Become a Writer | Top 10 Ways

Note - This page was created after interviewing over twenty published authors. When asked what piece of advice they would pass on to someone who wanted to become a writer, several general answers emerged.

So if you're someone who wants to be a writer, read on to find out what advice authors like Piers Anthony, Stephen Mark Rainey, Larry Bond, Neal Asher, Eldon Thompson, and many others want to pass on to potential writers.

1. Read & Write a Lot

This was the most popular answer given by the authors interviewed. In order to become a writer you need to read a lot of different books and practice your writing.

Read widely. Write for your own entertainment; write what you want to, or feel you need to. Don't think about other readers until you start your second draft, or about money until you've started making some. - Stephen Dedman

Read voraciously. Reading will teach you more about writing than anything else. Read both inside and outside your chosen field of endeavor. Write every day. Whether it's a story, a blog, an editorial, a synopsis, whatever...write. Do your homework. Learn how to format a manuscript. Check out market guides and determine which publications most suit the type of work you write. - Stephen Mark Rainey

Write often and read often. Read a lot in the field of your primary interest, but read other fields as well, to help cross-pollinate your writing. Go to conventions, attend panels, learn about the field and the business side of writing. Join a writing group, network with other writers, soak up information. Its fine to write initially solely for exposure, but don't wait too long to submit to paying markets. Build your writing credits. If your goal is to write novels, try to find an agent based in New York who believes in your work. But don't worry about an agent if you are writing short stories. - John Passerella

If you want to be a writer then you should already be writing. Writers write, it’s quite simple. If you want to be a successful writer then, unfortunately, the answer is exactly the same. There are no special handshakes you need to learn – there is no inside track to success other than being good at writing. Too many wannabe writers are attracted to ‘being a writer’ rather than actually writing. It’s like saying I wannabe a film star, yeah, well get to work now – stop wanting and start doing.

Beside the above, here’s some practical advice: buy books about writing and read them, buy books about English and read them too, never stop learning about the process and never think you’ve nothing more to learn. Read fiction – never stop reading it. Keep a journal with one page for every day, and fill that page in. Start a blog, write on message boards. Discipline yourself – keep clicking on that word count.

I recently read something another writer said about those who want to be writers. He tells them ‘don’t do it’ in the sure knowledge that those who succeed would ignore that advice. Just do it. - Neal Asher

Stop talking about it, speak with college tutor. Pick up a pencil, or open a blank Word document...AND JUST START WRITING. You have no excuse. - Gorman Bechard

There is no delicate way of saying this, but British author Gerald Brenan's is one of my favorites: "It is sitting down to write every morning that one becomes a writer. Those who do not are amateurs." - Robie Madison

Writing is a lonely business. Eventually you have to quit talking about "going to write" and actually start writing. - Elaine Viets

A great way to write everyday is by writing in a journal. If you are more tech savvy or want more security, an online journal might be the way to go. A great choice is the Journal 5. It offers security, accessibility, and you can even collect notes and write short stories with the program. It's a great motivator to get you going with your writing. After all practice really does make you perfect.

2. Set Daily Goals

Daily goals are important to become a writer because it helps keep you motivated and gives you a purpose to your writing.

…Set yourself daily goals. Fifty words, two hundred, whatever...but DO NOT allow yourself to go to bed at night until you've met those goals...EVERY DAY! - Gorman Bechard

3. Study and Practice your Craft

It's important to practice writing to become a writer, because with every story you write you get a bit better each time.

The only advice I give to perfect your craft. Write, talk about writing, learn what else has been done, and write some more. Don't assume you're the first person to have a particular (great) idea. It probably is a great idea, but that's only a starting point. - Larry Bond

Most successful writers have two or three unpublished novels stuck in a file cabinet. Those aren't failures. That's how you learn the process. - Elaine Viets

While there are all sorts of tips and structures and guidelines for maximizing a story's emotional impact, nothing of what has come before necessarily means your story has to follow suit. That said, any writer seeking to make a professional living would do well to study these guidelines incessantly. Know them so well that adhering to them (or deviating from them, when need be) becomes instinctive. Put plainly: read, write, and repeat. The more you study, and the more you practice, the better your work will be. - Eldon Thompson

Just do it. Don't worry about whether you're good or not. Chances are, you're not. Writing is a process, an art that you have to work hard at to hone your skills. If you don't write the early bad stuff you'll never develop into a good writer. So write. Classes can help, as can workshops, conventions, and writer's groups, if they are good ones, but none of that will help you if you're not willing to do the work. - Lynn Flewelling

4. Find a Mentor and Work Hard

Some writer's claim a mentor really helped them become a writer. It depends on what's best for you and how you learn. If you're better off by yourself, great. If not, perhaps a mentor or teacher might help you get closer to learning to become a writer.

Find some form of mentor to help you learn the craft of writing. This mentoring may be in the form of writing classes on the Internet or locally.

Writing is fun, but the craft of writing is hard. You must work at it. Michael Jordan didn't walk onto the court for the first time and do what he did years later. He had to learn his craft and practice it. He constantly improved, even after becoming a professional, by practicing. A writer is no less a trained craftsman.

When I announced my first sale, a friend sent me this quote from James Baldwin, "Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck--but, most of all, endurance." - Marilyn Byerly

5. Believe in yourself and learn to write from the Heart

This is important because only you know what you want. I've always wanted to become a writer, so regardless of what my family and friends have thought, I have never given up on this idea.

My best advice is one word, and it speaks for itself: Believe! - Brenda Novak

Oh, and aim for the heart. No matter the genre or its trappings, a story is meant to elicit an emotional reaction from its readers. I don't care how alien your landscapes are, or how quirky your characters, or how mind-bending your plot twists. It'll all fall flat if it doesn't grip me beneath the skin. Care enough about what you're saying to make your readers care about it, and your work will find its audience. - Eldon Thompson

6. Find Support

Having some kind of support system is important to help you become a writer. Support could come from family, friends, other writers, or just someone to bounce ideas off of. Support can also be financially like it was for Piers Anthony, Dean Koontz and many other popular authors.

Have a working spouse, because someone in your family needs to have an income while you struggle. My wife supported me throughout, in every way, so that I was finally able to make it. - Piers Anthony

7. Feedback & Rewriting your Work

Editing and feedback are an important part to become a writer. Once you get your first manuscript done, you need to edit, rewrite and rewrite again until it's perfect. Often feedback is an important part to learning what works for you and what doesn't.

Learn to accept and analyze feedback from any and all quarters. Be happy when you get an opportunity to throw away what doesn't work, and start again. - Eldon Thompson

Don't take shortcuts or avoid going through the traditional editorial process. If you're going to write, you need to be edited, and you need to know how to deal with being edited. It takes patience, a thick skin, and a willingness to learn. – Stephen Mark Rainey

… Start off with short fiction, if you can; you'll get feedback, and learn where your strengths and weaknesses are, much faster if you write a story a month rather than a novel a year. - Stephen Dedman

Read. Write. Read. Write. Do it some more. Unless you love what you're doing, don't bother. Be prepared for rejection at all times. Remember that rewriting is the most important part. Research your market but don't crush your creativity. Listen to criticism – don't be a prima donna. Read some more. Write some more. Work hard. - Graham Edwards

8. Always be Professional:

Like any career, if you want to become a writer you need to always be professional. Keep your cool, try to remember this is a job. By being professional you're learning to become a writer.

Always act professionally, online and in person, in verbal and written communication, when you tweet on Twitter or update your Facebook status. Authors talk to each other, and editors talk to each other. If your goal is to become a professional writer, it's never too soon to start presenting yourself professionally. - John Passerella

9. Self Publishing Advice

When you become a writer, an important step is publishing your work. There is a lot of debate about self publishing versus using a publishing house. Before you make a decision, make sure you have all the facts.

A lot of writers who don't want to do the real work of writing—and writing IS work—take the self-publishing route. Self-publishing has its place, but in most cases, it's NOT what an aspiring writer should do, especially for someone who hopes to build a writing career. Self-published books are virtually never reviewed by reputable venues; few bookstores will carry them; and unless you're a better businessperson than you are a writer, you're more likely to lose your shirt self-publishing than to get anywhere in the business. Not to mention, you'll more than likely lose credibility in the professional marketplace.

That's not to say there aren't success stories in the self-publishing realm; there are. However, they're few, far between, and usually realized by individuals who've already undergone the acid tests of the traditional publishing arena. Learn what traditional markets have to teach, at least in the beginning. I'm all for breaking rules, creatively, but to do so effectively, one first has to know what one is breaking. If you don't, you're not fooling anyone but yourself. - Stephen Mark Rainey

10. Never Give Up

If writing is your dream - never give up. Often family members, friends, coworkers are negative and might discourage your dream to become a writer. Don't listen to them, if you truly want to become a writer, keep writing and you will be a writer. If any of these successful authors had given up when they heard some piece of negative feedback, they would never have been successful. Follow these tips and you're on your way to become a writer.