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Goodreads asked Lolli Powell:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Lolli Powell To borrow from Nike, just do it. That's the main thing. The more you write, the better you'll get.

But there are other things, of course. Read, read, and then read some more--especially in the genre you write in. And study the craft of writing, whether it be formal study as in college or informal through webinars and reading books/magazines about writing. Identify your weak spots and focus on improving those. For example, when I was much younger, I had trouble with dialogue. So, I wrote a story almost entirely in dialogue--guess it could have been considered a scene from a play, although I didn't format it that way. That really helped me.

Go easy on the adverbs, don't let dialogue tags get too fancy and interrupt the flow ("said" works quite well and only when it's needed so you know who is talking), and be VERY moderate in your use of semi-colons (if you can, don't use them at all). And when you're satisfied with your work, hire an editor. If you can't afford that, then ask a friend or relative who aced their English classes to read it for you.

Also, ask reader friends to read it and critique the story itself (not just your grammar and spelling). They may be able to find holes, inconsistencies, places where the action slows for too long, poorly drawn characters, etc. Just make it clear you want the truth and listen to it when they give it to you. You don't necessarily have to follow all their advice, but you should consider it carefully.

Then--WRITE! And write some more. You can do it.

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