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Home » Archives for Bob Hostetler » Page 25

Bob Hostetler

Four Ways to Apprentice as a Writer

By Bob Hostetleron March 28, 2018
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One of the things that struck me as I read Stephen King’s On Writing (besides his reliance on the “S” word!) was his depiction of some of his first steps as a writer. Back then, a fiction writer could cut his teeth, so to speak, writing for pulp magazines (Weird Tales, Amazing Stories, etc.), weeklies (Saturday Evening Post, etc.), monthlies (including so-called men’s magazines), and so on, before “hitting it big” with a novel like Carrie.

I’m much, much younger than Mr. King—please believe me—but when I started writing for publication, there were similar steps a writer could climb: Sunday school take-home papers, devotional magazines, denominational magazines, national publications, and so on.

Unfortunately, many of those opportunities—which served some of us as a sort of apprenticeship as we wrote, learned, tried, failed, and sometimes succeeded—are gone today. There just aren’t as many incremental steps to publishing success as there used to be – for crying out loud, some of the publications I wrote for in the past now prefer pieces by Joyce Carol Oates (whatever).

But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to learn, grow, and develop as a writer. Here are three ways to apprentice these days:

1. Read, watch, and learn.

Stephen King refers to devouring issues of Writer’s Digest (which has existed since 1921) in his youth. Today’s writer has many more options. For Christian writers, I suggest not only subscribing to Writer’s Digest but also to The Christian Communicator, which is published specifically for Christian writers and speakers. But wait, there’s more! Aspiring and accomplished writers alike profit from writers’ conferences which offer classes, workshops, editorial appointments, and more (such as May’s Blue Lake Christian Writers Retreat and the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, where you can meet me!). There are also online learning options, such as the Christian Writers Institute (full disclosure: I’m the executive editor, until the boss, Steve Laube, fires me!), which offers 100 audio and video courses for writers at all stages of development. Or the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, which offers monthly or annual subscription options. And, of course, following blogs such as this one and author Edie Melson’s The Write Conversation blog will provide ongoing education and edification for anyone interested in writing and publishing.

2. Write for nonpublication.

A famous writer friend of mine (yes, I have friends, and some of them are famous) once told me that he never really wanted to write and publish anything but novels and novellas. So he decided that he would write his first four full-length novels for his eyes only. He figured that he would gain experience after a half-million words of writing that could then give him skills and confidence to write his first book for publication. And he did. He’s among today’s best-selling novelists.

That took a lot of determination, more than most writers have today (of course, it didn’t hurt that he had a glamorous and high-paying job before becoming a glamorous and well-paid author). But that kind of perseverance will serve any writer well.

3. Join a writers’ group.

Many writers have found great blessing and benefit from joining a writers group. One of the many good things about The Christian Writers Market Guide is the twenty-eight-page, state-by-state index of writers groups it provides. Some host their own conferences or retreats. Others, like the many Word Weavers International groups, provide a friendly forum for Christian writers to critique each other’s work and raise the quality of their writing, month by month.

4. Recruit a mentor.

Another of my writer friends (I keep telling you, I have friends; why don’t you believe me?) made a fast friend at a writer’s conference who was already a well-published author. So she asked the friend to mentor her—to read and critique her stuff, suggest paths and exercises for her development, etc. She has grown tremendously as a writer in a relatively short time, and probably more than if she had spent her time amassing publishing credits in Zombie fiction anthologies.

Writing for publication ain’t what it used to be. But then, even back then, it wasn’t what it used to be. And before that—well, you get the idea. But though the landscape has changed considerably over the years, there are still multiple ways—even more than I’ve mentioned above—to apprentice as a writer.

 

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Category: Career, Encouragement, Get PublishedTag: Apprentice, Get Published

I Couldn’t Think of a Good Title for This Post

By Bob Hostetleron March 21, 2018
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Some writers love to come up with titles for their stories, articles, or books. Some hate it. Some are good at it, some are awful. But we all have to do it, like it or not. A title can make or break a pitch, even though editors will often change our titles. So here are my twelve top tips (try saying that ten times fast!) for titling your tomes: Know your market. If you’re writing for the Christian …

Read moreI Couldn’t Think of a Good Title for This Post
Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Creativity, Get Published, Marketing, Pitch, Pitching, Self-PublishingTag: book proposals, Creativity, Titles

25 Rules for Writers

By Bob Hostetleron March 14, 2018
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Yes, W. Somerset Maugham famously said, “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” But that hasn’t stopped many of the best and/or most famous writers in English from suggesting rules for both fiction and nonfiction. So here is a list of twenty-five of my favorite rules for writers, offered for your contemplation, consideration, and maybe even …

Read more25 Rules for Writers
Category: The Writing Life, Writing CraftTag: Rules, The Writing Life, Writing Craft

It’s Not What You Know; It’s Who You Know

By Bob Hostetleron March 7, 2018
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It is usually said by someone who is not progressing as quickly as they would like in their career. It applies to writing for publication as much—or more so—as in other endeavors. You’ve heard it often: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” It may sound cynical. It may be discouraging. You may not want to believe it. But it’s true. To some, of course, that means everyone else gets the …

Read moreIt’s Not What You Know; It’s Who You Know
Category: Book Business, Career, ConferencesTag: Book Business, Career, The Writing Life

Should I Blog My Book?

By Bob Hostetleron February 28, 2018
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Everyone has heard of bloggers who made it big with a book deal, right? Why shouldn’t the next one be you? I can think of a few reasons. A blog is not a book I know, it seems obvious (but I miss the Obvious Station often enough that I try to at least check there before boarding the Train of Thought). To choose just one example of the difference: blog posts are written for online reading, and tend …

Read moreShould I Blog My Book?
Category: Book Proposals, Career, Get Published, The Writing LifeTag: Blog, blog posts, Get Published, publishing

7 Good Reasons to Self-Publish

By Bob Hostetleron February 21, 2018
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I have mentioned before on this site (here and, most recently, here) that aspiring writers often shoot their publishing futures in the foot, so to speak, by self-publishing a book (or books). I won’t repeat myself again (see what I did there?). Instead, I will talk briefly about the good reasons to self-publish. There are many bad reasons to do so, of course (because no agents or editors seem to …

Read more7 Good Reasons to Self-Publish
Category: Indie, Self-Publishing, The Publishing Life, The Writing LifeTag: Indie, Self-Publishing, The Publishing Life

How NOT to Get an Agent

By Bob Hostetleron February 14, 2018
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It’s a classic writer’s conference anecdote—even funnier because it is true. It didn’t happen to me, but to a friend of mine, who was not only followed into the restroom at a writer’s conference by an avid aspiring writer but was also slipped a book proposal. While in a stall. Free reading material, don’t you know. That’s no way to pitch a book or get an agent. And, though I don’t have nearly the …

Read moreHow NOT to Get an Agent
Category: Agents, Book Proposals, Get PublishedTag: Agents, book proposals, Get Published

The Writer’s Attitude

By Bob Hostetleron February 7, 2018
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Winston Churchill has been credited with the saying, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” That may be nowhere truer than in publishing, and certainly in Christian publishing. The right attitude can make or break a writer. And the right attitude can take a fair writer to places that a gifted writer with a bad attitude can never go. What kinds of attitudes should a writer have? …

Read moreThe Writer’s Attitude
Category: The Writing LifeTag: Attitude, The Writing Life

A Writer’s Best Friend

By Bob Hostetleron January 31, 2018
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If I asked you what you considered to be a writer’s best friend, what would you say? Please don’t say “Wikipedia.” My clients would probably reply, “Bob Hostetler.” But that can’t be everyone’s answer. You might consider “a fine fountain pen” or “a blank page in a brand new journal” to be your best friend as a writer. Maybe the thesaurus is your best friend (ally, associate, buddy, companion, …

Read moreA Writer’s Best Friend
Category: Craft, Grammar, The Writing Life, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Grammar, Writing Craft

Seven Tips for Your Next Writers’ Conference

By Bob Hostetleron January 24, 2018
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I attended my first writers’ conference in 1989. Yes, I am that old. I was a magazine editor at the time, and knew absolutely nothing about writers’ conferences. Since then, however, I have served on faculty more than a hundred times, and have learned a thing or two about writers’ conferences, knowledge that I am happy to impart—for the right price. Today, since we are approaching the height of …

Read moreSeven Tips for Your Next Writers’ Conference
Category: Conferences, Get PublishedTag: Get Published, writers conferences
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