Writer’s circles are useful if you’re starting out. They bring you into contact with others who love writing. But people who write have vastly different reasons for doing so, and writing for ten minutes to a prompt is an exercise with limited benefits. Reading aloud that piece of dashed-off, unedited writing for criticism, however, is pointless. Editing is KEY to good writing. If you want meaningful advice on your work, join a group of people prepared to read and analyse edited work prior to discussing it. Also, join a group whose members have a similar interest to your own. If the members of any group don’t have a goal in mind, that speaks for itself.

So, here’s the thing. There’s a glut of experts seeking a slice of your income, and a mountain of books, videos, courses and blogs clawing for attention. It’s overwhelming. And time-wasting. The only way to become a novelist is to write a novel. Stumbling to the finishing line as an exhausted non-contender will strain your writer’s muscles. The end product might be really, really bad. The characterisation might be clichéd, the narrative viewpoint confused, the storyline based on coincidence… it doesn’t matter. The only way to learn is to do it. If you get to the end, you will have achieved something HUGE. Your completed work might be a masterpiece. The likelihood is that it won’t. In either event, there will be no publishers clamouring at the door. Selling your product is another issue altogether. But you will have discovered an essential truth: do you still want to write?

If you got that far, you might have discovered other truths. It’s not so easy; the journey is going to be longer than you supposed and full of obstacles. And you will probably have discovered a need to improve. On to the next stage…

There are plenty of people keen to teach you how to write, but they’re essentially after your money, talking the talk, selling the dream. There’s so much to learn, you could spend a fortune and still not get it. So, grab anything that’s free. Watch U-tube videos. Read writing-related books from the library, and buy those that really have something you want to read again and study. Join an online group for reciprocal critiquing. The responses you receive may be wildly opposing. Not all writers who venture an opinion have a clue what they’re talking about, and some have the sensitivity of a walrus; but rummage through the offerings with an open mind, and you will discover snippets of honesty and genuine help. Additionally, analysing the work of others will teach you to see fiction with increased perception.

Don’t pay out for expensive courses too soon. Get your own brain working. Read widely on the subject of writing. Learn the rules. Learn how to break them. Don’t take one person’s advice as statement of fact. When you understand that characterisation drives plot (not the other way around), and narrative viewpoint pulls the reader into your world, the rest will follow. Don’t agonise over prose or themes or symbols – just write the story in your own words, in your own way, and leave profound statements for the armchair experts. Of The Old Man and The Sea, Hemingway said:

No good book has ever been written that has in it symbols arrived at beforehand and stuck in…. I tried to make a real old man, a real boy, a real sea and a real fish and real sharks. But if I made them good and true enough they would mean many things.

[Ernest Hemingway, in 1954]

While you’re learning, write another book. And another. Don’t keep flogging that first book to death with incremental edits; start afresh. By the third book you might be getting somewhere. One day you will go back to your early work and rewrite, edit, or even chuck. But don’t go back too soon. Keep your eyes firmly fixed on the horizon.

And don’t pay someone to line-edit your work unless several beta readers, preferably writers, have confirmed that it’s ready to go to print. An editor will be happy to take your money to grammatise a badly written work, but it will still be a badly written work grammatised. If you have reached a crunch-point in your own career, and want to invest some cash, commission an in depth writer’s report. This will highlight weaknesses in the current work, ie, plot, characterisation, narrative viewpoint, and dialogue. It will also point out weaknesses in your writing: inconsistencies in style, tense, and grammar. The commentary will point out how you can improve the current work, and, if necessary, specifically direct your continuing self-education.

When you’re sure your work is good, but you want it to be superb, that’s the time to seek expert advice or take courses. That’s when you’ll get the most value from your investment.

And as a final tip:  There are some downsides to self-publication (the main one, from a reader’s point of view, being the millions of badly-written books for sale), but there is one huge plus that you can take advantage of, even as a beginner. You can dump your draft typescript into KDP Direct (or a similar platform), and buy copies in paperback form at cost price, which is probably cheaper than printing out a ream of paper at home. It makes the books accessible to beta readers, who might not be willing to sit in front of a desk with double-spaced A4 sheets of type. Don’t be precious about these draft copies.  Ask for them to be filled with scribbled amendments and comments. You can upload amended versions of your work as often as you like, and you don’t have to hit the ‘publish’ button (which would make it visible to the general public) until you are absolutely certain it’s ready; or not at all. In fact, it’s best not to do that too soon, as once it’s published you cannot change the title of the work or the author name, either of which might be suggested by your beta readers. There is an added advantage in reading your own work in this form: mistakes overlooked on the computer screen or the A4 sheets seem to shout louder in the paperback form.

Here are a few books on writing that have touched a chord for me:

Elements of Style, by Strunke and White. Even though it’s 50 years old, and has been dissed by certain literary pedants, it offers some excellent advice on writing dynamic fiction. It has been updated, but the earlier versions can be downloaded as a free PDF.

Monkeys with Typewriters,by Scarlett Thomas.  The title nearly put me off, but the discussion within is profound and educated.

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Browne and King.  Kind of necessary!

Reading Like a Writer, by Francine Prose, ditto.

This is not definitive by any means, there are many books on the subject, some infinitely better than others.

And don’t forget the internet.  One of the best blogs on fiction that I’ve discovered is a series of articles called Writing Insights, by Hugh Howey, who self-publishes with great success. You can find it at hughhowey.com, under his ‘publishing’ banner. However, when he tells you how much money he made, don’t get excited. He got into self-publishing early, and the exponential growth of the industry means that it is an exponentially more difficult market to exploit.