If you are thinking of writing a story, novel or any publishable manuscript, let me offer a crucial piece of advice.

DO NOT GIVE UP!!

The secret to this business is — write! write! write!
Learn from each of your written works.

The first, second and third drafts of your work are never the final draft. And the fun is in the rewrite — the cleanup stage.

Enjoy the process!

The simple answer is this: There is no such thing as writer’s block. What people like to call “writer’s block” is simply this—the story line or characters haven’t been set up properly so that your ideas work together. What you want to write is not clear in your own mind.

Is it hard at times to find the right path for a story idea? Yes, of course. Do some stories seem to fall apart and you can’t get past a certain point? You bet! A story can fall apart if you don’t know where you want it to go or if you don’t know what you want it to be. Why? Because you haven't thought it through. When you’re stuck, ask yourself this: is this a story I really want to write? Do I know what I’m talking about with regard to my story idea, my subject? If your answer is no, then you have a problem. If you really like to read science fiction, then write in that field. If you like mysteries, then write in that genre. It’s really true. Write what you like to read.

Okay, so now you’ve found the genre that you want to write, but you can’t quite figure out what you want your main character to be or do. Try this: use the what if scenario. What if your character is this type of person? What if your character is actually a good person but does some bad things? What if? Use your imagination. If you’re still stuck, take a walk, look out the window, go for a drive. (This always works for me.) Switch things around in your mind. Was that old woman walking down the street a spy in her younger days? Maybe she still is. Is your neighbor from another planet? Is there a government plot to turn news anchors into zombies? Hey, it could happen, but only if you set up the scenario so the story line makes sense. Supposing you had a ninety-year-old women swim the English channel. Improbable–probably. But now suppose that women had been an Olympic swimmer in her youth and she never gave up swimming. Now it’s much more likely that she could accomplish that swim. Remember, almost any idea can work if you set it up properly.

Ever have an idea for a great story but it just didn’t click? I’ve had a number of those. They weren’t bad ideas, on the contrary, they were great ideas for a story but they weren’t right for me, for my knowledge and experiences. Or the subject was something I wasn’t comfortable writing about. For example, look at science fiction writers. They come up with some really wild ideas and that’s great--but for me, my mind doesn’t work that way. Know yourself. Write in those areas that really interest you.

Remember: All writers started where you are now.

If you don’t try, you’ll remain in the same spot you are now. Don’t be afraid to fail!!! So what if your first try at writing fails. What if what you wrote really sucks? It’s all a learning process. I reread some of my very first novels (that never got published) and thought, what idiot wrote these? Yes I was learning just like you are. The secret–keep writing! Learn from each of your attempts! What happens when you don’t quit is that you’ll start to become more skilled and your writing will greatly improve. And that’s a great feeling.

Let’s say that you get discouraged and you quit writing. Now imagine ten years down the road and you’re looking back. Say that your desire to write is still there, hiding in some dark corner of your mind. What a shame it would be to find out then that you're really a pretty good writer but you’ve wasted ten years. That ten years will go by no matter what you’re doing. So why not keep writing? Maybe you’ll become a well-known writer in that period of time. Just go for it. So what if you fail at first. We all have. But look at all the rewards that are out there waiting for you. I would love to see your book published.

Conclusion: Keep writing! Keep trying! Do not give up! The effort is worth it!

Beginning writers often ask, “How do you come up with your story ideas?” I tell them that story ideas are all around us. Every single thing on this planet has a story, every place, every situation that you’re in or have been in and most of all, every single person has a story. My first novel, BEYOND ANGER, started when I was on a flight to Fresno, CA. When I fastened my seatbelt I asked myself, what if I found a letter that some passenger before me had accidentally left behind. Would I read it? That entire novel sprang from that thought. So look around you. What interests you? What seems odd to you? Can you make a story out of something that peaks your curiosity?

Years ago I was sitting on a curb waiting for someone. I noticed an ant roaming back and forth by my feet. That ant suddenly went in a straight line for several feet. I estimated the ant’s length then my height and calculated that that ant was moving far faster than I could if I was the size of the ant. So what kind of story could I come up with for that ant and me? Could I become a human ant with those abilities and powers? Play with those weird ideas. They may turn into a best selling novel--or even become a movie.

When I come up with a good idea for a novel, I always write it down or record the possible plot on my digital recorder. If that story line still interests me the next day, then I expand the idea to see what might happen. If I’m still intrigued a week later, then I do a one page outline and toss that paper in a box for future story ideas. If I can’t get that story idea out of my head, which sometimes happens, then I start the story.

Remember this: Story ideas are everywhere!

This can be a tricky question. The answer I’m about to give you is from my own experience.

Because of the new self-publishing options we currently have available, the answer generally depends on what your goals are for your writing. If you want world-wide recognition and distribution, generally at a faster pace, then I suggest you go the traditional way of getting published: That is, find a good agent to help you with the process. If all you want is a printed copy of your book, then self-publishing might be the way to go. Check out Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). It all depends on what you want. But do develop a plan for your ultimate writing goals.

How do I know if I've found a good agent? You have to do your homework. Good agents don’t charge you to read your work! They can tell in a few pages if your work has potential. A professional literary agent will tell you this, ‘Find out who I am and what I accept. Only send me what I’ve asked for. Be professional and a little patient.’ In other words, do your homework. You don’t send an adult science fiction manuscript to an agent who only handles children’s books. There are many books on how to find a good agent, an agent who will accept your manuscript. Doing your research will save you time and aggravation. Remember, there are scammers out there. Their only goal is to separate you from your money. I fell into that trap years ago and wasted time and money. This usually happens when writers are anxious for someone to take them on as a client. You have to understand that there are people who call themselves literary agents but are actually not. Some provide only what they absolutely have to to keep from being prosecuted. Some just don’t care as long as they get your money.

Remember this: Go on line, research books, talk to other authors and find an agent who accepts your genre. Follow their instructions as to what they want. Generally an agent doesn't want a one-shot writer. They want to know that you are able to write other books. Be patient. Don’t quit writing while you’re waiting for an acceptance or rejection letter. Join a writing group.  It’s a process so don’t give up.

When I was a beginning writer, not yet an author, I was always nervous about approaching people for information. One day in total frustration I said, “I don’t care what people think about me asking questions. So I’m not published yet. I know how to talk and ask questions.” I swallowed my pride and headed out. So don’t be afraid to find and talk to those people who can help answer your questions, they’ll help move your writing along. And you’ll be amazed at the number of people who would truly love to help you. The great majority of people will feel honored that you took the time to contact them and ask if they would share their knowledge and expertise. I even interviewed my dentist to find out how he became so successful in his field. The strange thing is this: after the first couple times interviewing people, the process starts to become fun.

Most likely you’ve heard of these very popular authors: John Grisham, David Baldacci, JA Jance, Robert Ludlum, Stewart Woods, Vince Flynn, James Rollins, Dale Brown, Lee Childs. Each one of these authors was once where you are now. Even they had to start somewhere.

Remember this: You’re smart. You have a burning desire to be published. You have great ideas. You’re not afraid to learn from your mistakes. You talk with people everyday. So why not talk to those people who can help you get to where you want to go?

Okay, so you’re writing along and for whatever inexplicable reason, a character or group of characters will not do what you want them to do. It’s almost like they're petulant children and they’re saying, “No. We’re not going to do this and you can’t make us.” In other words, they want to do the scene the way they want to do it. So you shake your head and ask yourself, what the heck is going on?

Let me tell you a true story. Years ago I was sitting at my desk in my office and writing one of my earlier novels. My wife happened to be walking by my office. She stopped and asked, “Are you okay?”

I was laughing as I looked up at her. “Why would you ask that?”

“Because," she answered, "you were laughing so hard I thought you were going to fall out of your chair.”

Then I realized what she was talking about. I had been writing a scene where two characters were rolling around on the floor and fighting. So let me set the stage first. The story was playing in my mind like a movie while my fingers were typing what each character was doing. All of a sudden each character stopped fighting, turned and looked up at me, and in unison said, “We’re not going to do this. This is stupid.” (No kidding. That actually happened.) Anyway, after I stopped and thought about what those characters were trying to tell me, I finally understood. I had not set up the scene for each character. What I had them doing was not in their individual natures. In other words, they did not have the temperament to fight. The scene was being forced upon them.

The solution to my dilemma was fairly easy. I went back and changed one of the characters to be a fighter. Now it was in that character’s nature to be aggressive. Now the scene played out as true and normal. It made sense now.

Let me give you another example: Suppose you have a seventy-year-old woman, a grandmother, and this woman has been kidnapped. Let’s say she’s being held at some old airfield. She manages to escape, sees an old plane parked on the tarmac, climbs in, starts the plane, and flies away. Sounds improbable? Not if you’ve established the parameters previously in your story. Maybe the woman's grandfather had been a pilot years before and had taken her flying many times when she was a young girl. Maybe he even taught her about flying and how to read all the instruments. And he let her fly the plane every time they went up. Okay now you’ve given that woman some background and the reader knows she has some experience in an airplane. Thus the scene is believable.

So remember: When your characters don’t want to cooperate, look at how you’ve developed their temperament. What sort of personality did you give them? The solution to this type of identity problem is fairly simple: Change one or both of the characters nature or disposition.

Because I’m basically an outdoor person, it took me months before I was able to concentrate at home and forget all the distractions that were going on around me. Kids yelling, my wife asking me questions, friends stopping by; well you know how life goes. The solution to my problem was actually very simple. During my work day I would stop by a fast-food restaurant, buy a drink, grab a booth, pull out my writing material and start writing. At first every little noise, every person who entered the restaurant, and every sound seemed to distract me from what I was doing. Eventually I started ignoring all the extraneous noises. Within six months I was able to write for several hours in that environment. In fact I was so successful that at the end of my writing time in the restaurant, I couldn't tell you what had happened around me or who had come in or when they left. I learned how to focus.

So remember: If this is happening to you, try something different. Change locations. Play music so you’re forced to concentrate.

Let’s say you’ve never written a book or article but you know you want to write.

My suggestion is this: Set up a period of time each day.  Let’s say 15 minutes. Find yourself a quiet place to write and start writing. And you say, "Okay.  That’s fine, but what do I write?" The world is full of ideas for writers. Everything has a story behind it. Pick something that interests you. Anything. The subject doesn't matter at this point. Write for fifteen minutes then stop. During this period don’t worry about spelling or grammar. Don’t do any research. Those things can easily be plugged in later. Just get the feeling for writing.

At this point you might be saying, "But I’m not that good at spelling or grammar." My answer to that is this: Who cares! Those things can be learned as you continue writing. What you’re attempting to do at this point is to tell a story. If you can tell a good tale to your kids, then you can write a good plot.  I used to make up stories for my boys.  And it was fun.

So the next day you do the same thing. And the day after that. But don force yourself to write. Do it because it’s fun and you want to learn. Do it because your story is starting to take shape. And don’t write everyday of the week. Give yourself time to rest and enjoy life and your family. A strange thing happens rather quickly. Your writing starts to become fun. You want to write for a longer period. So then maybe set your time to 30 minutes a day. Before you know it you’ll be writing for several hours.

So remember: Just have fun with your writing.

This seems to be something that new writers worry about. The chances of it happening are just about zip.

Sure, you don’t want to give away your ideas.  But in reality no one is trying to steal your story. You’re the only one who can write your story the way you want. Remember, it's coming out of your brain.  It takes a lot of time and effort to transform an idea into a novel and you're the only person able to do this with the idea that's in your head.

So remember: Relax and have fun writing.

This is a great question to ask yourself.

Should I let just anyone read my manuscript?

Before I answer this question, let me say this: You will run into people, even friends, who will put you down for wanting to write a book. They might even say something like, “Yeah, right! You're going to write a book? No way.” A strange thing happens. People get jealous. Maybe they wanted to write but never had the guts to try. Sometimes people who you thought would support you, don’t. And some people who you thought wouldn't...do support you.  It's a strange world out there.

Ignore those people. In the first place they’re not really your friends.

Find a person, maybe it's a good friend, who can take an honest look at your work. Someone who will give you genuine feedback. Someone who will support you.

In this regard, I have been extremely fortunate. My editor is absolutely wonderful. When she first started editing and proofreading my work, every manuscript came back with more red than you’d find on the floor of an operating room. Was I discouraged? Oh hell, yes. But I realized that I was the luckiest guy around. She truly wanted me to succeed and was willing to teach me. Since then I've met several other people who happen to be skillful proofreaders. Be very thankful for those friends. Don’t get upset when they tell you that something in your writing doesn't work or make sense. Be thankful that they care. Learn from what they’re telling you. I wasn't a great English student in school (I was more interested in sports and girls) but fortunately I learned from those who wanted to help me progress. As I said before, if you can create a good story–and that’s really the most important aspect of writing–you can learn the rest.

So remember: Find someone you trust to read your manuscript. Someone who will give you honest feedback. Listen to them and learn. Accept constructive criticism. Be thankful that they want to help you.

There are about as many different answers to this question as there are writers.

Some writers will do all their research up front before they even start writing. Some will do it as they go along.

But what works for me is this: I do very little research until I am finished with the manuscript. The reason is that my story changes as I write. Things I wanted in the story when I started are no longer needed or wanted. Because your story changes so do your characters. What a character is like at the beginning of your work often changes. The characters mature and develop different personalities. I found that I was wasting time by doing research first, gathering information that I decided not to use later.

So here’s how I do my research. When I’m writing and I come to a point where I know I need to research a person, place, or thing, I write that part in RED and move along. (Remember I’m doing this on the computer.) When I’m finished with the manuscript and I’m reading through for corrections and I come across what I’ve written in red, I do my research at that time. I add what I need and continue. This method seems to save me a lot of time. When I’m going through the manuscript, sometimes I’ll delete a particular section I had typed in red because my story idea changed.

So remember: The way you do your research is totally up to you. Sometimes what you’re researching will take only minutes, sometimes the research will take much longer. But just make sure you do the research.

Let me explain how I write, then you’ll understand why and how I edit my work.

When I start a novel, I have two things loosely planed. I know how I want the prologue or first chapter to start and I have a slight idea as to how and where I want the story to end. I have absolutely no idea what’s going to take place between those two points. I stop after I write the first chapter. But sometimes my mind won’t let me quit because the thoughts are flowing. So then I continue writing. The next day I go back and reread that chapter(s), then develop chapter two. The next day I do the same thing. I go back and reread chapter two, then create the story plot for chapter three. That process continues until I’ve finished the novel. When I reach the halfway point in the story, I go back to the beginning and reread everything I’ve written. The reason I stop halfway and reread is because situations might have changed in the story or I’ve come up with better or different ideas.  At that point I plug those ideas into the earlier chapters.  And your characters will mature along the way.

However, you might choose to write from a detailed outline and then develop your story. There is no one correct method for writing a novel.   Whatever works for you, works.

Some people will tell you that that’s not an effective way to edit your work. And to some degree I might agree with that. But if you have a way of editing that works for you, well, then do it. But I do highly recommend one thing. When you are completely done with your book, let it sit for several weeks before rereading. When you do go back and reread, many of the errors will pop right out. And do this before you send your manuscript to someone you trust to read and edit your work.

So remember: You definitely want someone—other than yourself—to edit and proofread your work before it goes out to an agent. The reason is this: When you write your story, you know every twig, every place, every individual in your story. So when you reread it, you know what is supposed to be there. Your mind puts in the correct word even when the correct word isn’t there. In other words, you read right past the error. Someone who has not read your work will catch at least 95% of the errors. I read one of my novels eight times before it went to my editor. I thought it was perfect. I was amazed at how many things I missed. I read right past a number of spelling and grammatical errors because I knew what was supposed to be there.

So you’re saying to yourself, what is he talking about? Why would I dump what I’ve already written? I wouldn’t do that. But you will dump words, sentences, paragraphs, even whole pages if you want your work to be the best it can be. Believe me, dumping extraneous words or parts of your story is a small price to pay if you want to get your book published and have people read it.

Let me explain: I was 30,000 words into one of my novels when something just didn’t feel right about the story. And that bugged me for several days until I realized that I was writing a part of the story that only I wanted.  I was putting it in for me–not the reader. (It happens and you’ll learn to recognize that problem when it occurs.) I was putting in stuff that wasn’t really relative to my story or wasn’t moving the story along. In that particular case, I had let my story get off course. I had to go back and drop the last 9,000 words. And yes, that hurt. But I was thankful that I caught my mistake.

But now for the good part. When you recognize that you’ve written a part or section that doesn’t convey what you want, your writing will greatly improve. Every time I had to go back and rewrite a significant part of my story, the rewrite always turned out better.

So remember: Don’t be afraid to delete parts of your story if that part doesn’t communicate exactly what you want to convey or the feeling you want to express. Your rewrite will be much better for it. Dumping words in order to move your story along, well, it comes with writing.

Am I supposed to have a writing style?

It's not that you're supposed to have a style, you will automatically develop your own style through the way you write.  If you read a lot, you will have discovered that authors have their own unique way of turning a phrase, the way they use words, and the way they present characters.  This is called style.  

A writing style is simply the way you write your own written works.  I had no idea what my writing style was until I finished several of my novels, which is pretty typical.  I developed my own style without even knowing it.  I went on line and looked it up: writing style, after grammar, spelling, punctuation, well, it's your choice of words, paragraph structure, sentence structure, all used to convey the meaning effectively to the reader.

So remember:  You will create your own style through the way you write. 

Each time you sit down to write, challenge yourself to do better than you did the last time you wrote.  This simply means that if you keep in mind how you wrote in your previous writing session, and you want to do better, then keep in mind the lessons you learned from before.

Remember:  challenge yourself to do better.

Is it necessary to set writing goals?  If you're serious about writing, then yes.  It makes it easier to control your time, scheduling, and the outcome of your writing.  Goals, like in any endeavor, will keep you focused.  Every successful writer I've met has a writing schedule.  Some write in the morning, some late at night, some work with a floating schedule, but they all have their own individual times to write.  My goal is to complete one quality chapter per writing session and I usually write five to six days a week.  And I use a floating schedule because I have so much going on.  (But don't lose site of your family or friends in the process.  Remember to have fun along the way.)

Remember this:  Goals and determination will bring you success.  And don't forget that life will intervene at times.  So focus and bend with what life throws at you.  

My answer is this:  Yes.  But make sure you join a writing group that writes in your genre.  If you write mysteries, then don't join a poetry writing group.  Writing groups span the rang from great to horrible.  Some are filled with big egos and not much else.  Find a group that works for you.  Learn as much as you can.  It's your time, make the most of it.  Don't hesitate to move to another group if you're not learning and progressing.  The whole idea is to pick up tips from other writers.  And if you do find the right group, you'll make friends along the way, friends that you can connect with later and ask questions.  I was very fortunate to find a good group early on.  I learned how to edit my own work, set goals, and put in only those words that move my story along.

Remember:  Pick the correct writing group for you.

Think of all the people you've met throughout your life.  Who stands out?  Why do they stand out?  Remember that no character is all good or all bad.  They, we, are a mixture.  Let's say you have a character who is a "bad" person.  Let's say also that that person is a contract killer and is on his or her way to kill someone.  Along the way she or he stops to help a child across the street, or maybe grabs a puppy so it wont run out into traffic.  Then the contract killer moves along and finishes the job.  So don't try and make your characters all evil or all good.  People just aren't that way.  We are both.

Observe people.  Watch people come and go.  Notice how they walk, how they're dressed, how they talk, and how they interact with others.  If you're in a tougher part of town, do the same thing--but watch your back.

Remember:  No one is all good or all bad.  People are a mixture.

Okay, these are what bug me when I'm reading a novel.  Remember, like you, I read books for pleasure, too.  First, it really annoys me when the author puts in too many characters with the same first letter of the name: John, Jack, Jill, Joseph, Julia, Jan, Juno.  Well, you get the point.  Secondly, I don't like it when authors add a large number of characters in a short span of time.  Gets confusing.  I don't like it when the author uses "he said" or "she said" all the time after or before when a character speaks.  Vary how you let the reader know who is speaking.  How about this: If a character is smoking a cigar, then maybe do this.  (This is referencing the speaking character.) "He flicked his long ash onto the carpet as he said, "I'll ruin you if you don't do what I tell you."  What I'm getting at is that you can reference the character who is speaking--without using "he said" or "she said" every time a character speaks--that gets really boring.  You can reference the character by how the character is dressed, the height of the character, what the character is doing, his or her looks, etc.  In my example, the reader already knows that a particular character is smoking a cigar, so when the cigar is referenced, the reader knows who is speaking.  One last thing.  Don't go too long without referencing who is talking.  You don't want your reader to have to stop, go back, and figure out who is talking.  That will brake the flow of the story.

Remember:  Think of your readers as you write.  Will your writing flow or will it cause your reader to stop reading and have to figure out who is doing what or saying what.