In the first part of this two-part post I aim to highlight an area of importance which I feel must be acknowledged and addressed where necessary.
Whilst reading and reviewing over recent months I’ve noticed that there is a growing number of people who would like to be writers. Some have seen the exceptional success of authors who have written such things as the ‘Harry Potter’ series, and the ‘Fifty Shades’ series.
The new wave of writers unfortunately includes a vast number of folk who are out to make a quick buck from a few days of minimal effort. Therein is the issue. I take exception to those ‘writers’ who gain access to a computer, type a load of words, add a blatantly ill-prepared cover and title; then self-publish to rake in their fortune.
I have no quarrel with novice writers, because apart from agreeing that the desire to be a writer is good, I was in that position myself only a few years ago. In my defence, I imposed a self-styled apprenticeship on myself before I dared to ask anyone to pay for my efforts.
Apprenticeship? Well, for those that are not familiar with the term, it means in a nutshell that I acquired a reasonable level of knowledge through learning by study and practical experience. No, that isn’t an official definition, but it wraps up the meaning.
Today, I wrote an article that will remain on the menu of my blog for the benefit of anyone who would like to take a look. The article is entitled, ‘Once upon a time … ‘ and might prove of particular interest to those who are in the early stages of a writing career. I’m not saying it is the only way to go, but I found it worked.
Coming in Part 2 of this post will be my own observations on what I consider the requirements, or if you like, qualifications of the prospective creative writer.
As always, thank you for reading.
tombensoncreative.com 
Well said, Tom. But will the right people take notice? Here’s to hoping… Thank you for posting.
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Yes you’re right of course, but if I can just make some people stop, think and discuss the issues it will help. Those without integrity or the interest in doing the job properly will simply continue to produce whatever they were producing. That’s the way of the world.:)
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A writing apprenticeship … a good way of looking at it. If writing is a craft, and I believe that alongside any flair or talent that it certainly is, then the concept of an apprenticeship is very apt. I did my own version, which to date I wouldn’t claim to have by any means completed.
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I’m with you on that Julia. I may have set myself up with a sequence of actions and study to help, but I think for any good writer it is an ongoing process – and one I never tire of. 🙂
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I agree with the idea of a writing apprenticeship; in the absense of having someone there to drill knowledge and experience into you on a daily basis or the support and example of peers about you 24/7 then yes, trying to plunge head-first into a discipline where a good writer (in my opinion) might well spend hours on end trying to choose just the right word to set a particular tone and feel to even a single paragraph isn’t something I would recommend without a lot of initial trial and error. Just what form such an apprenticeship should take will vary with different people, depending on where their interests and writing lie, the writer’s character and personality, and of course their personal circumstances. My own ongoing apprenticeship as such has been well served through blogging, and in particular my short story efforts and reviewing other people’s work, from which I’m only just beginning to appreciate how much I’ve learnt from that.
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Thank you for the visit Paul. Yes, you have learned a lot and it’s good to know that you recognise that fact. Too many people take in the information but don’t give themselves enough credit where it’s due.
Your reviews alone show how much you’ve learned and the work you’ve done on Facebook and the sister site / blog is incredible.
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