Today I will continue this line of thought and talk about ways to deal with the daily struggle, mentoring and my coming new company, Moran Publishing, which you can follow on twitter @moranpublishing
Any creative endeavor in difficult in today's mass consumer cookie-cutter short attention span environment. There are so many distractions for readers' attention that gaining traction is very tough indeed. For now, I'll focus on the writing.
The most important aspect to being a writer is to write each and every day. I'm sure you've heard it before, but there is a reason for that: you simply can't develop a style of your own without putting in the dogged work of repeated/dedicated writing time. Write, write and write some more. Do not try to be perfect. Don't try to write the great American novel. Just write and let revision take care of the rest.
The second thing of importance is to read. A writer simply must read a voluminous amount of new/classic/everything fiction. Constant reading and writing form the foundations of your career. Not sure if you are reading the 'right' books? Here's a cue-- turn to the back cover of a cliff-notes. Copy the list of the 'important' books they publish guides for--- read ALL of those books.
So, you've made it this far. You read and write on a regular basis. Perhaps you blog/post stories on a website. What now?
This is where a writing mentor comes in. Find an experienced writer(s) that can guide you, critique you, and show you the ropes of a what it takes to bring your fiction to the next level. My writing mentor, the late Edgardo Vega Yunque, taught me so many things I couldn't possibly list them here in one blog post. However, the thing he impressed on me more than anything was to give back.
If you are a young writer looking for guidance, stop by this website for advice and for a growing community of writers to mingle with, learn from and share. I am always eager to meet new writers and hope to see new voices post to this page.
This brings me to the last point-- Moran Publishing. I started this business to produce and promote cutting edge fiction that has bite, purpose and an energy found lacking in many main-stream publications. I will be looking for new voices not being represented by others in the community, writers of fiction deemed too incendiary, controversial or offensive to publish elsewhere.
Are you one of those new voices? Do you write or desire to write fiction with impact, fire and passion? Do you want your fiction to promote change in society or support specific issues? Are you a writer that wishes to join a community of like-minded writers dedicated to forming a new wave of progressive writing? If this sounds like 'you', let me know.
From Vegas,
Stephen John Moran