Tips for becoming a published author.

Lately I have been thinking deeply about the fact that there are many people with great stories that will never be told. There are also a number of people who have a firm belief that they can't publish a book. They feel that book writing is a preserve of the creative geniuses somewhere making themselves immune to this endeavour. In a few words let me advise you that anyone can write a book. No matter how insignificant your life story may seem to you, it can impact another individual. All 7 billion+ individuals that exist in this world have unique stories. Let me give you a few tips that come to mind drawn from lessons I have gained in my writing journey.

• You never know what you can achieve until you get started. I did not know that I could write books until I started writing. Many books fail to get published because the writer just did not get started.
• When you start writing, do not box your thoughts - let your mind run wild. Let it be a proper "brain storm". Every day you maybe inspired by different things. Today it maybe about Money, tomorrow it maybe about relationships and so on. The trick is to record and immortalise inspiration when it hits you. Do not worry about editing every line that you write as yet.
• Get into the habit of writing daily - Writing is about consistency. Develop a pattern. Give yourself a target and be disciplined to write even 100 words out of the hundreds of thousands you say or think about in a day.
• Be original - Nothing beats the power of a story especially the one you have lived. Many writers fail to start because they are intimidated by books they have read of writers that mystify writing. Just have your own voice, follow your own track and produce something unique. Yes, you can be inspired by other writers but when you write be yourself.
• Have the right motive as you write - You should never write with the aim to make money from your writings. If this is your objective it will influence what you talk about. You are not meant to write to please people all the time. Write with a passion to impact an individual positively. Money becomes a by-product of a well received message.
• Simple is always best - We always think that sophisticated words make great books. The advice I have received over the years is that use Primary School English so that your communication will be understood. If you bog people down with having to carry a dictionary as they read you will not go far in your writing.
• Get help from others - We are usually blind to our own errors hence the need to get others to assist you with editing, typesetting, designs etc if you are going to self publish your work. There is nothing wrong in asking questions. You are better off asking questions to get what you need than grope in the dark. Sometimes the gap between where you are and where you need to be is simply a question.

I hope this article awakens a few more writers than we already have. We can never have enough books in circulation. Share your story, your experiences, your wisdom and knowledge with others and you never know which life you will impact.

You too can be a published author. Yes, you can do it.

To your success!!!