Expert: Susan Rand - 10/3/2006

Question
I have dreamed of being a writer since I was a little girl and consume books at an alarming rate, well alarming to my husband.  I know it will take time to sharpen any skill I might have, but I was wondering what area should I start in first - short stories, grammar classes, or other classes.  I loved english as a student but can't recall all the lessons and never made it to college due to my three lovely children.  I just want to start but not sure where to start.  Well I take that back I know I want to write Christian fiction suspense and romance.

any help appreciated!
Thanks
Kaelynn  

Answer
Hello Kaelynn:

Congratulations for having a clear idea in mind of what you want to write.

A short question is hardly enough to judge anything, but I would say you already have an adequate grasp of the basics. There are three ways you can go: take a course in creative writing (expensive but quick), or undertake a program of self-study (slower, but cheap!) or hire a mentor to help you along the way (I'm available!)

Christian novels, short stories or essays are just like other novels, etc. in one regard: the techniques are the same. Any "how to" writing book you come across is sure to help you in some regard.

Before you start writing, there is some planning to do. If you have never tried fiction writing, it might be best if you start small - not necessarily short stories, but short pieces: bits of that novel you've been thinking about, some character description, a page or two of dialogue, trying to describe a place in an interesting way. Then join a writing group or two and put these short pieces up for critique. The best one I know is worddistillery.com (You will have to cut and paste as this site does not support hyperlinks)- tell them Catty sent you. Those folks know a lot about writing. This should give you confidence to start something, or at least give you an idea where you need to start learning.

When you have critiques on 4-5 pieces, come back here and we will talk about how to get started with some serious work.

I hope this helps. If it does, a nice rating would be greatly appreciated. I am proud of my high score over 800 questions.

And good luck with your writing!