How to become a truly cool writer. Creative professions: how do they become writers? Steven Pressfield: About starting before you're ready...

Ask others: how to become a writer? What does this require? The overwhelming majority will answer: literary talent. What is talent? Innate data? To some extent - yes. But how absolute pitch does not make a person a musician, nor does natural ability for literature make an author a Master.

If talent were the key factor, then Tolstoy would have written War and Peace at the age of sixteen: why wait if everything is already with you?

The role of innate abilities

Writing ability, or rather, the tendency to express thoughts in writing, is an important, but far from the only condition. Life experience, education and skills play no less a role.

It is impossible to put on skates for the first time and immediately win an Olympic medal. In the same way, it is impossible to sit down at the table and immediately, without preparation, write good book.

The role of training

Many people think that if you read a lot, then this is a guarantee that you can write well. But no one plays the piano after attending someone else's concert; no one learns to draw after looking at an album of reproductions of great artists. The same thing happens in the field of literature: if we want to learn to write, we need to go through a learning stage.

Theory and practice

Like any art form, literature is based on clear rules. Some writers master them intuitively - and this takes years, but the same amount of information can be obtained much faster - from textbooks.

Of course, theory alone is not enough: practice is required. We all start from scratch: we learn letters, put words into sentences, but some people stop developing at the level school essay, and someone goes further.

What is success in literature?

The golden rule of success: each of your works should be better than the previous one. Then sooner or later you will reach your goal - simply because you do not leave the distance. This can be achieved only in one case - if you passionately love your job. Love not just to write, but to grow on yourself and constantly learn new things.

Survival in the art market

The master does not work for money, not for fame - he works out of love. But art always takes a lot of time, and the author has to solve the eternal dilemma: if you earn money, then there is no time to really write, and if you write and don’t earn money, who will feed the family?

What does an aspiring author need to know?

Today the book market is overstocked: there are many more books and writers than it can consume. Therefore, it is incredibly difficult to stand out from the crowd. You will spend years writing the Book of Your Whole Life, you will spend months, if not years, submitting it to a publishing house, and it will be published in a circulation of three thousand copies and will disappear into the flow of books. So iron nerves- absolutely required quality for a writer: there is no other way to survive in this profession.

It would seem that there is little happiness in being published in a tiny edition for ridiculous money. But it is by no means easy for a newcomer to get into print, even if he has an excellent manuscript. The only thing that will help him is knowledge of the publishing market. Then he will act with precise calculations, understanding who and under what conditions can buy the rights to his work.

Extremely important businessman skills. A manuscript is a commodity, and you need to be able to sell it. And not only for the publisher, but also for the reader. If you do not actively promote your work, it is quite possible that only book warehouse workers and a few hundred random buyers will know about its existence.

How can The Writer's Handbook help you?

The Writer's Handbook is something I've learned over 15 years in literature. You won't find it here abstract theories- all advice has been repeatedly tested by experience. My point of view may not coincide with classical literary criticism, but I am not speaking here as a literary critic. My goal is to provide useful information.

Of course, I am not saying that you should write only one way and no other way. The writer's reference book is guidelines that are worth paying attention to, and the author must decide for himself which direction to go.

This site is for those who want to make a career in literature. Those who are in love with their profession, those who cannot imagine life without drafts and original copies. For those who are ready to learn, overcome difficulties and accomplish the impossible.

Many of you have tried literature, at least as a memoirist, but have you seriously thought about a career as a writer? If yes, then you are probably disappointed in her. This profession is one of the lowest paid in the world, in addition, the first steps take a very long time. for a long time, and yet it implies a free schedule, professional self-development and, of course, recognition and love from readers.

How to become a writer? A future as a writer requires a lot of investment, but water wears away stones. Gradual practice and patience can take a toll major success, so why not make the literary field a daily routine? Here are some tips to help you get ahead.

Preparing for work

For successful creative path You need to equip yourself with more than just a word processor or writing instruments. You will also need two dictionaries: explanatory and synonyms.

The language you use to communicate is different from written language, so just because you can speak coherently and beautifully doesn't mean your pen is as skilled. You can use resources to check spelling and punctuation (for example, orfogrammka.ru), but they are far from perfect, so it is better to master all the intricacies of the language on your own. The site gramota.ru will help you with this, which explains the rules of writing using examples.

Where to start and what to continue

Just as any talent begins with education, future writer– is an avid reader. You cannot write a good book without familiarizing yourself with the basics and techniques of literary work and modern trends, and the more you read, the more skilled a writer you become.

To write well, you must understand the essence of literature. Claude Helvetius said: “Knowledge of certain principles easily compensates for ignorance of certain facts.” Anyone who understands the principles can write brilliantly after reading just a few books, but for someone even hundreds of books won’t make them an author. best works peace. It all seems very abstract, but the desire to learn and understand makes any science simple and obvious.

Writing skills require a lot of practice, and for this you need to acquire two qualities - patience and consistency. A real writer understands that the first success can wait for him for several years, and recognition for his merits and all his life, so if you are seriously interested in writing, you must accept this fact. But patience without organized labor is worthless. The soil of future success must be watered daily literary work, and every day of downtime kills the sprout, so writing will be your responsibility. Even the 250-word limit will yield one major novel or two medium-sized novels at the end of the year.

Shape selection

Story (1,000 – 25,000 words)- This small piece, in which main role the idea plays, and the accompanying elements often serve as a barely noticeable background. He is a successor of oral folklore genres, therefore the structure and foundations of this form should be presented as if the author were talking about something in life or adapting long stories for speaking in abbreviations and retelling.

The story pays more attention to the sequence of events than to their description, and the feelings of the characters are most often the result of the events that occurred rather than the accompanying elements of the story. The key role in this form is played by the story, with which the reader must go through the work from beginning to end without hesitation. Meticulous details and crushed storylines only distract from this goal, so the former should be minimized and the latter should be eliminated.

A story (20,000 – 50,000 words) In the Russian tradition, for a long time everything that did not reach the volume of a novel was called, but later it dissociated itself from the story. At the center of this genre is main character(or several, but united in the narrative), the experiences of which are the main task of the author. The writer must create a character whose fate would interest the reader, and this can be achieved by focusing on his personality and feelings. The events of the story unfold over a short general period of time, that is, the plot can last several days in total, but this time can be separated by months and decades.

Novel (30,000 words – unlimited)- the largest and most diverse literary form. If in the two previous genres the author follows a certain writing style, then in such a free form he can realize whatever he wants. The purpose of a novel can be anything - establishing a protagonist, a fast-paced adventure, focusing on small elements for transmission Everyday life etc. The writer himself determines the percentage of certain elements in his work, the main thing is that the narrative is harmonious.

The structures of these forms are very different, so if you get good at writing short stories, this does not mean that you will also succeed at writing long prose, so you better decide right away what genre you will work in. Of course, a writer must master all forms, but at the beginning of his creative journey it is better to concentrate on one in order to succeed in it faster.

Selecting a genre

Exists great amount genres, and a good writer can prove himself in each. The undemanding nature of readers and the mediocrity of performance have shaped certain trends: popular among women sentimental literature and detectives, among men - science fiction and action-packed action films. Whatever genre you work in, there is one rule - good author, who can not only write, but also sell, will be noticed in any case.

Building a Narrative

The skeleton of a modern literary work consists of five parts.

Exposition- This is the starting point of the plot. Here the setting in which the action takes place is presented, the characters are introduced, the events that take place and their circumstances are described, which give impetus to the plot.

The beginning- the beginning of the plot. Involves an event or conflict into the reading process.

Development– the stage that contains the essence of the action. The author can develop existing material or introduce new storylines that should connect the two previous parts of the work with the subsequent ones.

Climax- this is the result of a development in which the growing and more complex elements of the plot led to a certain turn. Think of development as a time bomb. The culmination will be the last seconds during which it can be neutralized.

Denouement- these are zeros on the timer. The author heated up the atmosphere of tension, which is released as a result, in solving the entire problematic of the work. The climax cannot last forever, so it needs to transform into the new kind energy, and there are only two of them - satisfaction or disappointment, and the proportions of these energies depend on the skill of the writer.

If you are applying for publications, these elements must be carved into tablets of stone. The competition in the literary market is prohibitive, so first of all, your book must be a product that people want to buy, and for this it must captivate from the first pages and maintain interest until the very end. Jokers and cartoonists point out that rare classic will be able to be published in our era, so there is no need to appeal to Tolstoy and Hugo. You must be interesting to everyone, and everyone is a modern mass reader who has been brought up by new artistic orders.

Knowing of limits

There are too many narrative elements to list, and besides, this is unnecessary, because you will learn them yourself during reading practice, so let's return to the principles, one of which is a sense of proportion. If you choose a brisk pace, don't dedicate half a page to each description as if you were living in the 19th century and getting paid by the word, and don't deprive characters of attention if you're writing a long one. psychological novel. In descriptions and details, in the number of characters and the problems of their relationships, in plot twists and development branches - there must be a measure in everything, so if it was not observed at the time of writing, this is corrected by editing. Johannes Brahms said that crossing out extra notes is more difficult than composing music, and this the main problem author. A writer must look at his work with a reader's eye and without regret discard everything superfluous, as if he were criticizing someone else's work.

Working with a publisher

The book ends the last word, but not a manuscript (hereinafter – an electronic version of the book!). You need to edit it carefully before sending it. Your work is a rug on which every mistake is embodied in a stain. Would you buy a dirty item? The editor thinks so too. The first thing you need to understand when preparing your manuscript is that proofreading is your job! Disdainful attitude to the rules of writing can lead to the fact that the reader simply does not want to skip the manuscript. Perfect spelling and punctuation are evidence that the author treats his work responsibly.

After reading the book five times and making all the edits, you look for a platform for publication. On the websites of many publishing houses there is a button called “For Authors” or “Publish a Book”. Please read everything on this page carefully and do exactly what is asked of you! If you think this is meaningless advice, your manuscript is destined to receive a silent rejection before reaching the editor's eye.

After carefully reading the information, you begin writing the letter. Keep in mind that you are not talking about an “immortal masterpiece,” but about a product, so present your thoughts briefly and without familiarity. General form the appeal is:

“Hello (if you know the editor’s name, use his first name)!

Allow me to offer your publishing house the novel “On the Road!” The work tells the story of how two bears got drunk on the owner's vodka, drowned a tractor in a pond, and it was all Chubais's fault.

Title: On the road!

Genre: Romance / Fairy tale (for the little ones 18+)

Synopsis (very brief retelling): you convey each of the previously described 5 points of the narrative in 1-2 sentences + those ideas on which you focus.

Address: country, city, street, apartment

Email: [email protected]

Phones: mobile and home with country and city codes.

Sincerely,

Anton Tolstoevsky"

You attach to the letter in separate files: a synopsis, a detailed synopsis (1-4 pages), a letter with information and duplicate it into a file with the work on the first page. In the footer of the work itself, indicate your name and email, number the pages, design the chapters with navigation headings, set the spacing (6 before and 6 after) and indents (2-3 cm).

There is no need to be interested in the fate of the manuscript after sending it, this only distracts the workers. If the editor deigns to give you advice, be sure to thank him, but without questions or requests. By refusing, the publishing house does not respond!

It is possible and necessary to send your manuscript immediately to all publishing houses that you find. Several offers are a choice the best conditions, the main thing is to take into account the prospects: 6 percent of a large publisher is more than 12 percent of a small one, but perhaps less profitable than 9 percent of an average one. By the way, you can’t hope for more. Payments for new authors do not exceed 12%.

Most only accept original, unpublished material. It is curious that Eksmo considers the popularity of a work on the Internet to be a plus, so be extremely careful here, besides, the manuscript can simply be stolen.

Greetings, Dear friends. Today we’ll talk about how to become a writer and where to start. I know from myself how difficult it is to take the first steps without falling into a quagmire of doubts. In this article I have collected the most practical tips. By using them, you will achieve success faster than expected.

Where to get inspiration

Many aspiring writers complain about the same thing: they put Blank sheet paper and... chewing on a pencil for hours - “What should I write about?”

Inspiration doesn't come out of nowhere. He always needs to be “fed.” And, thank God, there is plenty of food: a book read, a film seen, a conversation heard... By the way, Dostoevsky drew inspiration from crime chronicles, Tolstoy - from salon gossip.

Nowadays it’s even easier: just turn on the TV, go online or ride on public transport to “fish out” a topic for thought.

Focus

When you notice something interesting, don't just rely on good memory. Carry a notepad and pen with you. Many authors are belatedly annoyed: having lifted their inspired fingers over the keyboard, they realize that important details missed or simply not remembered.

Always be fully prepared. Imagine a hunter who has discovered his long-awaited prey: he sees the target right in front of him, his hand is already reaching behind his back to quickly grab his weapon and... it turns out that he left his bow and arrows at home.

You can write down anything: a random conflict, unexpected phrases, bright characters... The ability to notice details will become a very useful writing habit.

Instead of a notepad, you can use your phone and take notes there.

Practice and more practice

Can you imagine a way to build muscle through sheer force of will? Are you smiling? You're doing the right thing. It is clear that the figure is made with dumbbells in hands, making specific efforts.

So it is here. Just lying on the couch and dreaming about an unborn book will not work. To become a writer, you need to start writing. The truth is as old as time, but still just as true.

Get into the habit of writing every day for at least an hour or two. Even if you don’t have a ready-made plot in your head yet. Just describe what you found interesting during your day. Very often, such small notes become an inexhaustible source for full-fledged stories.

A little about the complexes

Surely you have heard many times that only an exceptionally literate person can become a writer. Do you agree with this opinion?

“How will everyone see my mistakes? - the aspiring writer reflects, - Nooo, I’d better first re-read the textbooks on grammar, style and punctuation, practice the exercises, work with a tutor, get a bachelor’s degree in philology...”

Of course, you need to learn to write correctly. Even seasoned and seasoned writers learn. They study all their lives! Because there is no limit to perfection.

Most quick way Learning to express thoughts competently means writing them. And when in doubt where to put a comma, today there are many reference books and free online services at your service. You can, in the end, contact the editors (but this is no longer free, of course). A freelancer search site is also always at your service, where you can find a proofreader at a reasonable price.

Get a special notebook and write down your mistakes so you don’t repeat them next time. A little patience - and literacy will become your integral quality.

And read, of course. Read the texts of those who already master the skill of eloquence. You will be surprised how quickly your own speech will become rich, multifaceted and correct.

Do we need to reinvent the wheel?

The first story or book is rarely successful right away if there is no one to support and direct enthusiasm in the right direction. Lacking sufficient experience and skill, young authors first begin to write, then realize that they did not take something into account in advance, rewrite huge chunks and even abandon everything halfway through.

Ready-made techniques, polished by experienced teachers and tested in practice, help to overcome such torment. They become a compass that will not let you go astray. There is nothing incomprehensible or complicated in the process of creating a book. Follow the diagrams and go ahead! Only the heels (sorry, the arms) sparkle on the path to success.

In my courses “How to quickly write a book”, in just one seminar, all the wisdom of planning and step-by-step creation of a work of any size is explained. (You can see more details).

What else can confuse you on the path to fame?

Online projects are good because they allow you to quickly track reader feedback. An aspiring writer does not need to languish for months in uncertainty to hear opinions about his work.

Don't be afraid of criticism. The fear of public discussion fetters the novice author, forcing him to put what he has written on the table. Feel free to go “in public.” This is the only way you can become famous today. Or are you waiting for the manuscripts of an unrecognized genius to be dug up by descendants? 🙂

Connect with your readers. You will quickly understand what qualities you need to improve as a writer. It is clear that not all criticisms turn out to be justified. But some of them can become an invaluable “kick” to perfection.

You need to be afraid not of criticism, but of groundless flattery, which lulls vigilance and the desire to develop.

Let's sum it up

Writing is a set of certain skills that can be mastered by observing those around you, constantly practicing writing, and improving your speech. And of course, it doesn’t hurt to master the technique of quickly structuring works.

Each of the listed points will definitely be discussed in more depth on this blog. Subscribe to the news so you don't miss interesting discussions.

Now read about that, and if you already have a manuscript.

When George Plimpton asked Ernest Hemingway, whom he interviewed in 1954, what it took to become a good writer, Hemingway replied: At first, a man who is serious about becoming a writer will want to hang himself, because actually being a writer is terribly difficult. . But, if he has not done this, and he is really obsessed with the thought of this work, he must become ruthless with himself and force himself to write as well as possible for the rest of his life. And, besides, he will already have a story about how he almost hanged himself at the beginning of his life. writing career.

To date writing is more relevant than ever. If in Hemingway's time this was an activity for the elite, now it is an activity that affects us all to one degree or another - through e-mail, blogging, social media. This is the primary way to validate, communicate and optimize our ideas. As essayist, programmer and investor Paul Graham wrote:

When we write, we don't just communicate our thoughts, we develop and modernize them. If you're a bad writer and don't enjoy doing it, you'll lose most of the ideas that would come to you in the process of writing down your thoughts.

So what can we do to improve our writing abilities without going so far as to try to hang ourselves? Below you will find 25 quotes from famous and incredibly talented authors. While they all focus on the writing profession, most of these tips apply to any kind of creative work.

1. Phyllis Dorothy James (PD James): About sitting down and getting things done...

Don't plan what to write - just write. It is only when we write, and not when we dream, that we develop our own style.

2. Steven Pressfield: About starting before you're ready...

Doubt knows that the longer we warm up before we begin, the more strength and we will need time for active actions. Doubt likes it when we hesitate and when we prepare too carefully. Tell him: we're starting!

3. Esther Freud: About finding your own regime...

Find a time during the day that works best for you to write, and write. Don't let anything else interfere. You shouldn't even care about the mess in your kitchen.

4. Zadie Smith: About the shutdown...

Work on a computer that is not connected to the Internet.

5. Kurt Vonnegut: About finding a topic...

Find a topic that you care about and that you think others care about. It's this genuine excitement, not just a play on words, that will be the most magnetic and engaging in your style. I'm not forcing you to write novels, but it would be nice if you wrote something that really excites you. Write a request to bury a ditch in front of your house on behalf of all residents or a love letter to the girl living next door.

6. Marin McKenna: On organizing thoughts...

Find a scheme for organizing your notes and materials, stick to it (if, for example, you write something down by ear, don't be lazy and write everything down) and trust that your scheme is the best of all. From time to time you may feel that there is more suitable methods solutions to your problems. Whatever they are, beware of rash use unless 1) they have been recommended by people whose methods you know and share their views on the work and 2) you do not know how quickly, easily and without negative consequences deal with them. Reorganizing the way you work is incredibly tempting, but it takes a lot of time.

7. Bill Wasik: On the importance of a presentation plan...

Perfect your presentation plan and then implement it. You can modify it as you go, but don’t try to improve the structure on the fly—think it through first, and then start writing. Your plan will get you through even those stages that seem impossible, because your plan is consistent, easy-to-follow actions in 1,000 words.

8. Joshua Wolf Schenk: About the first mastered draft...

Write your first draft as quickly as possible. Before you have a draft, it is difficult to understand the image of the future. In fact, when I was writing the last page of my first first draft of The Melancholy of Lincoln, I thought, “Oh, now I know the image of what is to come.” But before that, without exaggeration, I spent years writing the first third and reworking it into the first half. There is an old, well-known rule for a writer: you need to have courage and allow yourself to write poorly.

9. Sarah Waters: About discipline...

When you write, be aware that this is work. Many writers have their own production standards. Graham Greene was known to write 500 words a day. Jean Plaidy managed to write 5,000 before lunch, and then spent the day answering interesting letters. My minimum is 1,000 words a day. Usually this minimum is easily achievable, although to be honest there are times when things are hard to degenerate, but I will still sit at my desk and try to reach my minimum because I know that by doing so I am getting a little closer towards your goal. Those 1,000 words can be poorly written, and that happens a lot. But, nevertheless, it is always easier to return to something poorly written and make it better than to write from scratch.

10. Jennifer Egan: It’s bad to write about consent...

Agree to write really badly. Don't let this bother you. It seems to me that there is something primal in the fear of writing badly, like: “This bad comes from me...”. Forget about it! Let it come out and good things will follow. For me, a bad start is just something to build off of. It is not something important. You need to give yourself permission to do this because you can't always write well. It's the same thing when people expect their lives to only be good moments and this is where it comes from creative crises. When you can't write well, allow yourself to write poorly... I had a hard time writing The Watchtower. It was terrible! The working title for the draft was A Short Bad Novel. But I thought that I still shouldn’t leave him.

11. Al Kennedy: About fear...

Be fearless. Yes, this is impossible, so from time to time give in to small attacks of fear and rewrite, but not much. But put aside the all-consuming fear, and, struggling with it, write, perhaps guided by this struggle. But if you let fear in, you won't be able to write.

12. Will Self: About what has been done...

Don't look back at what you've already done until you've finished writing your draft. Just start each day with the last sentence you ended the previous day with. This will stop the feeling of frustration. You'll know you've done a lot of the work before you even get to the point. This main thing is... editing.

13. Haruki Murakami: On developing the ability to concentrate...

In personal correspondence great writer detectives Raymond Chandler once admitted that even if he didn’t write anything, he still sat down at his desk every day and concentrated. I understand why he did this. In this way, Chandler developed professional writing endurance, which spurs willpower. He could not do without such daily training.

14. Geoff Dyer: On the power of multiple projects...

You need to have several ideas that, if necessary, you can immediately use. If these are two ideas, one of which is to write a book, and the second is to mess around, then I will choose the first idea. But if I have ideas for two books, then I have a choice. I always need to know that there is something else that can be done.

15. Augustin Burroughs: About who to spend time with...

Don't surround yourself with people who don't like what you write and don't support you in your writing. Make friends with writers and create your own community. Such a literary community is likely to be successful and your friends will correctly respond and constructively criticize your writing. But actually, The best way to become a writer is to write.

16. Neil Gaiman: About reviews...

When people tell you something is wrong or isn't right for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.

17. Margaret Atwood: About the second reader...

You will never be able to read your book with an intact perception, which begins with savoring the first pages of a new book. After all, you wrote it. You were behind the scenes. Have you seen how a magician hides rabbits in a top hat? Therefore, before submitting what you have written to a publishing house for evaluation, ask a friend, or better yet, two friends, to look at what you have written. Just don't give it to the person you're in love with, otherwise you might end up losing your love.

18. Richard Ford: About someone else's fame and someone else's success...

Try to take other people's successes as an example for you.

19. Helen Dunmore: About when to stop...

Finish writing when you still want to continue, and continue the next day.

20. Hilary Mantel: About creative crisis...

If you get stuck, get up from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, sleep, bake a cake, draw, listen to music, think, do exercises. Do something other than sit at your desk and waste your time trying to solve the problem. But don’t chat on the phone or go on a visit, because otherwise you will absorb other people’s words instead of your own ones that have not yet been found. Open up space for them, leave room for them. Be patient.

21. Annie Dillars: About things that get out of control...

Work is a process that quickly gets out of control. He can become unbridled... turn into strong lion. You must tame it every day and reaffirm your dominance over it again and again. If you miss even a day, you will probably be afraid to open the door and go in to him. You must, without showing fear, approach him and shout “Halle-op!” command him.

22. Cory Doctorow: On how to write when it’s hard...

Write even when everything around you is a mess. In order to write, you don't need cigarettes, silence, music, a comfortable chair or just a calm environment. The only thing you really need is something to write with and ten minutes of time.

23. Chinua Achebe: About doing your best...

I think that, in fact, to a good writer there is no need to tell him what he should do. Unless he continues in the same spirit. Just think about the work you need to do and do it to the best of your ability. One day you will truly be able to do all that you are capable of and after that you can put your work on display. But it seems to me that this, to a large extent, cannot apply to beginners. They're writing their first drafts and want someone to tell them how to finish them. I try to avoid giving such advice. I say: “Keep up the good work!” I came to the conclusion that no one could give me advice and that everyone who tries will succeed one day.

24. Joyce Carol Oates: On Perseverance...

I forced myself to start writing when I was completely exhausted, when my soul seemed to be leaving my body and it seemed like I wouldn’t be able to survive the next five minutes... and, one way or another, what I started writing changed everything. At least it seemed so to me.

How you write a book is how you write it. Pen - useful tool. And if you print, that's good too. Continue filling the page with words.

People read books, sometimes experiencing interest, and sometimes delight. Other literary works are quickly forgotten. Sometimes stories and novels remain unread. But in any case, the author, whose name is printed on the cover, seems to be a romantic person. To an ordinary person who goes to work at nine o'clock, it often seems that this is an enviable lot - to work when you want, not to listen to the boring comments of your boss, to receive big fees and live in a special world where fantasies reign and conflict fictional characters and happen mysterious events. In order to get there, you need to know how writers become. But the writers themselves are in no hurry to share this secret of theirs, although in words they seem to be hiding nothing.

If you can, don't write

When sitting down at a desk, everyone who has chosen literature as a profession must remember this responsibility. But it is not enough to make this choice yourself; the love for art must be mutual.

The writer is also the reader

It is very difficult to pick up a fountain pen or sit down at a computer keyboard one day and try to express in letter format the totality of surging feelings. Everything interferes and distracts, words are difficult to fit next to each other, thoughts seem hackneyed and all the time there is a feeling that someone has already written this. There's nothing wrong with that, especially if new author I read a lot myself. Beginning writers often immediately want to become Dostoevsky or Chekhov, but not everyone succeeds. In this sense, it is interesting to observe the metamorphosis of Anton Pavlovich’s consciousness, which can be traced in his writings from the first volume to the last. From “Letter to a Learned Neighbor” to “The Bishop” there is “a distance of enormous size” (as another classic puts it). A more encouraging effect comes from reading contemporary writers, but not everyone can stand them for long.

Hateful commercial issue

The great Russian poet spoke about inspiration and a manuscript that can be sold, and it’s hard to disagree with Alexander Sergeevich on this. But in our age of continuous marketing and management, supply significantly exceeds demand. Not all aspiring writers listen to the aforementioned advice about not taking up the pen unless absolutely necessary, which is why all editorial offices, without exception, are overwhelmed with manuscripts most of which are doomed to oblivion. A talented author will need the main thing personal quality For any person - patience. At the same time, you need to remember that the book should be interesting. Publishing houses are commercial enterprises, their goal is to make a profit, their products must be sold. Before sitting down to the table, you should soberly assess the reading potential of your future work and draw up a psychological portrait of a possible reader. Managed? Happened? Then let's get to work!

What to write about?

Which fiction are you reading today? It is believed that in every publishing house There is a specialist who knows the answer to this question. His job title is publisher. Theoretically, he can predict the speed of sale of the circulation, its volume, in other words, what determines the “commercial potential of the product.” Probably, publishers often make mistakes, but it is very difficult to verify this.

Children's writers are rare in our time; it is not for nothing that books by Suteev, Nosov, Prishvin and many other classics of the genre endure numerous editions, and the demand for them does not fall. The most popular genres are melodrama, detective, mysticism, fantasy and some others that fall under the definition youth culture. Today they are read by housewives (not all of them, of course), students and Soviet-era intellectuals who have not been killed by the perestroika-shootouts of the last two decades. Modern writers, if they want to become famous, simply must take this fact into account when choosing the stylistic direction of their works. They must create for their readers. There will be no others, and even these are becoming fewer and fewer...

How to write

All our fellow citizens went to school. This means that everyone can read. And write too. But this does not mean that the profession of a writer is publicly accessible. This needs to be learned, it is an art. And like any art, it consists of two main parts - talent and craft. There is also a third ingredient - labor, but more on that later. You can dream of being creative since childhood, especially if you have the ability. But where to study to be a writer? The answer to this question seems obvious: of course, at the philology department! The teachers there certainly know how to express thoughts! Yes, they do, but most often about how not to. Graduates of literary departments have an excellent command of theory, know how to correctly compose phrases, and are familiar with the rules of linguistics, punctuation and, of course, spelling. That is why, apparently, they themselves most often do not write anything.

Non-professionals

And the writers of the past, and modern writers, as a rule, come to art from completely different professions. Detectives are composing former employees law enforcement agencies, melodramas are created by teachers or engineers. Chekhov was a zemstvo doctor, and Tolstoy was an officer. Does this mean that they did not learn a trade? Not at all. They simply comprehended its subtleties, not sitting at a student desk, but in completely different places. Self-education - best view education. There is a special conversation about how writers become today. Literature has become a business, not everyone is allowed into it, and the criteria are not always artistic merit works. But Ivan Shmelev spoke about the old times. “How I Became a Writer” is a story filled with humor, but it also has very serious moments. It truthfully describes the first semi-children's “creepy” story, the fee received of 80 rubles (quite a decent amount for those times) and his own name on the treasured page of the Russian Review, which seems alien. It is clear to the reader that since the events described, much water has passed under the bridge, and many changes have occurred in the author’s worldview.

About words, living and dead

Typically, work on literary work starts with an idea. There are moments in every person's life that deserve to be talked about. Not everyone has a need for such a presentation, but if there is a need, it is worth thinking about the technical side of its implementation. How writers become can be judged by what they are required to be able to do. Firstly, there is such a thing as a good syllable. It presupposes compliance with certain rules, among which we can mention various fairly formal points and the most common mistakes, allowed by novice authors (for example, in the case of the hat that fell off while “driving past station N”). As a textbook, you can use a good book, “The Living and the Dead Word,” written by Nora Gal.

There is also such a thing as originality. It manifests itself in the peculiarities of the characters’ speech and their recognition. A woman speaks differently in life than a man; the dialect of a villager differs from the speech of a city dweller. However, there must be a measure in this, otherwise it will be difficult for the reader to understand the text. Good taste and the fascination of the narrative will give the book undoubted merits, and in this case it will become loved by many.

Descriptions of some professional moments sometimes require deep knowledge. For example, the actions of a pilot at the controls cannot be described by the author if he himself has never flown an airplane. Lack of professionalism is immediately visible, so it is advisable to avoid such moments so as not to become a target for fair criticism. However, it is also not worth distracting the reader with highly specialized questions, unless, of course, you are writing a work of art and not a textbook.

Preliminary criticism

Every author thinks that with his work he has made humanity happy, and this is completely normal. After all, it would not have been worth taking up the pen otherwise. Another question is to what extent the opinion of a young (not necessarily in terms of age) writer corresponds to objective reality. Not everyone has the talent of a writer, but you can determine its presence by letting you read your own opus different people. It should be borne in mind that good acquaintances, friends and faithful buddies are rarely able to say cruel words like “you, brother, are mediocre,” or “old man, you wrote a story that is boring to the point of yawning.” Therefore, it is best to opt for those readers who to a greater extent free to express opinions. Great option - school teacher literature (and an excellent reason to visit a teacher, especially on Teacher’s Day or another holiday). The problem is that she doesn’t always have time, but if the author showed success in her subject at one time, she will certainly read it, and even with a red pencil in her hand, and this is invaluable help. There are also work colleagues (if they are not subordinates, of course). In general, the author holds the cards here; he knows better who can be a preliminary censor and who cannot. And you also need to be a psychologist to understand whether the reader liked the work or not. Our people are cultured, even too...

About volumes

Writing a couple of stories is not all. We can say that this is nothing at all. Before you become famous writer, you'll have to work hard. This means that only the writer who can offer the publishing house a full-fledged book, or preferably several, has a chance of publication. And this is a dozen and a half printed sheets(each approximately 40 thousand characters with spaces), up to half a million characters in total (different publishers have different requirements). Two or three short stories can be published in an almanac, but publishing an independent book in this case is out of the question. Therefore, you need to be patient and work, and without a 100% guarantee of success. Another reason to think about whether it is necessary to make such sacrifices...

How to achieve mastery

Any skill is achieved through exercise. Variety performers They believe that singing in restaurants is an excellent vocal school. For an aspiring writer, journalism or copywriting can become such a crucible of skill and professionalism. The ability to coherently express one’s thoughts in the form of text becomes a habit bordering on automatism. An experienced article writer will never use the same words in adjacent sentences (unless special welcome), will pay attention to stylistics, maintain the rhythm of the narrative and at the same time develop his own style, characteristic of every original writer. These skills are very important, they will come in handy when creating works of art, regardless of genre.

How to publish a book?

And so the book was written. The last doubts have passed, I want to publish it. The author is already in general outline he knows how others become writers, and he wants to try it himself. It seems quite natural to want to send a manuscript to some publishing house, and the hope for a positive decision from the editors regarding publication is just as justified. Novikov-Priboy, Jack London and many other Russians and foreign writers did just that. They received fees, at first very modest, and then quite serious. O. Henry, for example, published his first stories while in prison.

But the experience of past centuries is not yet a reason for excessive optimism. The manuscript is considered for a long time, and very often the answer contains a standard text stating that it is “not of commercial interest.” Should I be upset about this? Of course, it’s a shame, but you shouldn’t fall into despair. In the end, the publishing house is understandable. Book printing is a business, that's all business people do not want to invest money in projects that have dubious financial prospects. And printing these days is not a cheap business.

The path to fame is tortuous and difficult, but chances to overcome it still exist. Firstly, there is more than one publishing house in our country. And secondly, you can achieve success in another way (if you are confident that the book will be a success among readers). The advantage of our time is that, having spent your money, you can print everything, choosing the cover, format, and illustrations yourself. If you need the services of an editor, you will also have to pay for them. By the way, many Russian writers in the past were published for the first time in own funds. There is nothing wrong with this approach. In addition, if you are lucky, you can find a sponsor who will pay for the printing services. In case of success, it would be useful to return the money spent to him, and even with interest, because by laying out “hard-earned money”, a person (or organization) is taking a risk. At the very least, it is worth stipulating the terms of sponsorship in advance.

It is best to choose a publishing house that has its own network of bookstores, otherwise a situation may arise that leaves many aspiring authors in awe. The writer gets big mountain packages own works and doesn't know what to do with them. In this case, you have to independently engage in the sale of literature, negotiating with trading organizations about sales. There may be a lack of experience; in addition, many stores are accustomed to working with their own suppliers and sometimes refuse cooperation simply so as not to confuse the accounting department. In general, there are many difficulties, and most importantly, you have to overcome them on your own.

New opportunities

Modern writers have access to means of achieving fame that the great writers of the past did not have. Every day, in any weather and almost around the clock, hundreds of thousands, and possibly millions, of people sit in their houses and apartments and search the Internet for something interesting to read. On specialized sites, any person who considers his work talented can present it to the general public. A novice writer should not immediately think about a high (or any) fee, so there is an easy way to evaluate success own creativity, publishing your opuses on some popular page completely free of charge, counting on reviews. Once you are convinced that the reader is interested in the work, you can try to sell the manuscript on paid sites.