Catherine asked Brigid Kemmerer:

I want to become an author sometime in my life, and I'm currently in an "author-training teenage" stage... what are some of your advice for young writers?

Brigid Kemmerer My best advice is to keep writing, and to learn how to push through rejection. Nowadays, it seems like everyone wants everything immediately, and instant gratification is the name of the game. With writing, there's no way to do it FAST. Even if you do NaNoWriMo, that takes 30 days, and most of the time, what comes out isn't something publishable. So expect it to take a long time.

My second piece of advice is to educate yourself in something that will help keep you fed and clothed with a roof over your head. There is NOTHING wrong with pursuing a degree in writing or fine arts, but understand that it's not a guarantee of a future book deal. (Nor is it a requirement. I don't even have a college degree at all, and I have a book deal.) More on this HERE: http://www.brigidkemmerer.com/2013/11...

My third piece of advice is to allow yourself to suck. Sometimes we don't put words on paper because we're afraid they're going to suck. I always have to remind myself that no one has to read my first draft (or my tenth). There's a delete key for a reason. Put the words down and come back to them later. Be true to yourself, and be aware that you're never going to please everyone, no matter how hard you try.

Any other questions? Shoot me an email. brigid.kemmerer@gmail.com :-)

And good luck!!

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