One of the things that I had to learn when starting in this business is to always be true to yourself. Always be able to showcase your own voice and don't ever change who you are to fit into the industry.
You also have to have thick skin. There will be a lot of times when readers will not like your work, which made make you become discouraged. Always remember to keep pushing forward and don't let the naysayers get you down. Instead, it should motivate you to strive to where you want to be as an author.
The most important elements of good writing include an excellent storyline and characters that are relatable to readers. As an author, it is wonderful to be able to have a voice and to express your thoughts and feelings to a selected audience. For me, I love to be able to have a connection with readers with characters that are going through real-life situations. Although stories should be an escape from real-life for a moment, it's still good to have that sense of realism and for readers to be able to take something away from what they have read. I hope with each of my books that readers are able to do that.
I started writing when I was nine when I had to do a short story for a school project. I loved writing so much that I turned the story into a full length novel. I began writing as a hobby to express myself, which I decided later to turn into a career six years ago. It has been a huge blessing for me which I hope I can continue doing for years to come.
