An Advice Post for Writers, Authors, and Everyone Between
5 Tips for a Budding Writer, An Interview with Contributor Casey E. Berger, and Announcements
Tips for the Budding Writer
by AJ Super
There are some questions authors get asked frequently. One of those is “What advice do you have for the new writer?” or some iteration of that question. And a lot of times I hear the same answers… Here are some of the pieces of advice I’ve heard for the budding author over the years.
Tip One: WRITE
You have a great idea. You’ve talked it up to lots of friends. You’ve brainstormed a ton. Maybe you’ve even created some of your world and done some building of your mythos… But, to be blunt, it doesn’t count. Nothing counts as long as there are no words on the page. Unless you write that story down, no one is ever going to see it. Stop talking about it and just WRITE. It doesn’t matter if it’s not good on the first go-round. It just matters that there’s something you can edit and make into the world’s greatest novel EVAH!
Tip Two: PERSEVERE
This industry is hard. From drafting to editing to querying to subbing, and everything in between, it’s a rollercoaster.
(For those not in the industry, querying is when an author submits their work to agents for representation or independent publishers for publication. Subbing is when an agent sends an author’s manuscript to publishers that only accept “solicited” or “agented” works.)
Rollercoasters sometimes go fast, and sometimes go slow… And everything gets topsy-turvy at times. The publishing industry is the same. Sometimes you will have tons to edit or write and no time to do it, and sometimes you’ll be waiting for over six months for that agent to merely read the full manuscript they requested. Things happen at a snail’s pace in publishing… Occasionally, a bird will pick up the snail and drop it somewhere new and exciting. But generally, the snail waits and the pace is set by many factors outside of your control. You have to be able to gut it out in both the fast and slow times. Ride the rollercoaster, and keep getting on, or you’ll never accomplish your goals.
Tip Three: JOIN A WRITING GROUP
Whether you make your own group of CPs (critique partners) or you join an existing group, have a good support system of writers around you. They will be your confidants, your proofreaders, your friends, and so much more. CPs are essential to the writing process. They can do everything from reading solely from a reader’s perspective to working hardcore developmental edits. They’ll also be your biggest cheerleaders and fans as well as your shoulder to cry on after one too many rejections.
Tip Four: REST
It doesn’t matter who you are, if you push yourself too hard, you will burn out. And who wants to be a dead candle… nothing but wax on the bottom of the holder. You need to be able to do things that you love as well as writing. It doesn’t matter if your first love is the page, make sure to have a life and recharge. With family, by yourself, in a bathtub full of bubbles, running against the wind, it doesn’t matter how. Just take the time to relax and take care of yourself.
Tip Five: THROW IT ALL AWAY
No, not your manuscript. Everything that anyone’s ever told you, any advice you’ve ever been given (especially by those who aren’t in the industry), any pearl of wisdom that drips from someone “better”… Throw it away! Your journey will be unique and personal. The “good” advice one person has over another’s “good” advice could completely throw off your own mojo.
Of course, there’s a lot more than five tips that I have received and given over the years, but one size does not fit all in the publishing industry. The key is to remember that you are your own person and to use what works and throw away what doesn’t. No one can claim to be the end-all of writing advice because each process and journey is unique to the person experiencing it. Throw away what you will and keep what you need to stay sane in this crazy industry!
Contributor Interview: Casey E. Berger
In this, the first episode of “interview the contributor,” we meet Casey E. Berger, the author of the Resonance Saga, a space opera trilogy set in the distant future of the Milky Way galaxy. She is also a professor of physics who researches the complicated interactions of subatomic particles and encourages the next generation of brilliant scientists. (And may I say, she is also one of the brightest undiscovered authors in the universe!)
By exploring the questions she can’t answer easily through the vehicle of story, she has created a diverse universe in the far future. Humanity has abandoned Earth and expanded into the galaxy, where we’ve built an uneasy peace with other intelligent life forms. When a fringe human terrorist group begins to disrupt that tenuous balance, a human intelligence officer, an alien scientist, and an alien bounty hunter find themselves caught up in a plot whose roots go deep into the political foundations of the galaxy. The choices they will make could determine the fate of the galaxy, and the fight is only just beginning.
If you like Mass Effect (femshep specifically), The Expanse, and Battlestar Galactica, you’ll love the Resonance Saga.
Some questions for the author…
How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
It took me eight years to get my first book in shape to be published. When I signed the contract, it came with two more books to be produced in the next two years. Suddenly, I didn’t have the luxury of time. I couldn’t drop a book that wasn’t working for a year or two until I felt inspired again. I had to work consistently. But I think this really helped me figure out how to approach writing in a way that felt like a healthy relationship instead of a toxic on-again-off-again one.
When I got frustrated with the sequels, I knew I couldn’t just walk away unless I wanted to end something that I knew I wanted and would enrich my life.
I had to sit down and separate my emotional reaction to the book and really identify what wasn’t working. It gave me some really healthy perspective on writing, and I really think that being put into a position of having deadlines and external expectations gave me the motivation to do this. I’m really glad it worked out this way because I’ll admit I was afraid that having deadlines and books that had to be turned in and couldn’t be shoved in a drawer to never be seen again would ruin my writing.
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
It completely depends. There are days when everything is working and it just clicks. Those days, it’s easy to get into a flow state and it feels like I could write forever. I think those days happen when I’ve put in a lot of work beforehand to make sure I know what I’m trying to do with whatever I’m writing. Who are the characters, what do they really want, what is the point of the scene or the chapter or the story? That good preparation ahead of time leads to this feedback loop of inspiration and energy.
But the work that goes into making those great, energizing writing sessions sometimes takes a really long time to do right. There are definitely periods when I feel like I’m banging my head repeatedly against a snag that just refuses to loosen. On those days, writing is definitely exhausting, and I have to remind myself that sometimes just consistently putting my butt in the seat and keeping the story churning somewhere in my subconscious will eventually help me loosen the knots and get back to those energizing days.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Beware the cult of the genius. Writing, like anything else, is a skill that you develop with time and practice. When you read a book that looks like it was effortless to write, I promise you it wasn’t. Even if the author says it was an easy book (and look, I’m not sure I’ve ever actually heard an author say that), what they’re not showing is the years of craft development that went into getting them in a position where a story could just burst from their head (mostly) fully formed. Writing is not magic. It’s not an innate skill that you’re either born with or you’re not. It’s an intentional practice, and you will improve if you practice intentionally. So don’t hold yourself to standards that are unrealistic for your level of ability, and also don’t rush ahead without putting in the time to examine your own work with a critical eye, an eye for how you can make it better.
What does literary success look like to you?
I think—and you’re probably sensing a theme here—that literary success for me means with every successive book I write, I push myself more. I’m not going to stake my definitions of success on external goals that are outside of my control like book sales or popularity or awards. I want to continually improve, to challenge my skills as a writer, to tell more and more complex stories, and explore more and more nuanced themes. It takes a lot of time and effort to build up the skills to tell stories like that, and I know it’s a career-long task. So I will consider myself a success as long as I continue to grow as a writer.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
I do, for now, and I know there’s a lot of mixed advice out there about this. I’ve made myself two promises about the reviews. One, I will remember that reviews are for readers, and even if the negative ones don’t make me feel good, they are at least helping potential readers make decisions about whether my book is for them; and two, as soon the pain of reading the bad reviews starts to overtake the joy of reading the good ones, I will stop reading the reviews. Sure, it hurts to see someone didn’t like my book. It’s easy to start to feel defensive about it. But not every book is for every person, and that has to be okay. Keeping this perspective isn’t always easy to do, and I often turn to reading one-star reviews of my favorite books—books I consider to be masterpieces—to remind me that there is no such thing as a universally-beloved book.
You can contact Casey E. Berger at the following links…
Website: www.caseybergerbooks.com
Twitter: @CEBwrites
Facebook: @caseybergerbooks
Instagram: @caseybergerbooks
ANNOUNCEMENTS: BOOK GIVEAWAY
The book giveaway is happening! We’re just waiting for more of you to sign up for the newsletter. (Or bow out if you’re tired of seeing us, LOL!) We have tons of prizes for the peeps who are drawn that have stuck with us until May 17, 2022, which is when we will announce the winners.
Here are the prizes!
Signed hardback of Among ThievesSigned copies of Erebus Dawning & A Star RebornThe Frozen Crown (PB) & The Seventh Queen (HB)Signed hardback of The Road to JuneauThe Family CrossFor the MurdereBook of Sowing the Dragon's TeethSigned copy of First LightLodestoneSigned copy of The Sightless CityGIVEAWAY RULES
Anyone who is signed up with us by May 17th's is eligible.
Only 2 international winners will be chosen for Road to Juneau (physical) and Sowing the Dragon's Teeth (ebook).
Family members of the authors are exempt from this drawing.
Drawing will be held on the 17th of May 2022 and announced on the same day.
Once the drawing is done, the winners will be contacted and book delivery will be arranged.