Writing Tips

On a hot Saturday in August 1995, I sat down at my desk (in my living room) in front of an old word processor (that only saved 3 pages at a time) and began to write the manuscript that would be sold a year later as MEG; A Novel of Deep Terror. I had no prior writing experience, save for a masters thesis and dissertation, and no clue or contacts to help me get published, but I had two things going for me:

1. I knew how to set goals.
2. I refused to quit.

If you have these qualities, then the rest will come to you. Writing, like most skills, gets better the more you do it. I have found this true with my own writing. I am still learning and proud to admit it, for when the learning process stops, the dying begins.

Persist. Along the line you will find the help you need. Remember, what goes around comes around, so give back if you want to receive. Luck is a residue of hard work, but no matter what your chosen endeavor, no one is truly successful without the help of others. Pray, toil, but keep the faith and keep working at it, and good things will happen, often when you least expect it.

And so, for all of you who aspire to write and be published, or just be successful in your chosen endeavor, I humbly offer you these tips and links to others that helped launch my career. I hope they do the same for you.

--Steve Alten