Goodreads asked John MacGregor:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

John MacGregor Wanting to do something and doing it are two very separate things. If you decide to do it then have a plan in place on how you are going to carry it out. Recognize that the creative component of doing the actual writing is about 5% of the job....and it is a job. The other 95% is the most important component and will take up most of the time. This involves making the story readable. The includes chasing down typos and spelling mistakes, correcting POV errors, verifying that dialog is associated with the correct character, you haven't confused your characters, etc. Once you've worked out the readability aspects, you many be involved in further types of editing (ie copy and setup). Once the story is out in the wilds then you have to somehow get others to read what you have done. That involves some level of marketing and nobody will do that for you. You have to do it yourself. I guess my point here is that the creative part is the smallest part of doing the job. Without the other 95%, you might as well have not bothered.

flag