inspiration for them. Others prefer to be in the company of friends in order to generate new ideas.
- Timing: Some writers gather their thoughts before bed. Others prefer to create in the morning because most people are still asleep and do not disturb them. Still others generally prefer to be busy and write during their lunch break. Fourth like to work during a period when there is a lot of free time, so they devote all weekends to writing.
- Place. Choose a room, space, or even an armchair where you feel comfortable creating. This will help your brain get in the right mood and be creative in achieving your goals.
Read and learn. Reread your favorite works and analyze them. Find out what makes them so entertaining and popular? Try to understand the structure of your favorite poem or follow the development of the characters in your favorite story. Check off sentences that you think are great and ask yourself why the author chose this wording?
- No need to limit yourself to any one genre or area. In order to enrich your text with experience, you must become somewhat of a researcher. You may not like fantasy, but other people like to read and write in this genre for a reason. Read such books under the motto: “I read to write. I read to learn something new. I read for inspiration."
Become an explorer. Notice the smallest details in the world around you. Take a look around. Find riddles for yourself and try to solve them. If you have questions, look for answers with obsessive interest. Pay attention to everything strange and unusual. When you start writing, what you see will help you write really vital and interesting things and enrich your language with new metaphors. What to consider in your exploration of the outside world:
- Remember: nothing in the world can be boring and ordinary. Everything has its own zest and strangeness.
- Before you is a riddle: a TV that does not turn on in any way, a bird that does not fly. Find out the mechanism of action of this or that thing, in which cases it does not work and why.
- Pay special attention to details. The leaves are not just green, they are pierced with a long thin retina and resemble a spade in shape.
Keep a diary. Write in it about what you see around you, what inspires you. Carry it with you everywhere. Many famous writers even specially made extra pockets in their jackets to carry more scraps of paper with them. Use your diary to generate new ideas, take notes on what you see and hear, or just make edits to your manuscript. And then, if you hit a dead end when writing your work, you can draw inspiration from the diary. You can write about anything, because everything in the world around you can serve as a source of inspiration. For example:
- Dreams: this is the main source of everything strange and unusual. Write down their contents before they are forgotten.
- Pictures: photos and drawings.
- Quotes: favorite sayings of other people, little rhymes, fortune cookie liners.
Start writing your piece. This is the most important and difficult part. Many of us sit at the computer monitor for hours and do not know what to write about. Some call it creative block. Simple exercises can help you to inspire you and give you material for writing a manuscript.
- Go to a noisy, crowded place. Imagine that your eyes are a video camera recording what is happening around you. Take your notebook and write in it about everything that happens around you. Write about everything that you see, hear, feel with your sense of smell or taste buds, as well as touch.
- Take a voice recorder with you and eavesdrop on the conversation. But do not give the appearance to the interlocutors that they are being recorded. After you hear enough, transfer the conversation to paper. Play with words - something can be removed, changed or added. Model a new situation.
- Come up with characters. What are they striving for? What are they afraid of? What are their secrets? Who are they related to and where do they live? What is their last name?
Be sure to complete your work. Do you know how many unfinished novels and stories there are in the world? Billions, maybe even trillions. Set a goal and stick to it, no matter how difficult the job may seem. So you can understand what your soul lies in. When you've finished writing your piece:
- you will form an idea of what you really want to write about;
- you will improve your writing skills;
- you will learn to persevere to finish what you start.
Be part of the community. Sharing ideas and giving feedback is one way to get inspiration and improve the quality of your writing. It is always very scary for new authors to share what they have written, because it can be very personal, and they are simply afraid that they will be misunderstood. But writing to the table is also not an option, not only because no one reads your work, but also because you can develop a bad style (verbosity, redundancy, pretentiousness, a tendency to pathos or excessive drama). So instead of being afraid, think about the fact that every potential reader can give you new ideas and that constructive criticism helps to develop and improve the quality of the text.

Make sure you are financially secure. Being a writer is almost the same as being a superhero: in the morning, a routine office job, and at night - a writing activity in which you can be a detective, a dragon tamer, or a prince on a white horse. Some writers are, of course, unemployed, but there are actually very few of them. Permanent work is not bad at all. By the way, it can even help you achieve your goal of becoming a writer. When looking for a permanent job, consider the following factors:
- Will it cover daily expenses? A good job should bring in enough profit so that you can provide yourself with everything you need and calmly engage in creativity. For unnecessary worries and worries will negatively affect your work on the work.
- Do you have enough time and energy left after work to write the manuscript? A good job should be simple enough and not too energy-intensive so that you don't feel overwhelmed.
- Does she distract you? Doing something other than writing is very rewarding. If you only work on one project, you will soon get bored with it. Therefore, changing the type of activity from time to time will have a very beneficial effect on your creativity.
- Can you meet other creative people at this job? The atmosphere in the team is very important, so you should be pleased to work shoulder to shoulder with your colleagues. By the way, creative people - not only writers and actors - can be found everywhere.
How to put inspiration into words
1. Capture the attention of readers. Captivate them with your work. Make them read your work incessantly and ask for more. To achieve this effect, use these little tricks:
  - Feelings. We learn and perceive the world around us through the prism of feelings. If you want your work to be exciting and engaging, get your readers to see, hear, taste, smell, and touch reality with you.
  - Pay attention to details. Through them, you can convey a special subtext in the events described in the text. Avoid general statements like "She was beautiful", instead of them, give a more detailed description: "She had long golden braids in which daisies were woven."
2. Write about what you know. If you are good at something, you can describe it in more detail and realistically. If you're missing any details, do your research. Find the necessary information on the Internet or ask people who understand a particular field. The more information you have about the situation, people or setting, the more realistic the text will be on paper.
  
  think over narrative structure . The classic version is the so-called "linear structure": beginning, climax and denouement. But there are other types of building a "skeleton" of the story. The story can originate in the thick of events or be mixed with memories. Proceed from how, in your opinion, events should develop.
  
  Think it over. From what person will the story be told? In general, there are nine ways to present information. The three main ones are first, second and third person narration. If you can’t decide on which person the story will be from, think about how much information readers should receive, and build on this in your choice.
  - The narration is conducted in the first person, the pronoun "I" is used:
    - Participation: the narrator is one of the characters in the story; he not only tells the story dryly, but also expresses his own attitude to the story.
    - Isolation: the narrator does not tell his own story, but, for example, the main character.
    - Plural (we): a collective storyteller, such as a large group of people.
  - Second person narration. The pronoun "you" is used:
    - The narrator refers to himself as "you", trying to drive away unpleasant thoughts, experiences and memories.
    - You: a character endowed with your own character.
    - You: direct appeal to the reader.
    - You: the reader is an acting character in the story.
  - Third person narration: character names are used:
    - Omniscient: The narrator is in charge of everything, has free rein and authority over the narrative, and freely and openly expresses his or her opinions.
    - Limited: Something is missing in this narrative. It resembles a narrow window with small loopholes due to the lack of information.
    - Thoughts and experiences of one of the characters. Harry Potter focuses on Harry's thoughts and experiences.
    - direct observer. The narrator describes the situation, but cannot isolate the feelings and experiences of the characters from it.
    - The narrator seems to be peeping through a keyhole, spying, calculating the situation in advance, but is limited by what he sees through a narrow gap, and does not have all the information.
General rules for writing works
1. Start with simple words. Simplicity and conciseness are the sister of talent. Although you will no doubt need a large dictionary, long and complex sentences will confuse readers. Start small. You should not engage in verbiage and write pretentious and pompous texts just because they sound beautiful. Set a goal to make your text clear and easy to understand. No more, no less.
  
  Start with simple and short sentences. They are clear and readable. Of course, this does not mean that you cannot write long and complex sentences. It's just that shorter sentences convey information to the reader faster and don't cause them to run into an iceberg of misunderstanding.
2. Let the verbs do their thing. They give the text dynamism and connect sentences in meaning. They also allow you to describe what is happening very accurately.
  - Pay attention to some "problematic" verbs, such as: "was", "walked", "felt", "had". In general, they are, of course, quite acceptable, but they do not add zest to the text. Therefore, synonyms can be used instead.
  - Use the active voice instead of the passive, take it as a rule.
    - Active voice: "The cat has found its owner." Here the cat is doing a search. She is a character.
    - Passive voice: "The owner was found by the cat." In this sentence, the cat is a little out of touch with the action. The owner was found, and the cat is not looking for anyone.
3. Don't go overboard with adjectives. Aspiring writers often abuse them. No, of course, there is nothing wrong with them, except that they can sometimes be redundant and incomprehensible, compared to other parts of speech. It is not necessary to use an adjective next to each noun.
  - Sometimes adjectives are redundant. "I watched him raise the last pawn and checkmate the king with it, winning a successful victory." Can victory fail? Here the adjective repeats what everyone already knows, and does not carry a semantic load.
  - In other cases, adjectives are necessary. For example, he is a strong opponent. What is his strength? In mind or physical data? A clarification is needed here.
4. Learn dictionaries. Keep a dictionary and thesaurus handy. When you come across an unfamiliar word, look up its meaning. It is impossible to call yourself a good writer if you are not interested in the etymology of words. At the same time, use your vocabulary wisely. Just because you know the meaning of the words "ambivalence", "agnosticism" and "cybernetics" does not mean that you can use them without explanation in the text.
  - Learn the roots of words. The roots of words, especially Latin borrowings in Russian, will help you decipher the meaning of an unfamiliar word without the help of an explanatory dictionary.
5. Say exactly what you mean. It's tempting to use everyday words where you shouldn't. Often, when we can't find a word, we use a "good enough" alternative. However, keep in mind that what is acceptable in oral speech is not always suitable for writing.
  - First, the author does not have the opportunity to communicate directly with readers. Therefore, he cannot illustrate his text with facial expressions or gestures in order to clarify the characters' conversation. The reader is left to himself and can rely only on words to isolate the meaning of the work from them.
  - Secondly, readers will take what you write literally, because they do not allow the opportunity to ask the writer questions about what exactly he meant. The reader believes that what is written should be understood in the literal sense. If the writer does not include footnotes explaining obscure words or points in the text, then the reader will feel embarrassed.
  - Writing for fame and fortune is a waste of time.
  - Be prepared to make changes to the book. Perhaps the publisher will suggest some changes to your work. Try to find a compromise, or contact another publisher.
  - Write everything that comes to mind - everything will come in handy. Remember, the words must fit into the world you are describing.

In fact, to become a writer, all you have to do is write. But there is another piece of advice: don't hand out your business cards to everyone and advertise your name. For example, - a famous writer, he creates exciting books, one of which is the non-standard work "Extraordinary: A Success Story". In it, Malcolm talks about the so-called 10,000 hour rule. Simply put, he noted that all successful people are united by the fact that each of them has devoted more than 10,000 hours to his work. Therefore, if you dedicate an hour or two a day to your writing career, you are unlikely to see your creation on the lists of the most exciting bestsellers of the year. But how do you become writers? This article is devoted to this topic.

Of course, it's not only the number of hours you spend writing that matters, you also need to have some initial skills and then constantly improve them. It is necessary to be able to correctly express your thoughts, while doing it brightly so that the plot and character of the work are interesting. Remember that erudition and observation are your best friends.

After you have read all sorts of articles on "how to become a writer" or before you start writing a future bestseller, you need to find source material accordingly. In any case, it is better to write about familiar topics, about what you are guided by. Immediately get used to the fact that you will have to read a lot of literature, study new information, devote a lot of time to collecting material. Without this, your future book may turn out to be chaotic, and the reader, most likely, will not catch the very idea that you tried to convey to him with your work.

Imagine that you are writing an article, only a very large one. Organize everything you do, work the way you want. But at the same time, remember that you can’t just say three words “I want to become a writer” and immediately become the owner of the Golden Pen of Rus' literary prize. You must certainly work, try, study the works of other writers, constantly develop your powers of observation and individuality. Bestsellers are unique books, the best in their genre, which have something that is not in others, so develop your own style, your own handwriting.

Having written a work, there is no need to rush to hand it over to the publisher. Re-read the text several times, edit it, bring it to the ideal, in your opinion, state, and only when you are already sure that this creation is ready to "go out", submit it to print.

This is how a good book is written. But we still haven't answered the question of how one becomes a writer. We have only explained the process itself. How do you become writers? In fact, there is no definite secret with which you will write a gripping mystery or heartbreaking novels in a matter of days. Everything takes time and the right approach, everything is only in your hands. Therefore, stock up on patience, relevant literature, positive emotions and start working, so you can definitely become a modern James Joyce or JK Rowling.

Literary creativity, like any other, cannot be squeezed into some kind of technological regulations. It is impossible to come up with a universal recipe, acting according to which the author can be guaranteed to get a masterpiece, otherwise the meaning of the process itself would be lost, and everyone could become a writer. However, there are rules in this matter. Anyone who picks up a pen in order to put their thoughts on paper will certainly be faced with the question of where and where to start.

Down and Out trouble started

People have different abilities. Suppose that a certain person from childhood felt a reverent love for literature and dreamed of creating novels, novels or short stories himself. There are ideas and bright characters drawn from one's own life or other people's stories. A decisive step is required, but this man does not know how to start writing books. Close people should encourage the novice author, and brothers in the creative shop, it's time to give him some valuable advice. At the same time, the recommendations can be conditionally divided into two main categories, conditionally designating them as positive and negative. The first includes advice on how to write. The second (more extensive) are of the opposite nature and indicate dangerous pitfalls that are best avoided, or a rake that should not be stepped on. Usually, both have been gained from personal experience, and positive examples are gleaned from the treasuries of world and domestic literature.

At the stage of conception

The one who first sat down in front of a blank sheet of paper and took up a pen in order to create some kind of work, most often does not think about how to become a writer and receive high fees. Some images arose in his mind, a common storyline and a desire to state it all. In fact, the book (especially the first one) is not built according to plan, its appearance is like the birth of a child, which means that the beginning of the direct creative process is preceded by a long gestation of the idea, which sometimes happens imperceptibly. At that moment, when the fruit of reflection reaches a certain critical mass, the plot begins to ask for paper. Hurry, however, is not worth it. Art is impossible without the basics of craftsmanship. Young writers, as a rule, begin with small literary forms, that is, miniatures and short stories. Only after understanding how to write stories, you can move on to stories, novels and sagas.

Story line

A story, story or novel without a plot is like a song without a melody. In addition to it, any literary work is characterized by the main idea, that is, the idea that the author wants to convey to the reader. It is like the filling of that pie that is baked by a talented culinary specialist. This is the skeleton of a complex machine, hidden under the skin. In its pure form, the presentation of the main idea is unlikely to be of interest to a wide range of readers, it will be too similar to a boring moralizing. Authors who know well how to write a book correctly are able to give their main idea a fascinating, intriguing, and sometimes mysterious form, thanks to which they keep the reader's attention until the very end, sometimes leaving room for conjecture and fantasy. In this approach, there is a guarantee that the characters will live some kind of independent life after reading the work in the minds of many people.

Planning

No matter how simple the idea is, it should be clear to everyone, and especially to the author himself. In order not to stray from the line that professional writers call the plot line, it is very important to draw up a plan along which the events of the story will proceed. They do not always occur in chronological order, retrospective digressions are a very common technique, but the author needs to write all this on a separate sheet of paper. There are, of course, exceptions. Leo Tolstoy wrote some of his novels straight out of his head, without a plan. But then he is a genius. For those who are just thinking about how to start writing books, this stage is indispensable.

How to captivate the reader

So, everything is ready. The main idea is formulated, the plan is drawn up, the ink is refilled in the fountain pen, a stack of paper is on the table. A cup of tea or coffee won't hurt either. It's time to get started. And here's the problem: the first line doesn't want to add up. How to start writing books if the first few words of a short story are difficult to connect with each other? Here is the first lesson. The future reader from the very beginning must fall under the charm of the author, otherwise, most likely, he will leave the boring book. You need to interest him immediately, and then develop success.

Theoretically, everything is clear, but how in practice? There are no ready-made recipes, but it is worth learning from experienced and venerable writers. Firstly, the beginning should be at least a little unusual, thereby riveting the reader's eyes to the paper. Secondly, it is very important that from the beginning of the text one can draw unambiguous conclusions about the time of events and the genre of the work. Detective stories start like detectives, and novels start romantically. And you can't overdo it either. If a crime story immediately begins with a mountain of corpses and pools of blood, a reader with good taste will throw such a book at best under the sofa, and at worst - right in the trash. It is unnecessary to talk about editors (and their opinion is also very important), their time is precious, and if they do not get carried away from the very first lines, then the fate of the manuscript is decided, and it is deplorable. In order to make an interesting book, the beginning must grab the reader tenaciously, and the continuation must be held firmly.

Plot twists and turns

A very interesting way of plotting is described by an American classic. Once he took a pack of colored pencils and began to draw lines on a roll of unnecessary wallpaper, which from time to time intersected and diverged. Each character has its own color. If the pencil broke, then the hero died. All this multi-linear fantasy then prompted the author how to write a book correctly and not get entangled in the intricacies of life's conflicts.

The described graphical method is not convenient for everyone, but it allows you to draw an important conclusion. Events in an interesting novel, story or short story develop rapidly. There is no better way to lull your own reader than to impose a static picture on him. If nothing happens, then there is nothing to write about. If the rhythm of the presentation maintains a high level of adrenaline in the blood, then it will be interesting to read. It makes no difference whether it is a drama from the life of the Alaskan Eskimos or a semi-secular French farce.

Modern requirements for the plot imply the indispensable participation of the antagonist (negative character), protagonist (positive character) and the conflict between them. However, the process of the struggle between good and evil can be presented in a softened form, and the alignment of forces is shown implicitly. This is the author's business, he knows better how to write a book correctly, and he has his own ideas about what is good.

The end is the crown

The finale of the work is a very crucial moment. The aftertaste that the sophisticated reader will experience depends on how skillfully it is written. A young writer needs to know not only how to start writing books, but also how to finish them. It would be nice if some ambiguity remains about the fate of the characters, giving the reader the right to imagine their life after the described part of the plot has come to an end. After all, it is so interesting to see the hero of a book read in a casual passer-by or an old acquaintance. A happy ending is more conducive to the commercial success of a work, but if it's justifiably tragic, that's fine too. After all, sometimes a moral victory is more important than a clear triumph of justice.

Formats, formats

Modern literary creativity is in close connection with the publishing business. Book formats in the current sense imply not so much the geometric dimensions of the pages as the nature of the content. Commercial considerations dictate the rules according to which the buyer must, already at the time of purchase, quite reliably imagine the product for which he pays money. This implicitly sets the author on how to write stories, and how to write novels. At the same time, a beginner in his creative searches often feels much freer than another writer who has already achieved recognition, whose books are published in mass editions. This also explains the unfortunate fact that many famous writers cannot boast of the growth of their skill, but, repeating themselves, create works that are more and more faded. Often they say about such people that they have written themselves out, that is, they have lost their talent. In fact, they know all too well what they expect from a popular publisher author, and readers too. “The same, only new”, - something like this.

Memoirs

Despite the general unification, in our time there are various formats of books. In addition to fiction, memoirs, historical research, and collections of essays on current topics are also in demand on the market. Memoirs are of great reader interest. How to write the memoirs of celebrities, their numerous referents and assistants know, and the higher the rank of a retired leader or military leader, the more of them. A well-known participant in historical events simply needs to say episodes of his glorious past into a voice recorder, and experienced litho-workers will complete the rest. A person of lower rank will have to do all this work on his own, but his memories may be no less interesting. First, they most likely lack political engagement. Secondly, most of the readers are also simple people, not bosses, and they are much closer to the emotions of a soldier or junior officer than the experiences of a marshal.

And the rules are the same: a good style and interesting material. So, if there is something to remember, bolder for the cause!

Essays and reports

Publicism is deservedly considered an excellent way to hone the pen. This genre is one of the oldest types of literature. Possession of it indicates the presence of a civic position, an observant gaze and a sharp mind (if the author knows how to write an essay or feuilleton). The general rules regarding story integrity, good writing, and interesting subject matter still apply here, but with additional requirements added.

Firstly, a real publicist takes up only those topics with which he is familiar firsthand. Requires specific life experience. If you have already decided to describe the life of market traders, then, if you please, sit behind the counter for a day or two, and preferably a month. The topic concerns economics - master science (higher specialized education is welcome), and then talk about the differences between stocks and bonds. The feuilleton is impossible without humor, otherwise it will turn out to be a dry enumeration of the negative phenomena of our life, which there are few hunters to read. Of the stylistic features, it is necessary to highlight the habit of some authors to use the word "I". The essay is a special genre, those who decide to dwell on it claim to provide an objective coverage of events. The author wisely leaves the reader to draw conclusions. Another question is that it is quite possible to express one's own beliefs in a veiled way, and the more subtle this is done, the better. Here writing agitation - a completely different genre. There are no hints needed here.

But in general, the most gifted publicists deserve the publication of collections, which include the most successful feuilletons, essays and essays. Sometimes these works accumulate over the years, and if they are written at a high level, they do not lose their relevance even after decades.

Beginning authors of modern genres

Russian books of the last decade in many ways resemble the works of foreign (mainly English-speaking) authors. The characters have unusual names derived from words borrowed from the school course of a foreign language, or their Slavic roots are provided with endings of the same origin. The plots of the fantasy-style books are a classic Hollywood scheme, according to which the "good guys" fight the "bad" ones, and in terms of ruthlessness, good often surpasses evil forces. However, this is not new either. According to European tradition, even children's fairy tales are full of scenes of executions of witches and other evil spirits, marking the victory of light over darkness. The genre is very popular among the younger generation, it seems to them that in all the unusual creatures that inhabit the pages of these books, there is something unusual, original and original. What is the secret of success? How to write fantasy to make it interesting?

The answer seems to be quite simple. Whatever the author talks about: about fantastic dragons, goblins, intelligent insects, or even representatives of the non-material world, he still describes the relationship between creatures that have all the signs of a humanoid personality. In other words, regardless of the ornateness of the names of the characters and the unusualness of their appearance, we are talking about people. Moreover, if the author of a book comes from, say, the United States, then the characters in his book are similar to Americans. Well, if he is from Russia, then it is clear who they are.

This observation does not detract from the merits of the fantasy genre. On the contrary, the presence of extraordinary abilities sometimes makes it possible to more clearly express aspirations for good, and superpowerful evil is more difficult to defeat. And let the form of presentation be very specific, the main thing is that it be close to the young (or not so) reader, who, alas, can be seen less and less with a book in his hands. It’s bad if the author, carried away by exotic techniques and trying to write “fun”, forgets about his own super-task and the goal of all art - to constantly improve the human “breed”. It is difficult, and sometimes it seems that efforts are fruitless, but we must strive for this.

Ask others: how to become a writer? What is required for this? The vast majority will answer: literary talent. What is talent? Innate data? To some extent, yes. But just as perfect pitch does not make a person a musician, so natural literary abilities will not make an author a Master.

If talent were the key factor, then at the age of sixteen Tolstoy would have written "War and Peace": why wait if everything is already with you?

The role of innate abilities

Writing ability, or rather, the tendency to express thoughts in writing, is an important, but far from the only condition. Life experience, education and skills play an equally important role.

It is impossible to put on skates for the first time and immediately win an Olympic medal. In the same way, it is impossible to sit down at the table and immediately, without preparation, write a good book.

The Role of Learning

It seems to many that if you read enough, then this is a guarantee that you will be able to write well. But no one will play the piano after attending someone else's concert; no one learns to draw after viewing an album of reproductions of great artists. The same thing happens in the field of literature: if we want to learn how to write, we need to go through the learning stage.

Theory and practice

Like any art form, literature is based on clear rules. Some writers learn them intuitively - and it takes years, but the same amount of information can be obtained much faster - from textbooks.

Of course, theory alone is not enough: practice is required. We all start from scratch: we learn letters, put words into sentences, but someone stops in development at the level of a school essay, and someone goes further.

What is success in literature?

The golden rule of success: each of your work must be better than the previous one. Then sooner or later you will reach the goal - simply because you will not go out of the way. This can be achieved only in one case - if you passionately love your work. Love not just to write, but to grow above yourself and constantly learn new things.

Survival in the art market

The master does not work for money, not for fame - he works out of love. But art always takes a lot of time, and the author has to solve the age-old dilemma: if you earn money, then there is no time to write for real, and if you write and do not earn money, who will feed the family?

What should an aspiring author know?

Today the book market is packed: there are many more books and writers than it can consume. Therefore, it is incredibly difficult to stand out from the crowd. You will spend years writing The Book of Life, months, if not years, you will attach it to the publisher, and it will be released in three thousand copies and will disappear into the flow of books. So iron nerves- an absolutely necessary quality for a writer: otherwise one cannot survive in this profession.

It would seem that it is not great happiness to be published in a tiny circulation for ridiculous money. But it is by no means easy for a newcomer to break into print, even if he has an excellent manuscript. The only thing that will help him knowledge of the publishing market. Then he will act with precise calculation, understanding who and under what conditions can buy the rights to his work.

Extremely important businessman skills. A manuscript is a commodity, and one must be able to sell it. And not only to the publisher, but also to the reader. If you do not actively promote your work, it is quite possible that only employees of book warehouses and a few hundred random buyers will know about its existence.

How can the Writer's Handbook help you?

The Writer's Handbook is what I've learned in 15 years of writing. You will not find abstract theories here - all advice has been repeatedly tested by experience. My point of view may not coincide with classical literary criticism, but I do not speak here as a literary critic. My goal is to provide useful information.

Of course, I am not saying that it is necessary to write only this way and nothing else. The writer's reference book is the landmarks that you should pay attention to, and the author himself must decide which way to go.

This site is for those who want to make a career in literature. Who is in love with his profession, who cannot imagine life without drafts and author's copies. For those who are ready to learn, overcome difficulties and achieve the impossible.

When George Plimpton asked Ernest Hemingway, whom he interviewed in 1954, what it takes to be a good writer, Hemingway replied: First, a person who is serious about becoming a writer will want to hang himself, because actually being a writer is terribly difficult. . But, if he hasn't, and he is really obsessed with the thought of this work, he must become ruthless with himself and for the rest of his life force himself to write as best as he can. And besides, he will already have a plot about how he almost hanged himself at the beginning of his writing career.

Today, writing is as relevant as ever. If in Hemingway's time it was an occupation for the elite, now it is an occupation that in one way or another affects all of us - through e-mail, blogging, through social networks. It is the primary way we validate, communicate and optimize our ideas. As essayist, programmer, and investor Paul Graham wrote:

When we write, we don't just communicate our thoughts, we develop and modernize them. If you're bad at writing and you don't enjoy doing it, you'll miss out on most of the ideas that you would have come up with in writing.

So what can we do to improve our writing ability without going to the length of trying to hang ourselves? Below you will find 25 quotes by famous and extraordinarily talented authors. While all of them are dedicated to the writing profession, most of these tips apply to any kind of creative work.

1. Phyllis Dorothy James (PD James): About sitting down and doing things…

Don't plan what to write - just write. Only when we write, and not when we dream, do we develop our own style.

2. Steven Pressfield: About starting before you're ready...

Doubt knows that the longer we warm up before we start, the more time and energy we will need for action. Doubt likes it when we hesitate and when we prepare too carefully. Tell him: we're getting started!

3. Esther Freud: On Finding Your Regime…

Find times during the day when you are best to write, and write. Don't let anything else interfere. You don't even have to care about the mess in your kitchen.

4. Zadie Smith: About shutting down…

Work on a computer that is not connected to the Internet.

5. Kurt Vonnegut: On finding a topic…

Find a topic that interests you and that you think others care about. This genuine excitement, and not just a play on words, will be the most attractive and attractive in your style. I'm not forcing you to write novels, but it would be nice if you wrote something that really excites you. Write a petition to fill a ditch in front of your house on behalf of all residents or a love letter to the girl who lives next door.

6. Marin Makkena: On the organization of thoughts…

Find a scheme for organizing your notes and materials, stick to it (if, for example, you write something by ear, don't be lazy and write everything down) and trust that your scheme is the best of all. At times, you may feel like there are better ways to solve your problems. Whatever they are, beware of rash use unless 1) they were recommended by people whose methods you know and share their views on work and 2) you do not know how to quickly, easily and without negative consequences deal with them. Reorganizing the workflow is an incredibly tempting thing, but it takes a lot of time.

7. Bill Wasik: On the importance of the outline…

Fine-tune the presentation plan and then bring it to life. You can modify it as you work, but don't try to improve the structure on the go - first think it over, and then start writing. Your plan will get you through what seems like impossible steps, because your plan is a 1,000-word, step-by-step, easy-to-do action.

8. Joshua Wolfe Schenk: On the first draft that was mastered…

Write the first draft as soon as possible. Before you have a draft, it's hard to understand the image of the future. In fact, when I was finishing the last page of my first first draft of The Melancholy of Lincoln, I thought, "Oh, now I know the image of what's to come." But before that, I literally spent years writing the first third and remaking it into the first half. There is an old, well-known rule of a writer: you need to have the courage and allow yourself to write badly.

9. Sarah Waters: On discipline…

When you write, be aware that this is work. Many writers have their own production standards. Graham Greene is known to have written 500 words a day. Jean Plaidy wrote 5,000 before lunch and then spent the day answering interesting emails. My minimum is 1,000 words a day. Usually this minimum is easily reached, although to be honest, there are times when it is difficult to degenerate something, but I will still sit at my desk and try to reach my minimum, because I know that in doing so, I am getting closer little by little. to your goal. Those 1,000 words can be poorly written, and they often do. But still, it's always easier to go back to a poorly written one and make it better than writing from scratch.

10. Jennifer Egan: About agreeing to write badly...

Agree to write really bad. Let it not offend you. It seems to me that in the fear of writing badly there is something primitive, like: "This bad comes from me ...". Forget about it! Let it come out and good things will follow. It's a bad start for me, it's just something to push off from. It is not something important. You need to give yourself permission to do this, because you can't always write well. It's the same when people expect that there will only be good moments in their lives and creative crises result from this. When you can't write well, allow yourself to write badly... It was hard for me to write The Watchtower. It was terrible! The working title for the draft was "A Short Bad Romance". But I thought that I still shouldn't leave him.

11. Al Kennedy: About fear…

Be fearless. Yes, this is impossible, so from time to time let's unleash a little fit of fear and rewrite, but not much. But throw away the all-consuming fear, and, struggling with it, write, perhaps guided by this struggle. But if you let fear in, you won't be able to write.

12. Will Self: About what has been done…

Don't look back at what you've already done until you've completed the draft. Just start each day with the last sentence you ended the previous day with. This will stop the feeling of annoyance. You will know that you have done a significant part of the work even before you move on to the main thing. That main thing is… editing.

13. Haruki Murakami: On developing the ability to concentrate…

In personal correspondence, the great detective writer Raymond Chandler once admitted that even if he did not write anything, he still sat down every day at his desk and concentrated. I understand why he did this. In this way, Chandler developed professional writing stamina, which spurs willpower. He could not do without such daily training.

14. Jeff Dyer: On the power of multiple projects…

You need to have a few ideas that, if necessary, you can immediately use. If these are two ideas, one of which is to write a book, and the other is to mess around, then I will choose the first idea. But if I have ideas for two books, then I have a choice. I always need to know that there is something else that can be done.

15. Augustin Burroughs: About who to hang out with…

Do not surround yourself with people who do not like what you write and who do not support you in this matter. Make friends with writers and build your own community. Such a literary community is sure to be successful and your friends will correctly respond and criticize constructively your writing. But really, the best way to become a writer is to write.

16. Neil Gaiman: About reviews…

When people tell you something is wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.

17. Margaret Atwood: About the second reader...

You can never read your book with the pristine comprehension that begins with savoring the first pages of a new book. After all, you wrote it. You were backstage. You saw how a magician hides rabbits in a top hat. Therefore, before submitting what you have written to a publisher for evaluation, ask a friend, or better, two friends, to look at what you have written. Just do not give it to the one you are in love with, otherwise you may part with your love.

18. Richard Ford: About someone else's fame and someone else's success ...

Try to take the success of other people as an example for you.

19. Helen Dunmore: On when to stop…

Stop writing when you still want to continue, and continue the next day.

20. Hilary Mantel: About creative block...

If you are stuck, get up from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, sleep, bake a cake, paint, listen to music, meditate, exercise. Do something, just don't stick around your desk and get annoyed for nothing trying to solve a problem. But do not chat on the phone and do not go to visit, because otherwise, you will absorb other people's words, instead of your own, which have not yet been found. Open space for them, leave room for them. Be patient.

21. Annie Dillars: About getting out of control…

Work is a process that quickly gets out of control. He can become unbridled... turn into a strong lion. You must tame it every day and reaffirm your dominance over it again and again. If you miss even a day, then you will probably be afraid to open the door and enter to him. You must, without showing fear, approach him and shout “Alle-op!” command them.

22. Cory Doctorow: On how to write when it's hard...

Write even when everything is in a mess. You don't need cigarettes, silence, music, a comfortable chair, or just a quiet environment to write. The only thing you really need is something to write with and ten minutes of your time.

23. Chinua Achebe: About doing your best…

I think that a good writer doesn't really need to be told what to do. Unless he continues in the same vein. Just think about the work you need to do and do it to the best of your ability. One day you will really be able to do everything that you are capable of and after that you can put your work on display. But it seems to me that this, to a large extent, cannot apply to beginners. They write their first drafts and want someone to advise them on how to finish them. I try to avoid giving such advice. I say: "Keep up the good work!". I came to the conclusion that no one can give me advice and that everyone who tries will succeed one day.

24. Joyce Carol Oates: On perseverance…

I forced myself to start writing when I was completely exhausted, when my soul seemed to leave my body and it seemed that I could not survive the next five minutes ... and, somehow, what I read to write changed everything. In any case, I thought so.

How you write a book is how you write it. The pen is a useful tool. And if you print, that's fine too. Keep filling the page with words.