Mission 2022 for writing |
It’s New Year Resolution time! Yes, it has been a difficult year for many of us. Covid-19 and all its Delta and Omicron variations have taken the wow out of the New Year but we can nurture quiet dreams. Writing a story or shaping a novel is a dream that many writers have and this is wholly doable even during the pandemic. Let’s set our writing goals for a book in 2022. |
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There is no magic pencil or magic desk space that can trigger writing. You just have to show up at your laptop or your notebook EVERY DAY.
The best kind of writing foreplay would be PROMPTS. You can get prompts from anywhere- the view outside your window, newsletters dedicated to prompts or phrases you pick up from books and magazines. Time yourself and write for fifteen minutes. Writing is a journey and you never know where prompts can take you.
Add writing to your daily routine. There are two views about this. You can write when you are inspired and for many writers this is rare. You can not be inspired all the time. You can definitely find it hard to be filled with ideas in cold weather or when it rains all month. But if you write consistently, you will have a draft within a year and if you are lucky even two.
So get a journal and write about the things you know and the things you do not know. In a few months, you will know one thing- that you have something to offer the world soon!
Since writing is completely digitized, you can go old school and get a feel of the pen, the smell of ink and the page and just explore non-existent calligraphy skills by writing in a moleskin notebook or a regular diary. You will be surprised how writing everyday can lead to more clarity in your writing. Writing is really thinking on the page.
There are writers who carry notebooks wherever they go so that they don’t miss out on any new brainwaves that could otherwise get lost in the thought puddle.
Once you establish a daily writing routine, you can start thinking about writing something that interests you. Is there an idea that you want to write about? Maybe a murder mystery inspired by the odd newspaper article or a romantic fiction inspired by a Regency novel you just read. A small seed grows into a large tree. A small idea can grow if you water it with your attention and coffee (or tea). Some writers are planners- they work down to the last detail; others are pantsers –they write on the spur of the moment and then clean up afterwards. Both methods work.
If your first draft is ready, then you should stay away from your manuscript for a while. Think about what you want to do. Publish? You need to understand the pros and cons of each and then take a call. You may even not want to publish just yet.
You can look at the manuscript again after two or three weeks and do your own edits. Once you feel the manuscript is ready, you can ask beta readers to give you their feedback or get in touch with an editor to further fix your manuscript. There are different stages in editing. Developmental editing is done in the early stages –editors help with the overall structure of the novel. At Pen2Print, we offer Substantive Language Editing and Proofreading.
Once the edited book is ready, you need to design the interior as well. We have detailed instructions at the pen2print.org website on how you can format your book. If you want professional help, we provide Formatting Services too.
If you have decided to go ahead with publishing, you need to pay attention to book cover design. There are so many books on the shelves and the best way to stand out is with a good story and also with an attractive cover.
Watch out for good-looking covers and understand the color palette that works for your genre. You can use our Cover Creator which is free and has been recently updated. We also provide paid Cover Design services at pen2print.net
The book is almost ready. Now you need to start creating a buzz. Start telling your friends and family that they need to support your effort. There’s no point being shy as you put in so much time and effort to create this book baby. Figure out which social media channel you prefer and go with it- you don’t have to spread yourself too thin. Find a channel that you like and then stick to it. Post regularly.
Time to upload your book on the Edupedia Publications platform! It takes a day or two to get reviewed and then tada, it is available on the Store. Congratulate yourself and take a day off before you start a social media blitzkrieg. Create a social media calendar and try your best to be heard: go on blog tours, seek interviews…all this is doable and many published authors are actively engaged in promoting their books. It’s not just mindless promotion. It’s sharing your book baby’s picture and words with the world.
We wish you all the best with your writing in 2022! Write to editor@pen2print.org if you have any publishing queries and we will be happy to help. |
