Through Superprof.com, a private tutor app, I will be able to offer an online writers workshop and help guide new writers, providing tips and resources. Each of my lessons is personalized, results-oriented, and motivational.
At the assessment session, I will meet with you individually where we can determine your level, discuss steps to improve, and I will provide keys to unlock your true writing potential!. My lessons are casual to create a positive, non-judgmental environment, but at the same time, they will give you options for success.
Then, in the following sessions, we can meet with other new writers in a Google Meeting so that you can learn from others or share what works for you! Writing journeys do not have to be a solo endeavor.
I will gladly assist with any writing projects, review weekly submissions of up to 2,000 words, provide writing lessons or writing prompts, and help the student develop writing habits and rituals that will keep them successful and driven for years to come.
My lessons cater to adults and teenagers aiming to grow as creative writers.
My personal mantra is YOUR SUCCESS AS A WRITER IS MY SUCCESS WE WIN TOGETHER!
Last, I want to offer you the first assessment hour free of charge! Then, if you wish to continue working together, I will meet with you for $25 for one hour once a week.
To get the assessment hour AND make that first step toward realizing your dream of writing a novel or learning to create the writing career you’ve always wanted, PLEASE CLICK HERE!
I get asked a lot by aspiring new writers, where do I go next? “The manuscript is done and I’m ready to put it out in the world. But… I don’t know how.”
Completely understand that lost sensation. You’ve done the hard put, but you didn’t think beyond the draft. It’s an overwhelming and daunting challenge. Some find it easier to “hide it right here in my drawer. Someday, I’ll get back to it.” In other words, you feel safer if you don’t even try.
But that seems like such a tragedy to me! You’re so close to the goal. I want to help. Here is a sample of the guest blog I did for Phoenix Oasis Press detailing my template on the next steps forward (be sure to click on the link at the bottom for the complete blog):
I FINISHED MY FIRST DRAFT… NOW WHAT?
Written by Derek Barton
In front of you on your desk sits a stack of accumulated pages. The culmination of your blood, sweat, and tears, your finished draft sits patiently. It stares up at you, waiting for you to do something with it. It sits and stares. And sits some more. All while you ponder, ‘what do I do now?’
While I don’t have all the answers, I have been in your shoes. Last night, I completed my first round of edits on my seventeenth novel. If you plan to independently publish your work – meaning you handle everything and are in full charge of your artwork, pricing, and sales – read on for some tips to help you move forward.
Note that this template / process works well for me. I offer it as a starting point for you to personalize to your goals and journey.
Step 1: Editing
Everyone needs an editor. No one’s work is clean, error-free, and perfect out of the gate. But before you jump into editing, take a month or two off from your manuscript. Set it aside and give yourself some mental distance. When you go back to it, you’ll approach it with fresh eyes and an open mind to improvements.
Free online tools
Free online editing services like Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, and ProWriting Aid can help keep your prose concise, clear to the reader, and develop strong reader engagement in your work. Programs like this will highlight areas of improvement including:
Sentence structure – fragments, run-ons, or overly complex sentencesÂ
Identifying passive voice
Flagging over-used or repetitive word choices
Highlighting weakeners – adverbs and phrases like ‘I think,’ ‘maybe,’ ‘really,’ ‘just’
Alpha reader
Alpha readers are readers or other writers you trust who have interest or experience with writing in your genre. Expect an alpha reader to give you a better, well-informed review of your work where they point out plot holes, missing or unaccounted characters, and jumbled timelines. Prepare yourself for navigating alpha (and any kind of) feedback, and also be clear about what you would like the reader to look for. Here are tips on how to do that!
Every day it is said that at Amazon, two thousand new books are published each day!
Often new authors ask, how do I get noticed in all that? How can I get my head above the flood? Well…I’m still trying to figure that out myself! But I have a couple of suggestions and personal experiences that I can pass along which might help you like they have helped me.
One technique is networking. Much like marketing, when you begin your journey in writing, you never fully anticipate the other aspects to being a writer. I had no idea on how to begin or how to initiate networking! Writing now is far more than simply telling a tale. That’s almost the easiest part!
There are many roles you have to take on after you’ve written the manuscript. Editor, marketer, salesman, and ad designer are only a few of the things you’ll need to learn or…find people who are or are willing to work with you. Thus, networking can be a valuable resource. I had great fortune to meet one writer/editor who was willing to share her rules and guidelines for editing. It helped me so much knowing as I wrote what to already watch out for and it saved me time on avoiding those mistakes in the early drafts.
Or another benefit for reaching out and building relationships is you meet others going through the same issues. They may have had success in an area and can give you tips or tricks that moved them forward.
Through networking you can also find opportunities! I have been able to work with some other great authors this way. Tie into an anthology. This not only gets your writing more exposure but allows you some valuable time with people in your field.
One other opportunity I found was I could offer help to others with their early work. One author I’m currently helping needs assistance in formatting. For a small fee, I’m helping him at the same time getting money I can put towards an ad campaign to sell my work!
Another network bonus is your readership or fan base can build from it. When you’re work is published with other writers, the other author’s readership gets to read your writing. This will often lead to new crossover fans. It benefits everyone involved.
The other technique I’ve learned from experience to get ahead is joining a writing group. Not only will this give you an idea of what is trending in writing and with readers, but it will give you fresh perspectives on similar problems. You share in the group things you are encountering or writing blocks, etc. You can often get advice or maybe leads on how to work out a writing issue, find motivation and inspiration, or even more opportunities to partner in collaborations and anthologies.
My current writing group, called Shut Up & Write meets weekly and provides me a dedicated hour each week that I am free of distractions, a place where no one will interrupt me, and makes me write – no way to give myself an excuse not to write.
In this day and age of the infinite internet, it is easy to get sidetracked.
Plus with this group, we have decided to work on an anthology and pool our resources to get published. We are even going to try to submit our work in competitions or award contests.
So these two minor but powerful techniques have lead me to a couple of anthologies that will be published this year and the next, given me time and discussions with a lot of writers some smaller, some bigger than me and it’s led me to getting exposure on author pod casts!
All has been a rewarding, fantastic boost in my personal journey in writing.
I highly recommend that everyone find a way to network (social media platforms like Facebook, instagram, and X are great ways to start!). And if you have free time, use it to advance your career by joining a writing group. They can provide incredible advice or even an outlet for feedback! Don’t overlook the fact that many groups can offer Zoom meetings and won’t require you to commute. Meetup.com is a great resource to find local established groups.
The Official Website of Author Derek Barton 