The ability to think for myself and to stand up on my own 2 feet. To not let kids bother me so much (I was bullied). I don't know if I would change too much of that though because that was the reason I got into writing in the first place, I think so I would just make myself stronger
I would tell her that she's on the right path but she needs to learn more about after the writing part is done. She needs to learn how to speak to others, learn how to market those books she's writing and will write. Writing a great book isn't everything you need to know how to do. You need to know how to choose the right marketing words, those pesky keywords, learn how to write the backside of the book, and how to sell "yourself" as the author. The author is the brand, remember that. The books are the products of that brand. Then I would tell her to keep a positive attitude, that her accomplishments will happen and many people will be proud of her.
Every author is going to answer this different. For me, you have to keep the reader captive, meaning the story must be entertaining so they don't want to put the book down. Also, I've heard this so many times it's part of my vocabulary lol, show don't tell so that's important. For me, twists are important. Just when the reader is expecting something to happen, something happens shocking the reader to want to know more. Love that one. Spelling is important, knowing the difference between to, two, and too (and all those other words with different spellings) and know which one to use and when. Also the choice of words matter but use within your vocabulary meaning, you don't want to turn to the thesaurus every 2 seconds to find the right word. That can be a little tiresome. Having one on hand is important though. I could go on so I'll stop here lol.
This is one thing that hasn't happened to me yet but I dream about it. I have had people tell me, my books are really good (I know them though lol). Just hearing people telling me they enjoyed my story puts me in another world so I can imagine if someone did recognize me on the street, it would put me on a whole new level of new world feeling. As long as I'm being read, I'd be happy. Just being able to help someone escape their world is good enough for me. I do want to be recognized though, it'll just take time. I'm ready for it lol.
I am in the process of rewriting some of my older books. They were published under my old pen name and the contracts are expired so I decided to rewrite the stories and republish them under my new name. Cursed Blood and its sequel just to name two. They were good books, I just felt it was time to get all my books under one name. Rebuilding a brand takes time which is something I'm working on.
When I first discovered writing, I knew it was who I was and I had to make it a full time job for me. Writing is now and forever will be, my life. I have 3 children but all my books are my children too. And I plan on having a lot of them lol. It is who I am so yes, it's a full time career for me. I will put in the hard work and keep writing. Did I see this when I was a kid? I really think so, yes. It was the last thing I decided I wanted to be when I grew up.
I thought all writers read reviews about their books. I know I do. The good ones inspire. They tell me I did a good job. The bad ones tell me where I went wrong and I learn from it. Now, there are some people who write bad reviews just because another writer paid them to (it's sad but it is true, don't be that kind of writer). So take it like a grain of salt and don't let it get you down. I don't. I know my books won't make everyone happy, they won't make everyone happy either. That goes for all books. There's always going to be someone who doesn't like my work and I know that. I accept it and move on, I keep writing. But I do love it when someone enjoys my book.
Well, it taught me that I needed to know more than just writing. A lot of people don't tell you that just writing isn't enough. You also need to know how to sell. Most publishers don't market you, you have to do that on your own. So if you're just starting out, learn the marketing skills. Join groups on writing, marketing, and other aspects of the writing life. Editing is very important. Save some money now. It is a good idea to hire an editor. I didn't know that when I was starting out, hiring someone to help edit will help you.
Be sure to live your life too. You can learn as a person and use that knowledge in your own stories. If you like skydiving, one of your characters can too. This gives your stories truth even in fiction. When you're feeling drained from writing, do things that lighten you up like watching a movie, listening to music, taking a nap, etc. Writing is 100%, its also doing research, marketing when you are published, and branding. As a writer, you're the business not the books so be sure to market yourself. Make a lot of friends. It is true about knowing people. When you're published, knowing people can help you get the word out about your books. I hope this helps.
It's funny how I started writing. My grandparents took my sister and I on a trip and we knew it would be a long trip so we brought things to draw with and a lot of paper. As I was staring out the window, a story popped into my head and I began writing it down. Haven't stop and I was 11 years old at the time. I'm 43 years old now and my career is really just starting.
