Chuck Hurley Music

Is the writing business like the music/acting business when it comes to age?

If I wanna become a fiction writer, is there a certain cut-off age limit, like 30 to debut my first book like they do in the acting/music industry? I’m 24 right now, & I’ve written fiction & want to continue. Now, I don’t have any books completed, but I have 2 or 3 incomplete novels. I also wanna make anthologies of short stories. I don’t have the money to get anything published right now. & how would I go about getting a publishing agent & editor? How can I become an effective writer? Actually, I’m interested in adult fiction. I’ve heard how people have published their own books without a publishing company. How can I do that?

There is no age limit whatsoever. The limit is simply in writing ability. If you are old enough to be able to write a school report without gross errors then you are old enough. As to the idea of being too old, I can give you a real-life example.

My mother did not write until after my father passed away. She had never finished high school, so she set about to get her diploma, then enrolled in college. Before too long she graduated with an English degree and they had a special graduation ceremony with music from our homeland, as she was the oldest person to ever graduate from that college.

After getting her degree she began to write. She was in her 70′s at that time… –No, there is no upper limit, as long as you can put words on paper in a good flowing story that others will want to read, then you should write.

As to your unfinished stories, don’t feel bad. When I started writing I had tons of unfinished stories for each one I finished. When I began writing (back in high school) I didn’t plan out my stories ahead of time –no outline –no plans for character development. I often had the problem that even when I wrote a story outline ahead of time, as the story developed I made changes, and before I knew it the story was totally different from the original plan.

Nowadays, even when I know what I am going to write, I set up an outline with a cast of characters, information on locations, main plot and several potential subplots. Not long ago (for the last novel I wrote) I went and talked to a couple policemen to get an idea of “proper police procedure”, so I didn’t get it wrong and have my character do something a policeman would never do.

Once I have a bundle of notes about every part of the story I can think of ahead of time, then I start to write the actual story…

Now as I write, even though I think of things that will make a story better, I can still keep to the main plot, since I already have that in my head, and on paper.

I believe you will find that will help you with what you described as incoherent writing and sentences that don’t flow. I am basing this on reading your letter. Your writing is quite coherent and your sentences follow your point well.

If you can write the letter you wrote above, then you can write a story…!

In your actual story you will need to go over it with a spelling and grammar checker before sending it off to anyone, to make sure you don’t use words like “wanna” except in a quotation. When someone is speaking, their words will be the words that person would say, whether that is slang or not. In the narrative, you will need to change ‘wanna’ to ‘want to’. This is just one example. If you have MS Word there is spell & grammar checking built in. I have noticed the grammar suggestions are not always accurate, but at least it will call your attention to places that may be misunderstood or misread and you can make your own decisions. Using the example of “wanna” above, it will flag it as “not in the dictionary” but if you are using it as part of a conversation, and that is exactly what you want the character to say, just tell it to ignore the ‘error’.

Now let me speak about publishing your own books. I am against that idea. The idea is to make money on your stories -not spend your own money to put out a book, which may not sell. If you have a story that is not good enough to convince a publisher or an agent to pursue it, then chances are good that the story has major flaws -or many minor ones -that will mean the public will not buy the book either. You will be out a lot of money for nothing.

I will suggest a trip to your public library and ask them for a book such as “Writer’s Market”. That will give you a listing of agents, publishing companies and so on, as well as give you sound tips on writing for profit and how to submit a manuscript. I am certain you can find similar things on the internet as well.

Individual agencies and publishing companies have different rules on how to submit stories for their approval.

Some will not accept stories or sample chapters unless you contact them first and get approval to send them, while there are others who simply say to send a cover letter and include 2 or 3 chapters with or without an outline… You just have to look at each one individually to see what their submission rules may be. Some are now accepting computer files of stories, while others still insist on the typed-double-spaced pages… “Writer’s Market” is a good choice to look at, as they tell you what each different company or agency wants and will give you a lot of background information you may find valuable.

You said fiction isn’t supposed to be realistic. Let me give you an opinion on that. The story needs to be believable. The most outlandish plot in the world can make a good story IF you set it up right. You must make the reader believe that it is possible. Give them logical plausible ways in which it can happen. Take the Harry Potter stories as an example. The major premise of those books is that magic works. As long as the reader can accept that, you have them hooked. You tell them the way in which it works and set up the “rules” [...like you must have a wand and you must say certain magical phrases.] Make the story believable. I have always had a “wacky” imagination, too, and it serves me well. Nothing is impossible – it is only improbable. Explain your ideas in a way that makes the reader see the possibilities. When you have a friend proof-read a story for you and they say something is “wacky” or impossible, ask them exactly what seems to be. That tells you the part that may need rewritten so it is better understood by the less imaginative readers…

This has gotten rather long-winded, but then, what do you expect from a writer’s group? I only hope that the time I put into the answer was well spent and gives you some of the information you were wanting.

Good Luck with your stories.

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