It goes without saying, but if you want to earn money for your stories then you’re going to need to be a competent writer with a good understanding of narrative structure and character building.
- If you’re not sure how good you are it can be hard getting an honest opinion – family and friends will almost certainly tell you you’re the next JK Rowling – so try and get impartial advice by signing up to a writers’ forum and getting feedback on your work. There are many good writers’ forums out there but you could begin by checking out writingforums. org or The Writers’ Digest forum. If you’re not good enough yet there’s a lot of information online that can provide a good foundation for improving your writing such as writersdigest. com and creative-writing-now. com.
If you’re really serious then you could even take a writing course
…although you’ll probably have to pay for a good one. Still, if it’s a hobby and you can afford it then why not?
- There are many writing courses around and finding the right one for you will simply be a matter of searching through a few and seeing if anything catches your fancy. Remember to research thoroughly before handing any money over. The Writers’ Academy is a good place to start because you can do online courses with top editors, bestselling authors and established tutors – although you will be looking at paying a few hundred pounds. For something a bit special you could check out the Arvon residential creative writing courses. These take place at one of three rural writing houses either in Devon, Shropshire or Yorkshire. You get to surround yourself with beautiful countryside and get lost in your writing with other budding writers for a few days. It is open to people of all ages and of all ability, regardless of experience. As this is residential there is a cost but because the courses are supported by the Arts Council of England and other donors you can apply for a grant if you can’t afford the course. In some cases all the course is covered and nine out of ten people who apply for a grant get some support.
