Tips & Advice on How to Write a Manuscript

Video Transcript

"REBECCA SATO: Hi. I'm Rebecca with ExpertVillage.com. And what we're going to talk about is what you need to know before you start writing. And I'm primarily talking about if you're writing a longer piece of work. I'm not talking so much about maybe something you do as a freelancer such as copywriting or some other type of contract job where there's a definite start and a deadline and it's not going to take up a big chunk of your life and you're definitely get paid for it. But manuscripts are different because you might spend a lot of time and energy and effort developing characters, developing the story. You might put your heart and soul into this and there is no guarantee that you're going to get anything concrete out of it. So before you even get started, there's a few things that you need to know. First of all, you need to know that it might not get published and you need to be okay with that. And I'm not telling you to set yourself up for defeat by having negative thoughts. I just want--as writers, I just think it's important that we're realistic and the truth is not everything we write will be published. Even some of the world's best writers didn't get everything they write published. On the other hand, it may very well be published and it's, you know, assume that it will but at the same time, be realistic that there's a chance that it won't and don't let that bring you down. Just be aware that it's an opportunity for you to write because you love to write. And if you focus on that, that you're enjoying the process, that you genuinely are enjoying yourself, you're genuinely enjoy stretching your abilities and your skills, then you're really going to come up on top either way. And another thing to keep in mind is that you don't have to write the entire manuscript before you find out if it's marketable or not, and we'll talk about that next."