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Dear Dish-it: I Want to Write

Dear Dish-it,

I want to become an author. My friends say I’m really good – good enough to get published. But there’s one problem: I’m afraid of rejection. What can I do to make my book good enough to get published?

WantingtoWrite

Becoming a Writer

Dear WTW,

That’s great that you have such a wonderful career goal! In terms of fearing rejection, well, that’s just something you’re going to have to work on. If you don’t even try to get your book published, I can guarantee that it never will be published! Better to try and get rejected a few times than to sit back and do nothing at all! This may mean toughening up a bit and bracing yourself for some criticism, but remember – every time someone gives you feedback, you can work on making your work a bit better so that maybe the next person you show it to will agree it’s publishable!

Here are some more tips to help you become a better and better writer … maybe even a published author some day!

Write Away

The best way to become a good writer is to practice (surprise!). Here are a few ways to do that:

Keep a journal. Writing about your daily life may seem boring, but it will help you find your inner voice.
Start a blog! It doesn’t have to be full of secrets (that’s what the journal is for). It should be about something that interests you. Starting a blog is the easiest way to get your writing “out there.” Find other bloggers whose style you like, and ask if they’ll share links with you so both your blogs can get more readers. Soon you’ll have a growing audience of people reading what YOU write!
Find out what writing opportunities exist at your school (Yearbook? Newspaper? Literary Journal?) and join them. You’ll learn a lot!
Got opinions? [kwlink682]Newspapers[/kwlink] sometimes feature kids’ thoughts, so send off a letter to the editor when you’re inspired. After you’ve published a few, talk to the editor about possibly starting your own column about a subject that inspires you.