What Would I Tell a New
Author
I’m
actively involved in mentoring beginning writers. For the past year I’ve been
hosting a Meetup group in my home base of South Florida. Participants send me
samples of their work via email, and they receive an intensive, one-on-one
critique at the session.
I usually
start out by trying to get a sense of the person’s background, their life
experience and literary training (if any). I try to discover how
At some
point, I usually ask them if they are writing to express themselves, or if they
want other people to read their work. Either situation is fine, but they
require different decision-making processes.
I normally
suggest that they pick one piece of work and stick with it until it is as
polished as it can possibly be. This is particularly difficult for many people
to accomplish. Part of the problem is the current popularity of self-publishing,
where you can print anything whether it’s ready or not.
Speaking
as someone who has a degree in literature, I think life experience is more
important than formal education. If someone is lacking skills in grammar,
sentence structure or composition, they can easily take a course at a community
college or online.
When I
started the group, I was dreading the process of delivering criticism to
people. Part of the hesitancy stems from how difficult it was for me to accept
criticism at many points in my career, but the truth is that becoming a writer
is a long journey filled with criticism and rejection. What I discovered was
that in cases where a piece of work was seriously flawed, the writer knew it.
They had really come to the group to get a realistic idea of what they needed
to do to go forward.
Many
beginning writers are yearning to be told that they have talent. I have no
problem telling them that, since most of them are indeed talented. Talent,
though, is only part of the equation. Most of the process consists of hard
work, which is something people tend to resist hearing.
The most
important thing I tell beginning writers? Don’t give up. I never did, and I
finally succeeded despite a long and difficult journey. With enough
determination, it can be done.
About the Author
Mark Spivak is an award-winning author, specializing in
wine, spirits, food, restaurants, and culinary travel. He was the wine writer
for the Palm Beach Post from 1994-1999, and was honored by the Academy
of Wine Communications for excellence
in wine coverage “in a graceful and approachable style.” Since 2001 he has been
the Wine and Spirits Editor for the Palm Beach Media Group, as well as the Food
Editor for Palm Beach Illustrated; his running commentary on the world of food,
wine and spirits is available at the Global Gourmet blog on
www.palmbeachillustrated.com. His work has appeared in National Geographic
Traveler, Robb Report, Men’s Journal, Art & Antiques, the Continental and
Ritz-Carlton magazines, Arizona Highways and Newsmax.
From 1999-2011 Spivak hosted Uncorked! Radio, a highly successful wine talk
show on the Palm Beach affiliate of
National Public Radio.
Spivak is the author of two non-fiction books: Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History (Lyons Press, 2012) and Moonshine Nation: The Art of Creating Cornbread in a Bottle (Lyons Press, 2014). Friend of the Devil is his first novel. He is currently working on a political thriller set during the invasion of Iraq.
Spivak is the author of two non-fiction books: Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History (Lyons Press, 2012) and Moonshine Nation: The Art of Creating Cornbread in a Bottle (Lyons Press, 2014). Friend of the Devil is his first novel. He is currently working on a political thriller set during the invasion of Iraq.
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