Make Your Battle Plan To Get Published!
Here’s a lightning review of where we’ve been so far in this course: You only need 3 things to get your novel published:
We’ve talked about each of these in turn. You know what Content is and where you get it and what makes it excellent. You know that developing your Craft is an endless task. And you know that you MUST master your Craft if you’re going to find the Connections you need to get published.
Taking Stock
Everybody is in a different place in life. Before you start moving, it’s a good idea to figure out exactly where you are. Take stock of yourself right now.
How’s your Content? Have you lived life long enough and hard enough and deeply enough to have something to say to the world? If not, then there’s an old cliche that’s right for you: “You need to get out more.” Go live some more life and think about what it means and read some great books.
And what about your Craft? Have you mastered StoryWorld? Do your Characters live? Do your Plots grab your reader by the throat and keep her awake all night? Have you lightened up your touch on Theme so you don’t gag your reader? If your Craft isn’t there yet, then you have plenty of options:
- Take writing classes
- Go to writing conferences
- Buy books on the Craft of fiction
- Listen to audio lectures by master teachers
For you authors wanting to be traditionally published, do you have good Connections? If not, then why not? Is it possible that you still need to improve your Content or your Craft?
Making a Roadmap
Now that you know where you’re at, you still need a detailed roadmap to tell you how to get to where you want to be. I’d love to give you that roadmap right now. Check out my article, Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Author! It’ll lay things out in a lot more detail than I have room to do here.
I wish you all the best in your quest to publish your novel. I was once in your shoes, wondering if I had any talent and whether I was ever going to learn everything I needed to know. It was a long road, but I made it. The reason for my web site, AdvancedFictionWriting.com, and my Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, is to help you walk that road faster than I did.
Godspeed.
Have fun!
Randy Ingermanson, PhD