authors

WRITERLY WISDOM: Donna L Martin

Donna L

***This is PART ONE of a five part series to uncover some myths about becoming a published author. Make sure to come back next week and find out more insider secrets about the writing industry!***

 

5 Common Myths About Getting Published, Part One

by: Donna L Martin

 

There are a lot of misconceptions floating around beginner writers about just what it takes to become a published author. If you are a new writer just starting out you might even think there is only one set formula guaranteeing your success at capturing the attention of a publisher.

You would be wrong.

Since 2010 I have dedicated my efforts to becoming a professional writer. It hasn’t been easy and I’ve made my fair share of mistakes. Below you’ll find the first common writing myth I uncovered along the way to publication.

 

MYTH #1…YOU HAVE TO HAVE A DEGREE IN WRITING TO GET PUBLISHED

 

When I first decided to become more serious about my writing I actually thought I would have to go back to school and get a degree in writing before I could call myself a writer. I began looking at different colleges offering courses in writing and quickly realized I didn’t have the money to pursue a degree. Then I checked out other workshops, seminars, conferences, and classes offered to help improve my writing skills…only to realize I couldn’t afford them either. Did that mean I had to give up my dream of becoming published?

No.

It just meant I had to become creative. The first thing I did was go the library and check out all the writing books they had. Then I went to local bookstores and added to my collection. Finally I trolled the Internet, researching different websites and blogs until I had a number of free or inexpensive resources at my fingertips. Finally I actually took the time to read and study what the experts were already showing me about what’s necessary to become a serious writer.

The more I read, the more I began to understand and the stronger my stories became. I learned every story needs an engaging hook to begin with, a strong middle foundation to pull the audience along, and an unexpected ending to surprise, delight, or connect with the reader so it will leave them wanting more. I also learned no matter how good you think you are as a writer, there is always someone better. There will always be opportunities to learn something new and always others generous enough to share their writerly wisdom with you. Your job is to get out there and find them.

Here are just some of the books I have collected over the years…

Author 101: Best Selling Nonfiction by Rick Fristman & Robyn reedman Spizman

On Writing by Stephen King

The Productive Writer by Sage Cohen

20 Master Plots and How To Build Them by Ronald B Tobias

The Writer’s Book of Wisdom: 101 rules For Mastering Your Craft by Steven Taylor Goldsberry

You Can Write Children’s Books by Tracey E Dils

Writing Down The Bones by Natalie Goldberg

Writing For Young Adults by Sherry Garland

What are some of the books or websites you have used in your writing career? Comment below and be sure to come back next week as I uncover another writing myth.

 

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donna

 

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), is now available in eBook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers.

CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL OF READING

Donna L

 

 

Children's Festival

 

Every year, right before school lets out and summer begins, my city celebrates the written word in a big, big way.

The Children’s Festival of Reading has been going on for more than fifteen years and every year 12,000 or more people crowd into World’s Fair Park to laugh, dance, sing, and weave their way through a number of booths honoring books of all genres.

 

tents

 

I arrived at Word’s Fair Park at around 8:30 to find my tent and start setting up. STORY CATCHER PUBLISHING and TAEKWONDO YOUTH ALLIANCE had teamed up to give away free self defense lessons and a bevy of books!

 

student

 

A number of my Taekwondo students had signed up to help at my booth today. This is one of my black belts doing a little “community service” work. If you look closely at the tablecloth, you will discover my little yard sale treasure when I came across someone selling a bolt of “book” designed cloth that was a perfect fit for my display table! My sister doesn’t like being photographed so don’t tell her I snuck this picture in when she wasn’t looking…;~)

 

booths two

 

It threatened to rain all day but never did, so many people braved the potential thunderstorms to come out and have a little fun.

 

panel

names

 

They even had a panel of authors from around the country speaking about their work and the art of writing well enough to become published.

As always, I LOVED all the excitement of this festival and I got a chance to share my two passions…writing and taekwondo…with the many children who stopped by my booth. Now, it’s time to recover from my day in the sun and get ready for my next adventure into the indie world of publishing.

Be sure to check back next week when I talk about the next step in setting up STORY CATCHER PUBLISHING and counting down the days until the ebook release of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound!

 

donna

 

International best selling, award winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, My Journey, My Journal, is scheduled to be released by Expert Insights Publishing in the Fall 2018.