The passive writer

When writing stories, we are all told to write active sentences and avoid the passive ones. But I reckon this mentality can also apply to our personal goals as a writer.

Maybe you wake up one day and realise you have a book inside you that you want to release. You are determined to finish it, publish it and make millions, quit your job and retire to an island paradise.

We all know it doesn’t happen that way. But you can control the first part of it – the writing part. So you write and you write and you write. Then finally you have a manuscript ready for publishing. What you do next will determine if you are an active writer or a passive one. Do you sit around and wait for a publisher to see your work? Do you actively go out into the world and learn more about your craft? Or do you just place the manuscript in the bottom drawer and forget about being a writer?

If you are determined to make writing as part of your life, or make writing as your sole job, then there some things you can do to be an active writer.

Educate yourself

When I moved from journalism writing to fiction writing I found there was a lot more to learn than I first imagined. Since journalism writing is my day job, I decided to take a refresher course to sharpen my skills a bit more. Also, it turns out there are a lot of changes in the industry since I first started. I also took classes online and joined seminars and conferences to learn more about the world of fiction writing. There is so much to know about this industry. Staying home and not doing anything really isn’t an option.

Pick the right events

Just because there is a writing festival doesn’t mean you should buy all the tickets to all the events. You’d end up in debt. I learned this a long time ago. It is best to go through the program and read what it is about then think of whether or not this will help you with your writing. Having said that, consider seminars on marketing too. The industry has changed. Today, authors are expected to know how to market themselves. Going to these events will help give you a clearer expectation on what the industry is really like.

Be bold and connect

Everyone says that by nature, writers are shy little creatures. We write on our own and suffer in silence. We retreat to our hidey-holes. But this won’t help you with writing or marketing your book. Find your courage and meet the people on the panel during events. Talk to other writers. Talk to that author you read a lot and tell them about it. Also, when you finish a book and you really love it, tweet that author or leave a comment on their Facebook page. Email them even. You never know when a tweet or a comment will lead to a piece of advice that could help you.

Put yourself out there. No one will be able to do it for you but yourself.