On Sat, 6 Aug 2005, Ar Q
As I've said before and should not have to again, now, there are actually quite a few books in libraries on writing. I have even seen a book with the breastle something like "How to write a romance for today's markets" which sounds like its author knows something about what will fly and what will not fly. I've heard, many years ago, that there is available even software that will help write a romance novel. They can help you crank one out in a week.
There are, all over the place, "Writers Guilds." There is one near where I live.
I remember from my undergraduate Rhetoric courses that all of the profs I had agreed on one thing: if you want to be a writer, the first and most important thing to do is start writing. You don't wait till you are in the mood, you don't wait till inspiration hits you, and you don't wait for the ideas to pop into your head. In science it is publish or perish as well as publish and perish but I never knew anyone who was not cranking out journal manuscripts or grant proposals just as fast as the crankhandle could be turned. There might be some masters degree programs on writing, but if you could get your hands on the course outlines, any textbooks that are used, etc., you could probably skip a lot of things, save money, and save time.
