Becoming a Better Fiction Writer by Justin E. Geary

   When I first started writing fiction, I was seventeen and totally ignorant of what was required of being a novelist. I wrote two horrible screen plays that embarrass me now, due to the lack of understanding I had at the time. Writing fiction is a learning experience and over time you will learn what you should and shouldn't do. Here are some tips to help the new fiction writer become better prepared: The first tip is understanding the rough draft. The rough draft should always be yours and yours alone. It should be undisciplined and you shouldn't think about anything but the work. Your instincts will tell you when the story or novel is finished. It might be ten pages, it might be a thousand, it really just depends on the writer and the detail of the work.

   You've written the rough draft. “Now what?” you ask yourself. Now you submit it to a professional editor. Be careful when selecting one because some editors will be looking to retire off of you. Two dollars per double spaced page is more than fair and these editors are as good as the ones with the high price tag attached to them. After your novel is edited, you will receive it back and be full of emotion. You will think that the editor is crazy and doesn't know what they're talking about. You will go through many stages of denial before you realize the truth. Editors are a novelists' best friend and you cannot write a good novel without one. What an editor does is very important in the development of the work. You should almost always take the suggestions of your editor. After awhile you will find that you actually enjoy changing parts in your novel and that the work has evolved into something stronger than before. That's what an editor does, they find the weaknesses in your work and tell you about them. You must overcome your pride and make the changes if you want to write a good novel.

   The editorial process is a long process and can takes months sometimes, depending on the novel's length. You will find that your word count will be cut by a considerable amount. This is good because you will have cut loose a lot of dead weight that is keeping the story from being strong. In writing, every sentence must tell you something new and you should not repeat yourself because the reader will get bored.

   Developing character is something that some writers lack and it is very important because it keeps the reader interested in your work. Try and make your characters different and unique in some way and it will make your writing better.

   After editing is finished submit to a second editor to proofread the work. Make the changes and submit to a publisher.