How does a new writer get started? Where does one go for help?
After college I began attending writers’ meetings, reading how-to books, and signing up for workshops and creative writing courses. A whole new world of possibilities and challenges opened to me. I met talented writers whose backgrounds were entirely different from mine. Some had majored in English, but many had no “formal” training in writing; some had been submitting short stories for years and never had anything published, but they kept plugging away because they loved to write and had something to say. The tenacity of those dedicated writers inspired me to take chances, to learn more meaningful and more personal ways of self-expression. Every new writer ought to join a writers’ group and learn from the combined experience of the members. Go to conferences. Attend workshops.
