Goodreads asked A.G. Carpenter:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

A.G. Carpenter If you want to get serious about your writing you need to spend your time reading, and writing. There is almost always free time available to write if you look for it. (I don't watch TV much anymore because I'd rather spend that time creating something.)

Reading will help you learn what other authors do. And writing as frequently as you can (I suggest writing every day, but the important thing is to do it on a regular basis) will help you practice what you are learning. It's not an overnight thing. The whole "million words" argument is pretty accurate, but you should find that over the course of a few months or the year that you start to notice that you are doing some things better.

Don't worry if what you are doing doesn't match up with other authors you know. Everyone is a little different. The skills we learn and how quickly we learn them are unique to us.

Be persistent. Not everyone is a great author, but most of us can learn to be good authors if we practice and stick with it.

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