During my career as a writer and editor, I've received many calls and emails from people who ask the proverbial question "How do I learn to write?"  The following suggestions will help you get started:

     1. Join or start a writing group in your area. Nothing is more inspiring than spending time with other writers who share your joy and frustrations. If you find a couple of people in the group who are working on similar projects, consider forming a small critique circle to help each other.

     2. Read voraciously! Seek books similar to the one you want to write, then analyze them. If a book is better than yours, decide what you like about it and how your writing can improve. If a book is worse than yours, congratulate yourself and then analyze why you didn’t like it.

     3. Subscribe to “Writer’s Digest” magazine. www.writersdigest.com. This magazine devoted to writing provides inspiration, knowledge, and monthly market updates to writers of all genres. It’s worth every penny of the subscription price. Also consider joining their book club for writers. You’ll receive a handful of free books about writing and you only need to purchase one or two books to fulfill your contract.

     4. Attend writing conferences and mingle with other writers. Too expensive? Offer to work at the conference in exchange for reduced tuition.

     5. Read books about writing. Writing is more than an art – it’s also a craft. Like carpentry or auto mechanics, you need to learn certain basic steps, such as how to punctuate dialogue and where to place those pesky commas. “How-to” books on writing are free at the library, or you can buy used books from www.amazon.com at incredibly low prices. Sometimes I use the Writers Digest Book Club brochure to find books I like, then order the books for just a few dollars from Amazon.com.

     6. Learn to rewrite and edit your work. When you finish the first draft of your masterpiece you’ve reached a milestone in the writing process, but your work isn’t finished. Rewriting and editing are essential parts of a writer’s toolbox. I highly recommend three books to help with this process. All three sell for under eleven dollars each:

       The 10% Solution: Self-editing for the Modern Writer. Download an electronic version of this book for $1.59 at
http://www.fictionwise.com/servlet/mw?t=book&bi=19307&id=55588, or buy a paperbound copy from Amazon.com for a few dollars more.

       The First Five Pages, by Noah Lukeman. A must-read for new writers, this book demonstrates how to hook your readers on the first page.

       My own book, "Speaking of Dialogue" is a basic writing guide that sells for $4.95, downloadable version.  To review just click >> Help Writing Dialogue