Let’s face it; we all think we have a story inside
of us to tell. There are some of us that have been told “you should
write a book and tell your life story.” Many of us think that we are
sitting on a best seller! Is there really such a thing of just getting
it right every time you pen your next great novel? Are you writing what
you would want to read or are you putting rigid constraints on yourself
and writing what you think people want to read; hoping to hit that sweet
spot? We all dream of the six figure advances, the mindless spending of
penned earned money on the once dreamed of home, cars, clothes, etc.
Paying things off in cash, being debt free….well, you get the picture,
and you probably carry that mental image around with you on a daily
basis back and forth to work which makes that dream even more desirable
and your current life and reality the lesser.So how are you to be transformed into this mega writer? Well, bestselling author Dean Koontz sat down with Beliefnet and has some tips worth mentioning that could possibly lend a hand and push you on your way to the top. He is worth an ear seeing as though according to Beliefnet’s editor, he was reported to have annual sales of at least $24 million. But remember, as authors, we all have our own way of writing and there really is no wrong or write (and yes, I meant to say write) way to go about this, but it won’t hurt to take in these suggestions. Who knows, maybe you could be the next best sensation!
Here are his tips:
1. Your writing should be personal to you. It
should come from deep inside of you. (Well, so much for writing what you
think people want to read, or mimicking.) Zombies may be in now, but
who knows what will be in in 4 or 5 years from now. You will struggle
trying to tap into a market you are not really interested in.
2. Drop the outlines; they hold you inside the
box. We as authors love to think outside the box and outlines don’t seem
to support that line of thought.
3. Get rid of the self-doubt. Nothing like self-sabotage, huh?
4. Love the language and fill your writing with
metaphors, similes, and other figures of speech. In other words, be more
than one dimensional and flat. Be vivid in your writing, enrich it and
be colorful. That may be a challenge for some and easy for others.
5. Write with passion. Write what you are passionate about. See tip #1.
All of these tips are awesome pieces of advice.
Challenge yourself; push yourself to higher aspirations in your writing.
You may surprise yourself when you just let go and flow freely.
