By Lathan Dooms and Ashley Allard
Preface
Ignore all of this advice if you’ve already found a system that works for you.
Writing Advice
Routine
Most artists we know detest routine so building a work regimen is understandably daunting. Inspiration comes, flows and goes like the tide and cannot necessarily be boxed into certain hours every day. However, as much as I’d hate to admit it, routine will definitely improve your writing. Writing every day gets you into a steady, easy workflow. I’m not necessarily promoting V.E. Schwab’s writing schedule, because I have no idea how she is capable of creating as much as she does in such little time. I prefer Ursula Le Guin’s schedule, making time for writing, but not letting it consume your life. With her holistic outlook, writing naturally becomes a part of your day. However, this is not always possible, as most of us have university, school and or jobs. So, don’t feel bad or feel like you’re not doing enough.
I recommend starting off slow. Even 20 minutes a day will help you tune your writing skills (unless you are in The Zone. Exploit that!). Slowly, start increasing the minutes. While routine is important, writers block is natural and can make it difficult to produce good work every day. And it sucks, especially if it lingers for longer than expected. But, if you manage to write as often as you can, and if this can be subtly compressed into a daily routine, you’ll become happier with your work and find it easier to do.
Again, don’t be hard on yourself if you struggle to maintain a routine. But, even dedicating one morning a week to writing will do wonders, not only for your writing but for your mental state. If you deny yourself this outlet, your creativity remains bottled up. And even the finest of wines are meant to be opened at some point. If you can’t fit in a daily time-slot, try a weekly one. Those minutes where you dissolve into the ether of your story will become sacred.
Rewrite Before You Edit
The heading is pretty self-explanatory. I didn’t believe this at first until I attempted it. Write all the way to the end of your first draft, then start again from page one, keeping only the best parts. Rewriting helps remove anything unnecessary. Revision and little tweaks are also vital, but only towards the end of your chapter / segment. Don’t interrupt your flow or break your concentration.
Personality
You leave a bit of yourself in your writing. It’s an inherently personal artform. Emphasise this uniqueness: including a bit of yourself in your writing will give your story individuality and flair, something publishers and editors desperately want to see. If you are writing honestly and about something you are interested in, this will automatically make your story personal and different.
Submission Advice
Fun fact about Moyé: Most of us met at a short story competition in 2017. We were all short-listed and published in an online anthology, and we rekindled our love for writing and creation when Noku created our platform. Here are our tips and tricks for submitting your work:
Submit Widely
“Don’t put all your stories in one basket” (L. Dooms, 2021).
When it comes to submitting stories or any kind of art, it is important to keep your options open. Some magazines will prefer your style and perspective, while others won’t; the industry is biased.
Often, one does not know where to begin with work submission, especially in South Africa. It is difficult to locate competitions and zines that are accepting submissions. But, once you know the tips and tricks, it becomes much easier. All you have to know is where to look.
1. Search #submissionsopen or simply #submissions on Instagram, and thousands of zines and competitions will pop up. (Moyé’s inbox is always open.)
2. https://dystopianstories.com/writing-competitions-contests/ has listed hundreds of international writing competitions, including free ones. They range from novel to short story to poetry submissions.
Style
What’s important when submitting your work is to submit it to places that suit your style. Don’t force yourself to write a genre that you don’t enjoy. If you were bored or disinterested while writing your piece, it will show. Passion and interest are the most important elements to writing.
Rejection Is Part of the Process
Hans Christian Anderson, one of the most renowned names of the literary world, was once found lying face first in the mud, weeping, because he received a bad review. Rejection hits hard, but it is essentially guaranteed. Not everyone has the same taste. It took Allan Scott thirty years and nine rewrites for The Queen’s Gambit to finally be aired on Netflix. Since then, the award-winning show has been viewed and loved by millions of people worldwide. Success stories like these mushroom and make headlines all the time.
Rejection doesn’t make you a bad writer. Be tenacious. Writing is messy and difficult and soul-crushing, but you will never reap the rewards if you don’t try. Consider and hear feedback and criticism, but you don’t let it break you. Be kind to your stories and yourself.
Post-Face
Writing for the joy of creating and making something that you are proud of is more important than being published. By all means, continue to submit. Please do. Zines like Moyé depend on artists like you to be bold and submit.
However, for your well-being and for your work, Brandon Sanderson has some advice, which may sound insane and depressing and counter-intuitive, but he makes some fair points. As a writer, one should be able to picture two-hundred excellent unpublished manuscripts in the back of your closet, in your basement or under your bed when you die and find it within yourself to be content with this outcome. You created. That is what is important.
Continue to submit and find pleasure in the joy of creation.
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