Questions About Becoming an Author
“How much practice does one need before even thinking of writing a story with a goal to publish?”
How much practice you need depends on where you’re starting out. If you’re starting literally from scratch–as in you’ve never read fiction, never written a story, don’t watch a lot of TV and movies, have never been to a play or musical, don’t listen to much music, don’t read poetry, and are just generally clueless about what stories are and how they work, then you’re going to need a lot of time and practice. However, odds are pretty good you’re a lot further along than that. At the very least, you probably read and wrote fiction in school, and you’ve probably consumed stories via other mediums as well. Maybe you’ve even written poetry, short stories, or fan-fiction. Maybe you’re just one of the lucky few with an innate talent for writing great stories even with very little experience. All you can do is start writing and see where you land.
“Is it possible to write up an outline, a couple of drafts until the final draft, and to start contacting publishers?”
Sure, it’s possible. Will the story get any traction? That depends on how good it is, how timely/on trend it is, who you query, and how well you query.
“Is it enough to just learn from the internet about writing stories - like tips from this blog, for example?”
Advice blogs like this one are helpful, but you do have to actually write in order to get better at writing. It’s also helpful to read fiction if you want to get better at writing fiction.
“I’m considering being an author, but idk how much time I want to "waste” on practicing writing stories I have no interest in.“
What I’m hearing here is "I want to be an author but I don’t want to put in the time and effort to hone my craft,” and that’s definitely not where you want to be. If you think of writing practice stories as a waste of time, you’ll never become a published author. Practice is an essential part of honing your craft, and stories that are never published aren’t a waste. They’re essential building blocks to becoming a good writer.
“How do authors usually do it? Do I have to be a renowned fanfic writer, short story contest writer before? Do I have to have a degree to stand a chance?”
There are many valid paths to becoming an author, but all of them require a commitment to the time, energy, and practice it takes to hone your craft well enough to write a publishable story or book.
Some people become an author after years as a renowned fanfic author. Some become an author after writing in college, or for a publication, or for their job. Some become an author after earning a writing degree. Some people become an author after spending a few years writing stories for practice, and finally writing one good enough to query. You don’t have to do any of these things to be a writer. All you have to do is write until you write something good enough to publish. When you’ll get to that point is different for everyone.
Most writers become authors after spending years writing stories that will never be published. Again, these stories aren’t a waste. They are the stepping stones that got the writer from being a bad writer to being an amazing writer. For the vast majority of us, those stepping stones are a necessary part of the process.
At the end of the day, all you can do is start writing and see where you land. Write a story you’re passionate about and send it to beta readers. See what kind of feedback you get. If it’s mostly glowing and positive, you might be one of those lucky few who has an innate talent for writing. If the reviews aren’t great, you need to try again.
If you’re willing to put in the time, patience, and effort, you’ll get there. :)
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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!
