New year, new you. A chance to start fresh. Reset goals and get things done. If writing a novel or finishing a manuscript is on your list of new year’s resolutions, there’s no time like the present to get started. And while writing is often a solitary pursuit, there’s no reason not to heed the advice of those who have gone before you, finished their books and had their work published.
Falmouth author Ted Murphy, who wrote his most recent novel, “Macabre Trophies,” under the pen name Declan Rush, suggests aspiring writers take the time every day to work on their craft.
“Writers should make time to create every day even if it’s only for 20 minutes—like how I exercise.
“If you want to write a book, don’t just say that. Tell yourself that, ‘I am going to write at least one good page today.’ After a while you’ll be writing more than a page. Now if I could do that with the way I exercise.”
Like Mr. Murphy, Falmouth author Susan Shelton’s advice to writers is practice consistency and to write every day.
“Make it a habit. Find a time and place in which you will be free of distractions and stick to it. For me that’s a small room with a door that closes and the time for me is the first thing in the morning. I’m a morning person, so writing then, before anyone else is up, suits me perfectly. I write for an hour and a half every day and I almost never miss a day.”
Also similar to Mr. Murphy, Ms. Shelton, who writes cozy mysteries under the pen name Sarah Osborn, likened a regular writing practice to exercise.
“You choose your time and place. It doesn’t matter if it’s half an hour and it doesn’t matter if it’s in a café. It only matters that you do it as faithfully as you do anything else on a daily basis, like brushing your teeth and exercising. By doing it every day, you can accomplish almost anything. You can finish what you start and you can build skills in the same way you build muscle with daily exercise. Don’t worry about how well you’re writing or whether or not a day’s work of writing stays in your finished manuscript. Just do it with attention and do it consistently.”
Ms. Shelton cited the advice of Walter Mosley, a prolific writer and creator of the Easy Rawlins mystery series, who advised: “Write each and every day of your life. Write on a book, not in a journal, and work on one project until it is finished.”
“You don’t need to get upset if you are having a bad writing day,” said Ms. Shelton. “You simply need to keep writing until what you want to say emerges. What I have found is that writing every day is almost never a chore. Writing grounds me, and even on those days where good words are hard to find, I know that putting something on paper, or on my computer, always moves me forward.”
Mystery writer Edith Maxwell also promotes the “rear in the chair, fingers on the keyboard,” approach to getting it done.
“You can’t fix a book or story you haven’t written, and you can’t sell writing you haven’t finished and revised and polished,” said the Agatha Award-winning author of more than 30 books, including the Quaker Midwife Mystery Series, the Country Store Mystery Series and the Cozy Cape Book Group Mystery Series, which is set on the Cape. Ms. Maxwell’s most recent release is “Deep Fried Death,” written under her pen name, Maddie Day.
“If you aren’t able to write every day, don’t worry, but do carve out sacred time to dedicate to your craft,” said Ms. Maxwell, who added, “then find your people, others who write the kinds of books you do. Join their organization, take classes, network. You’ll be glad you did.”
Buzzards Bay author Dan Perdios also tries to begin every day by writing, “even if it’s just two pages.”
“It doesn’t have to be original stuff,” said Mr. Perdios, “sometimes it’s a second draft. Because as they say, ‘Writing is rewriting.’”
The author of “A Golden Retriever & His Two Dads” and most recently of “Rescuing Morgan,” Mr. Perdios advocates writing about what you know and love and to read books about the subjects you are most interested in.
“When I first started to write, it was mainly about the AIDS epidemic. It’s what I knew first-hand. It’s what I was passionate about. My writing about AIDS was a form of activism. I was committed to being the voice for those who were too sick or too afraid.
“Now, I write about my love for my dogs. Specifically, my golden retrievers. I’m motivated to tell the world how fortunate I’ve been to have them in my life. They rescued me. Writing about my dogs gets me up in the morning. I also read other dog books. I’ve read ‘Dog Years’ by Mark Doty, a story about his golden during his partner’s illness back in the ‘80s. I’ve read ‘Until Tuesday’ by Captain Luis Carlos Montalvan, a story about his service dog, named Tuesday. I was fortunate to meet Luis and Tuesday once at an event in San Francisco.”
Scott Childress, who teaches at Sandwich High School and is the author of the young adult novel, “Ronnie Willow and the Silver Mask,” advises being resilient and flexible when it comes to the editing process.
“Never get so attached to what you write that you can’t edit it or change it. When you get published, editors are going to go through your work and suggest or demand changes that you may not initially agree with. I had huge chunks of writing edited out of my first book, and it was so much better because of it, but at the time, I didn’t see it. I just thought of the work I put into those words and how it had to be in the book.”
Mr. Childress’s latest book, “Ronnie Willow & the Devil’s Shadow,” will be released later this year.
Like all things, author and playwright Michael Solomowitz notes that writing takes commitment and perseverance. Mr. Solomowitz, who lives in Sandwich, had his first novel, “Behind the Fourth Wall,” published in 2022. Several of his short plays have been performed on the Upper Cape.
“When I was finishing up college, one of my professors suggested that I probably wouldn’t become rich and famous from writing. But writing was all I knew. I wasn’t very good at the time, but I seemed to have a knack for dialogue. So I took a video production class in New York, wrote and directed my first script, shopped it around and received an offer to write for Manhattan Cable TV. After that, I worked for Warner Brothers, became a journalist, wrote for the theater and eventually had a novel published.
“Here’s my tip—be honest with yourself. If you want to be a writer and you’re willing to work at it to become the best you can be, then go for it. Take the risk and write. My professor was only partly right. I took a chance on myself and have no regrets. And for that, my life has been rich.”
Mashpee resident Kathryn Perrone is a USA TODAY bestselling author of several works of paranormal romance, including “Silver Lake,” “Gull Harbor,” “Haunted Souls” and, most recently, 2020’s “Ghost Moon.” She writes under the pen name Kathryn Knight.
Ms. Perrone’s practical advice for writers is to read “Goal, Motivation, and Conflict,” by Debra Dixon and to make goal, motivation and conflict charts for every character in one’s novel.
She also recommends reaching out to like-minded writers through social media.
“Sites such as Bookstagram on Instagram have a whole community of readers and authors and I have made many connections and friends this way. It’s a great way to find beta readers as well.”
Vineyard resident John Hough is the author of several novels including “Seen The Glory: A Novel of the Battle of Gettysburg,” “The Last Summer” and “Little Bighorn: A Novel.” His most recent book, “The Sweetest Days,” was published in 2021 by Simon & Schuster; it is set in the fictional Cape Cod town of Dunstable.
His advice to aspiring authors is to have trusted readers who will provide honest feedback.
“Show your work to one or two people, no more. They must, of course, be people who will be candid with you, and whose judgment you trust. Listen to them, then follow their advice if it seems sound to you.
“It’s pleasant to have a chorus of friends commenting extensively on your book or story, but writing isn’t done by committee. In the end, it is between you and the page, no matter what your friends say.
“My wife and my agent read my work before it’s published, nobody else, and they’re right in their criticisms much more often than they’re wrong. They’re almost always right, in fact, and they make every book of mine better. More than once, they’ve made unpublishable manuscripts publishable.”
“Writing, George V. Higgins said, ‘is for grownups.’ It’s a lonely business. Be brave.”
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