and attempt to post pointers for aspiring writers.
The first thing you should know is something your English teacher won't tell you; GOOD STORYTELLING IS NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN LEARN IF YOU'RE NOT BORN WITH IT. I don't care how many courses you've taken in Creative Writing, how well you can point out grammar errors, or how many spelling bees you've won. It doesn't matter how quickly you can solve a crossword puzzle. If you can't write an entertaining story, you just can't write it. I don't know how good I am for real, since I've only had friends tell me they enjoyed my stories, and friends are biased.
The only real test for how good a writer you are is the professional book market, and that alone takes years to get into.
How can you tell if you've got the gift, Neo? For one, there are millions of "writers" out there who have never finished a story, or who consider editing too much of a bother. Those are examples of what it takes to NOT be a good writer.
Anyway, I'm starting a new blog series on how to be a better writer, so whether you've got the gift or just have an ego big enough to stuff the whole Harry Potter series into, it should be helpful.
-Kaos
