Creative Writing for Fun or Profit
Online Writing, Short Stories, and Fiction Books
People write for a variety of reasons. They have a story to share and write for the pure enjoyment of it. Others write to put food on the table. Everyone has a story to tell but most might not know how to get started or might even suffer from writer’s block. There are many ways to get help. One option is to enroll in a writing course, but these can be cost prohibitive. Writing software can be a cheaper way to go.
Type in “Free Writing Software” in Any Search Engine
Writing software can vary from a simple word processor like Microsoft Word all the way to programs that will help with character development and brainstorming. Writing software can also be a bit cost prohibitive, so for those on a tight budget, there are free programs like yWriter. This free writing software breaks the story down by scenes, allowing the writer to move them around at will. It will also keep track of characters among many other things, making the job of writing that much simpler.
Online Writing Has Never Been Easier
There is a wealth of information online, and much of it is free. The best way to gain experience is by writing for online magazines. This provides valuable experience to get more comfortable in constructing sentences and perfecting the craft of writing. Online writing is usually short and to the point. It can vary from informative articles to romance fiction. Writing short stories for blogs is another great way to start. It’s a way to share free stories with others to get their feedback. Constructive criticism always helps writers perfect their writing.
How Long is a Short Story?
Short story writing requires much less plot and characterization than a novel and also allows more room for being creative without having to be too detailed. A short story can start anywhere and end abruptly or it can be one scene in a much longer story. There is much speculation in how long a short story is. As a general rule, a short story is no more than 10,000 words. Some publishers put a minimum word count at anywhere between 1,000 and 5,000 words, but those are not industry standards. A short story can be as short as 50 words. It is basically a small piece of writing that has an intro, middle and an end.
Writing Fiction Books is a Totally Different Story
Fiction books are much longer and more detailed. The word count on books is usually at least 50,000. After gaining experience writing short stories, it should be easier to construct a longer piece of fiction. This type of writing takes more characters and sub plots. Writing software would come more in handy when trying to write a fiction book.
Common problems can occur when writing longer stories. Eye and hair color of characters can change from one chapter to the next. A revolver in one scene can change to a semi-automatic in the next. Daylight can change to nighttime without explanation. Writing software can help the writer keep these details straight to help avoid such embarrassing slip-ups. Of course that isn’t the only way to stay organized. Some writers keep folders of all their characters that they refer to every time a particular character is mentioned. This can become a bit cumbersome, whereas writing software would make it as easy as clicking a button to verify these facts.
Sometimes Writing for Fun Becomes Writing for Profit
It is doubtful that too many people who write for fun intend to write that way forever. It is usually better to build a readership by offering free reads first. Once that happens those readers might be willing to pay for more. Another popular way to make money from writing is by using Google Adsense. Viewers read the short stories for free, but every time they click on a related ad the writer is paid. This isn’t always the best way to make money, but many writers make a respectable living at it.
Getting Published Online
Another way to make money from online writing is to get published by an electronic publisher. Of course, the short story or fiction book must be polished before submitting to an editor. To increase the chances of being accepted, make sure to avoid any of the pet peeves of editors that result in rejected submissions.
The bottom line is to use what works best for each individual writing project. Writing courses and writing software each serve their own purposes. Writing for online magazines has its market as well as writing short stories and fiction books. There will always be readers online looking for something well written and worth their valuable time and/or money.
Online Writing for Profit
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