Many people have emailed me asking what advice I might offer to an aspiring writer. Here are a few thoughts. A lot more could be said, obviously, but I hope you'll find the following useful:
Read, read, read. Read widely and voraciously. Since you're looking at my web page, you probably have an interest in science fiction or fantasy (SF/F). Seek out the best in the field. (Look for my
recommended reading list but only as a start; it doesn't even pretend to be exhaustive.) Read the classics, both SF and other. I wish I'd read more of the non-SF classics when I was in school.
Practice, practice, practice writing. Writing is a craft that requires both talent and acquired skills. You learn by doing, by making mistakes and then seeing where you went wrong. Short stories are a good training ground and an easier market to break into.
If you're wondering about a course to pursue in college, and you think you want a career in writing, choose the school that you think will give you the best all-around experience. Much of what I learned in college I learned outside the classroom. Study what interests you (though it doesn't hurt to get some training for work that pays a salary!). What do you feel passionate about? Pursue it! You don't need a certificate to write; you do need self-discipline and inner fire.
Write from the soul, not from some notion about what you think the marketplace wants. The market is fickle; the soul is eternal.
If you can stand the thought of not writing, don't attempt a career as a writer. It's difficult and often painful. Don't subject yourself to it unless you are driven by a passion for it. If you find this too discouraging, you probably shouldn't aim to be a professional writer. But nothing says you can't be a happy amateur. (Remember, the root of the word "amateur" is
amare, to love.)
Don't plan on making a lot of money from your writing. A survey by The Authors Guild a few years ago found that the average author earned about $4000 a year from his or her writing. That was a general survey, but even in the genres, there are plenty of people struggling--many of them quite good writers. If you make it into print, you are doing well. If you succeed in breaking out commercially, you'll be among the extremely fortunate few.
