An education doesn’t always mean a writer can capture your attention. Even those with years of experience might leave you to hunger for something more profound. Or the pen artists with a natural ability for prose can fall short of fulfilling a story. Nothing guarantees a writer’s success.

Nothing.

But the internet has empowered people to become writers regardless of education, experience, or natural ability. They type across blog pages, or self-publish a novel, and pray someone will fall in love with their words. Unknown people become journalists and authors overnight. And this is Fab-tastical! (Even for making up words.)

So what’s the problem? The lack of planning, researching, and editing before publishing. No matter who you are, people will eventually tire of constant misspelled words, repetition of the same word ten times in a brief paragraph, or saying the main character from your novel shot a villain with a pistol 500 yards away…which I’m not sure is even possible.

Don’t rush your work and lose credibility as a writer because you error too often. Edit beyond using spellcheck. Read outloud what you write to hear how it flows off your tongue. Research to get facts straight so your story sounds plausible. And although a degree isn’t needed, educate yourself in the field you wish to pursue.

Disclaimer: This post was not written due to vomiting through a cold toilet seat which offered no comfort for reading a horribly written journalist’s story and wondering how the heck he got paid. Just sayin’.

As always, best of luck. Now go forth and write.

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and Writer of MG/YA Fiction