As the famous goes, "Writing is nature's way of letting one how unclear their thinking is". While a lot of people have a flow of ideas of what to write about, when it comes to penning down the thoughts into words and sentences it becomes an uphill task. Writing is an art that one needs to learn on how to think of ideas, develop an orderly approach to preparing, drafting and proofreading one's work. This essay will show discuss some of the opportunities for publication and write careers, from ideas borrowed from an author's personal experience beliefs and socio-cultural context. It will also discuss steps that one can follow to become a successful writer, mentioning different elements and styles used to communicate.
An interview with William Faulkner
An interview conducted with William Faulkner is one of which provides writers with hope and opportunity for publication and to even better their careers. When asked about his contemporaries, he says that there is barely any writer that can match their desired dreams to be perfect. He adds that repeatedly, writers need to revisit their work to do it better. Every time a writer keeps working on his work and every time he tries it again that is the time they do it better (The Paris Review). There also many times that Faulkner has failed as a writer while trying on different fields. For instance, while trying to write his first poetry he failed, and then he turned to short stories, which he as well failed, and finally, he managed to do novel writing.
On a different note when asked if there was a formula for one to be a good novelist, he stated that writing was all about talent, discipline, and hard work. Any writer should never be in satisfaction with his work and should rather aim at shooting higher than they already are (The Paris Review). Moreover, Faulkner also stated from experience, that a good writer should be completely ruthless with his writing; this will guarantee his honor, decency and pride to publish his work. He also added that a good writer does not need to a technique or to follow a theory to complete his writing but rather, in order to get great opportunities and continue his working career he needs to be open, learn from his own mistakes and learn by error. (The Paris Review)
William Faulkner also voiced his opinion and personal beliefs on the type of environment he deems fit for a writer to get his work done. He says that the most important thing a writer needs is a roof over his head and all the resources he needs. The only other environment required of him is pace, solitude, and pleasure he can find at an affordable cost in order to perform his work effectively (The Paris Review).
How to be a successful writer
The next step is establishing a network and connecting to the right sources. Most writers have this notion to be labeled introverts because they spend most of their time alone (Boerner). This proves to be a challenge to them when they try to open up to the outside world. In most occasions, they lack audience since. However, this can be overcome since there is the world of social media and networking is readily available on multiple platforms. With these, they can manage to find people who share the same passion as theirs and even connect to a larger audience.
In order to write a good story as a writer, some elements and styles must be followed for successful writing. Some of the elements a writer needs to master include plot structure, character, and dialogue. On the other hand, the style required should involve good syntax, well-used vocabularies, and great sentence structure (Valante). A plot in writing can be described as the causal sequence of events. In order to sum up a good plot, a writer needs to accomplish the following four steps: Select a novel of their choice, break it down to one paragraph, make a simple but vital change and finally follow it through (Valante).
When choosing the best style to write with a writer needs to consider his audience. When his targeted are quite young and not as highly educated, the writer should use easy to understand vocabularies and simple sentence structure. Using this style welcomes the reader and makes it easier for them to comprehend what they read. On the contrary, if an author decides to use complex sentence structure and difficult vocabulary on an ordinary reader, he is likely to lose the audience. It is, therefore, critical for a writer to wisely choose his style depending on his target audience.
An author can decide whether they want their book to be published by a firm of known publishers or whether they want to do it themselves (Valante). When going with the choice of joining a publishing firm they should choose one that shares a passion for their work rather than going for one that they like. They are then required to find an agent who will guide them through publishing. In order to be accepted by an agent, writers need to provide high-quality work.
However, if a writer decides to self-publish his book, he needs to get some things done. First, he needs to get feedback for his book before taking the initiative to have it published; this helps him to make corrections where necessary (Valante). Secondly, since every work needs to be revisited before submission, a writer should hire a proofreader other than himself to skim over his work and correct the errors available. After that, the writer needs to pay for a professional cover that will attract the audience. Finally, a writer needs to have his market plan reader (Valante). Doing this helps him to know when to go live, run promotions and set up blog tours or social media advertisement
Works Cited
Boerner, Talya T. "Writing Your First Book: 5 Tasks to Focus on Besides Writing." The Write Life. N.p., 19 Aug. 2015. Web. 20 June 2016. http://thewritelife.com/writing-your-first-book/
Rades, Alicia. "Writing Your First Book? How to Avoid Self-Publishing Regrets." The Write Life. N.p., 11 May 2016. Web. 20 June 2016. < http://thewritelife.com/avoid-self-publishing-regrets/>
Valente, Tal. "How to Write a Good Story: You’ll Love This Simple Method." The Write Life. N.p., 24 May 2016. Web. 20 June 2016. < http://thewritelife.com/how-to-write-a-good-story/>
The Paris Review. "Paris Review - The Art of Fiction No. 12, William Faulkner." Paris Review – Writers, Quotes, Biography, Interviews, Artists. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2016. < http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/4954/the-art-of-fiction-no-12-william-faulkner>
