Guest Post: My Top 5 Tips for Writers from Jan Domagala

Guest Post: My Five Top Tips for Writing by  Jan Domagala 

I often think what advice would I give to other writers should they ask, so here, in no particular order of preference are my top five tips.

1, Set yourself a schedule of when to write. There is a train of thought that says that if you pick a time of day to sit down and write it’ll become a daily routine as common as your morning coffee. There is another thought that says what if you’re not inspired to write at that particular time? Do you write anyway and risk churning out rubbish or wait until you’re truly inspired? In my experience there is no ‘best time’ to write. I can feel inspired at the oddest of times and quite often when I’m away from my laptop so waiting until I’m inspired doesn’t work for me. On the odd occasions I sit to write and nothing comes, I read.

The thing is, this process is different for every writer, you just have to find a method that works for you and once you have it’s more than easy to adhere to, it becomes natural.

2, Write; quite simply write what you want. If you have picked a subject, whether it be fiction or not, just write it. Don’t worry about editing or changing stuff mid-flow because that’s the quickest way to stifle your creativity. Let the words tumble out onto the page, you can sort them out into a proper order once you’ve finished and the re-writes and editing begins.

3, Social Media,

Don’t be afraid to use this in all its myriad forms. I find this increasingly difficult to comprehend how a platform like Twitter can be of any use to writers. I also know of some who swear by it. Each platform have their own merits but the one thing that a lot of writers misunderstand about them is, they are not best used to sell their books but to connect with readers. The clue is in the name, social. You have to use it to let your readers know that you are a real person, and are approachable. Once that has been achieved then you’ll increase your sales.

4, Marketing is essential to any writer whether they are self-published or are being handled by a publishing house. In the case of the latter it’s not so much of a worry as the publishing house will have a plan with a team in place to execute it whereas if you are self-publishing it’s something you have to consider very carefully. If you have no experience in this field I suggest you do one of two things; either do the research where you can gain the knowledge required to put a plan into place, or employ someone who has these skills already.

5, If you decide to write a book then write the book you would want to read. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to write for a particular market, that way you will stifle your creativity. Write the book you would read yourself, it may be in a whole new genre, or a cross genre piece that covers many topics, whatever you chose throw yourself into it, body and soul. It won’t be easy but the rewards are beyond your imagination.

There you have it, my top five tips for writing. I hope they help and I wish anyone who is just starting out on a writing career the best of luck.

 

Title: DISCOVERY (A Col Sec Novel)

Author: Jan Domagala

Blurb: Kurt Stryder, the hero of Ronin was still struggling to make sense of the loss of his love, Zara Hardy. At the end of Omega, not sure which direction his life should go, he takes a cruise on the Colonial Queen but even this leads him into further trouble. 

A rich passenger persuades the Captain to take a diversion to the Tartaran Battlefield, once the scene of one of the greatest battles between the Colonial Confederation and the Elysium Alliance. A wasteland of derelict, abandoned husks of the once great starships, it is now home to a colony of outcasts and dregs from every corner of society, known simply as the ‘Outlaws’. 

Kurt is thrown into a deadly race to save as many passengers as possible when the Outlaws attack. Knowing he won’t save them all, he calls for help. 

The Wildfire Team, a new elite unit set up by Col Sec to handle the worst-case scenario, is dispatched to help Kurt. But when they arrive all is not as it seemed. 

A secret is discovered on the planet.  A secret both the Confederation and Alliance alike thought had been buried forever. A secret that could ignite another war between the two Superpowers, should it be revealed. 

Kurt and the Wildfire Team must fight side by side against insurmountable odds to save the lives of one of the richest men in the galaxy, Prince Aswan who was responsible for the situation, and Natasha Garvey, his bodyguard from Col Sec Diplomatic Corp, whilst on the side-lines; the two super powers flex their military might in bluff and counter bluff strategies. 

The discovery of the secret is not the only revelation here, Kurt learns where his path truly lies, whilst Captain Jake Riley, leader of the Wildfire Team learns that some feelings never stay buried for long and General Sinclair finds out that some truths are not what they seem. All this and one final revelation that will shock them all to the core and points to the return of an old enemy lurking in the background waiting to strike once more.

 

Buy: AMAZON

About the Author

Subscribe to Chapter Break posts.