Write Fiction Today!
By Peter Biadasz (Author/Speaker/Publisher)
As President of Total Publishing And Media I am constantly approached by authors claiming their book manuscript will be the next New York Times best seller and will land them on one of the coveted spots on Oprah. Because I am an author first, with now 16 books to my credit, the advice I usually give to these aspiring writers is to not worry about the best sellers lists or public appearances, but to perfect the craft of writing to express the passion and expertise which lies within them. As I discuss in “Write Your First Book”, there are three phases to the successful author experience: writing, publishing and marketing. To reach one’s goals all three phases must be mastered and accomplished in that order. The mission of this article is to explain the first step of the process in becoming a successful fiction author. If you want to discuss the publishing or marketing phases, I would love to talk with you. Feel free to utilize my contact information at the end of this article.
Let’s take a look at writing fiction. There are several ways to approach fiction writing. I will discuss just a few.
1 – Writing Fiction Based On A True Story – In my opinion this is one of the easiest ways to start writing fiction. Simply take a true event in your life which you deem as significant and feel passionate about, write it factually as it occurred and then re-write it in the way you really wanted it to happen or in a fashion which is either more dramatic or more relatable to others. You can even re-write the re-write several different ways, depending on the target audience you want to reach. Before you go to bed tonight make a list of events either in your life or that you have been exposed too which you may want to fictionalize. Then pick an event from the list and have fun with the writing process. Let your imagination run wild. No idea is a bad idea. You can always edit later.
2 – Writing Fiction That Could Be Real (but isn’t) – This is similar to writing fiction based on a true story, but without starting with a factual frame of reference. After performing the first writing exercise above several times, writing fiction without a factual basis becomes easier. Start with any scenario and just expand it to a logical conclusion. This form of writing allows the world be the way you want it to be.
3 – Writing Fantasy Fiction – If you want to create a totally new world here is your chance. By writing fantasy the only rule is that there are no rules. The laws of science, or any other laws for that matter, do not matter because you can create new ones, both scientifically and legally. The challenge in writing fantasy is to be original. I once had a writer come to me with what he thought was a great idea for a fantasy book. He expressed it to me with much passion and in amazing detail. After his presentation he sat in eager anticipation of my opinion. After weighing my words for a few seconds all I could ask was, “doesn’t that sound a lot like Star Wars?” He quickly agreed and I encouraged him to expand the world in which to write fantasy, or try another form of fiction.
Make the decision to write some fiction today. The hurdle I had to overcome in dabbling in the fiction realm is that I even though I publish fiction and non-fiction works, all of the books I had authored were non-fiction. Once I overcame the sense that I was telling a lie when writing fiction, the words flowed very easily.
I hope as a writer you not only expand the scope of your writing by performing the exercises mentioned above, but also find more passion in your life as a result of your writings.
Peter Biadasz, author of such book as Write Your First Book, 2nd Edition (available at http://www.amazon.com/Write-Your-First-Book-Edition/dp/193782974X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403411149&sr=8-1&keywords=write%2C+peter+biadasz), More Leads and Increase Your Sales And Lower Your Golf Score, is President of Total Publishing And Media. To discuss with Peter publishing or marketing your book idea, or to inquire about having Peter speak to your organization or meeting, feel free to contact him at Peter@TotalPublishingAndMedia.com
Copyright 2012 Peter Biadasz
Copyright 2012 Peter Biadasz
While I can't imagine why anyone would be foolish enough to pitch their book as the next New York Times bestseller Peter, I can understand that aspiring authors are desperate for attention.
ReplyDeleteI have approached several literary agents and have received nothing but rejections. Some of those rejections praised my work and were rather encouraging, but the bottom line was "Thanks, but no thanks".
Personally I have written three novels and two children's books, which were very well received but don't get the attention they deserve because of limited funds. Marketing costs money.
Perhaps my pitch is wrong. I think I'll drop you an email and who knows ... you might have some tips for me.
Conny - Yes, some of the pitches I hear are very "confident". While I do appreciate enthusiasm from authors, I greatly respect those desire to learn our craft as authors, as well as the realities of the publishing industry. I look forward to talking with you regarding your works.
DeletePeter Biadasz
Author/Speaker/Publisher
www.TotalPublishingAndMedia.com