There aren’t any reality shows about finding America’s next top writer.  And I’m not saying there should be.  I know that my writing process—sitting in front of a computer silently willing myself to focus instead of Google ex-boyfriends from college—wouldn’t make scintillating television programming.  But still, without a Simon or Tyra barking directives from the television, an aspiring author might feel left in a lurch when it comes to launching a career.  So, Lindsey asked me to write some tips on starting a writing career.  And while this is a tough request as there’s no one path to follow to writing success or specific way to guarantee getting published, there are a few writerly must-do’s when you’re getting started.

1. Write. Writing is a pretty huge part of being a writer.  That sentence might read stupid obvious, but it’s a fact that writing’s easy to talk about and hard to do.  Having a book idea or writing aspirations is one thing, but churning out the pages to back those ambitions up is a completely different thing.  So put your fingers to the keyboard, pen to the page, or quill to the parchment, and get writing.

2. Share. As hard as writing is, sharing your writing can be even harder.  But you can’t get published if your work never leaves your hard drive.  So, don’t be afraid of other people’s eyes on your words or editorial feedback.  In fact, you should seek it out.

3. Read. Read as much as you can, and not just from the genre you’re writing.  Read everything from literary memoir to paranormal romance to the instructional poster about hand washing in your dermatologist’s office.  Inspiration and influence comes from everywhere and seeing how others are practicing the craft can be very motivational.

4. Toot. Toot your own horn because, to paraphrase someone famous and philosophical, if you’re not tooting your own horn, who is?  Let people know that you’re not just a writer, but an awesome writer.  Tell the world how funny/poignant/lyrical/thrilling your work is.  How else are they going to know?

5. Live. Writing is important, but so is having something to write about.  A story about a guy who stares at his QWERTY keyboard for eight hours a day and limits his social interaction to the pizza delivery guy and his cat isn’t going attract that many readers.  So get out there and learn and do and see, so you have a base of experiences from which to write.

Hope this helps and inspires writers out there.  And I’ll leave you with this insider secret: never underestimate the power of switching fonts to WingDings when you’re up again writer’s block.  Inspiration at its finest!

Click here to check out Julie’s new novel, Slept Away.

Julie, a self-described “eager first time author,” reached out by email and offered to send a copy of her new novel, Hot Mess: Summer in the City. I said sure. The book arrived with a press release, plus something I’d never received with a book: a little pink envelope with “Lindsey” handwritten on it (points for spelling my name correctly). Inside the envelope was a lovely note on pretty stationery, thanking me for giving Hot Mess a read.

Julie, you had me at the thank you note. (And I’m going to swipe your awesome strategy and send thank you notes along with review copies of my book too!)

She also followed up with me a few weeks later and agreed to do an interview for my blog. Here is the interview, along with Julie’s generous request to help any young novelists seeking advice:

Interview with Julie Kraut, co-author of Hot Mess: Summer in the City:

Q: How did you get your book deal?

Julie: I have to admit that my book deal was a whole lot of luck. I had written the proposal for Hot Mess with Shallon [Lester, the book's co-author] and we knew it was good, but just didn’t know what the next step was. I was fortunate to be working in publishing and, over lunch with a good friend who’s an editor, I mentioned the proposal idea. She was interested and the rest is Hot Mess history.

Q: Describe the writing and editing process for us.

Julie: Writing a book is a weird combination of too long and too short. Seriously, you don’t even know how long 300 pages is and how fast four months go by until you’ve signed a contract saying that you’ll deliver a 300-page draft in four months. But of course it’s incredibly rewarding, and seeing your name on a book cover is beyond exciting. Plus, no one really notices when you do 2.2 spacing and that makes 300 pages go a little faster.

Editing can take some getting used to. Like, I got the note on a recent round of edits that jokes about hand jobs weren’t appropriate. And I was kind of like, um, without any HJ jokes, this book is going to be about three pages. And that’s including the dedication. But, you get used to it and realize that a book is a team effort and everyone’s working toward the same goal of making the most successful book they can. In the end, it’s all about being proud of what your name is on. And I probably shouldn’t be proud of hand job jokes anyway.

Q: What’s your best advice to aspiring novelists?

Julie: This sounds totally lame and like I’m too into The Secret (which maybe I am), but my big advice is to see every aspect of your writing career as steps on your path to getting published, especially rejection. Everyone gets no’s along the way. Just accept the negative responses, learn from them what you can, and then consider yourself one step closer to a yes.

Q: Give us the pitch for your book!

Julie: Hot Mess: Summer in the City is the hilarious and dishy tale of Emma Freeman, who waves buh-bye to her standard summer of stationwagoning around the suburbs and hello to a fabulous internship in the big city. But as the summer heats up, Emma learns that glamour is hard to come by when your only friend is too boy-crazy to hang, your budget is more H&M than D&G, and you spend 8 hours a day working for a man who proves that the devil wears Dockers too. Add one little white lie told to one very hot coworker and a roommate who makes Paris Hilton look junior varsity, and this summer in the city turns into one hot mess.

Q: Any final thoughts?

Julie: I’m super happy to chat with folks in more detail about getting into writing. Please pass on any interested blog readers who want get in touch. (Note from Lindsey: If you’d like to reach out to Julie, leave a comment and I’ll pass along your info.)