Sue Welfare offers top tips on getting started and being a writer

As you know, for me, 2012 is all about believing and that’s why I’m running a series of posts from people who have ‘taken the plunge’ or ‘followed their dreams’ or had a ‘now or never’ moment. I’m hoping these posts MIGHT just inspire you to be a bit brave too…

And today, novelist Sue Welfare talks about ‘getting on with it’, about taking that plunge and allowing yourself to write. How many of us WANT to be a writer, but don’t know where to begin? Sue explains…

It’s a really exciting time to be a writer and also slightly scary as the ways to get published (once a very linear and well trodden route) are rapidly multiplying and changing. In some ways it is harder to know which is the right route for you. But whichever way you choose the good news is that people still want great stories to entertain, scare, amuse and inform them. So where are you going to start? Well…

First of all value your unique take on the world. No-one sees things quite like you do. Remember that and cherish it.

Buy yourself a fabulous notebook and pen and keep them with you at all times. When you get an idea jot it down, there and then. Snatches of dialogue, ideas for a plot, a turn of phrase or the outline of a great scene, a quick character sketch – whatever it is, get it down before it gets lost or forgotten.

Make time and space in your day to write – be realistic – better to do ten minutes with a cup of coffee mid-morning than to promise yourself two hours every night when you get home from work, and know damn well it’s never going to happen. Set targets you can meet rather than set unrealistic ones and fail. A friend of mine once said, ‘ Anything over 50 words a day is a bonus.’ She always wrote far more but her emotional success level was set at 50.

When I talk about writing people often say that don’t know how to get started – the simple answer is just start. It doesn’t matter where you start or even what you write to get you started. Think of those first few words, sentences or paragraphs as a bridge into what you really want to write. They’re not for anyone to read except you. Until you have something down on the page you have nothing to work with – once you have, you can decide whether it’s the best place to start, how it needs editing and shaping, and what needs doing to improve what you’ve written.

Read contemporary fiction – you may love the classics, adore Dickens, idealise Jane Austen – and indeed they are fabulous – but the chances are if their work appeared on the slush pile now they would be rejected. Why? Because of the style their books are written in. We’re not talking about the stories here, we’re talking about the way in which the stories are told. If you want to sell in the current market , read what’s selling now. Modern fiction is fast moving, almost filmic and is dialogue heavy. Modern readers, used to jumping from scene to scene on TV or film, are more than happy to follow us as we move between scenes in our stories. This doesn’t make it right or better it just means that currently that is how stories are being told.

Learn how to spell and set out a page properly. Grammar and punctuation are important. There are some great books available on all aspects of creative writing. Grammar, punctuation and spelling are your tools and using them correctly will ensure your reader reads your story as you intended.

Be curious, ask questions; I don’t know a single writer who isn’t fundamentally nosey and curious about the human condition. People will tell you things as a writer they would never dream of telling you otherwise…

Success as a writer is as much about perseverance as talent, and writing is a craft as much as an art ; the more you work at it the more that creative muscle improves.

And finally? Enjoy your writing and your creativity – sometimes when I sit here agonising over a plot detail or making something sound right, I keep thinking how much I love what I do, and thinking that one day a grown up is going to come along and tell me to get a proper job.

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About the author: Sue Welfare lives and works in West Norfolk in the town where she grew up. Sue began writing professionally in 1993, selling magazine and newspaper articles, before moving on to full-length fiction.

Sue has four sons and shares her life with a very understanding husband and a large custard coloured mongrel. When not writing Sue can be found making rag rags or handbags, gardening, cooking, reading, taking endless photographs or singing in her local community choir.

Her latest novel, One Night Only, is available now:

When fading soap star, Helen Redford, goes back to her old home town to make a TV show about her glittering career she catches a glimpse of the might-have-beens that drove her to leave in the first place.

Ex boy friends, old scores to settle, friendships gone sour, chances not taken,and secrets about Helen’s family that have haunted her since she was a little girl.

Will Helen be able to put her past to rest?

Witty, fresh and effortless, ‘One Night Only’ explores the pitfalls of fame, friendship and family secrets. It’s an easy read, down-to-earth in terms of language and characterisation, being both accessible and delightful. ‘One Night Only’ hits an emotional nerve, it catches you unawares, it is a perfect treat.