How to become a published writer
So, you want to be a published writer but not sure how to get there?
I sat down with Dani, a 25 year old writer, to ask her how she became a published writer.
So, what do you do?
I write. I sit down at my little laptop and I go typetypetype and then words appear in the word document (laughs). I’m a very traditional Microsoft gal so I still use Word. Sometimes I scribble and take notes in my notebook but often it's all done on the computer.
I’m not a good writer because I don’t write everyday.
What do you write about?
I write about queer women in Australia’s history. I like to tell stories about queerness as a whole, and history, and gender, and 1970s music and about Harold Holt conspiracy theorists.
I write essays, short stories, and books about these topics.
What did you study at uni?
I did an Arts degree with a Creative Writing and History Double Major. And I did my Honours year in history. Love to see it.
Do you need to have a degree to become a writer?
Absolutely not, no. I think a degree can help. In my case, I think it helped, but it was the history study that helped more than the creative writing major. I think the most important thing about the degree is that it gave me access to resources. We could access all of these journals and libraries. If I was trying to write a history book without being a uni student or grad, it would be a lot harder to get my hands on all the sources for research.
The creative writing major helped with getting feedback and giving feedback. I also started writing in styles I hadn’t before. In our third year I did a creative nonfiction piece, and it ended up working out very well for me, so I thought “oh I can write more of this”.. which has turned out well.
How did you first get published?
I think if I count the first one that really mattered to me it was Farrago (the University of Melbourne student magazine).
My first paid publication was in 2018 in SCUM online. It was back when SCUM had a submission window and I just emailed the story to them. I think I was paid $50.
How did you first get published?
I think if I count the first one that really mattered to me it was Farrago (the University of Melbourne student magazine).
My first paid publication was in 2018 in SCUM online. It was back when SCUM had a submission window and I just emailed the story to them. I think I was paid $50.
You have a book coming out in 2023. How good! How did that come about and what has the publishing process been like?
It came about because I was publishing articles. I think the most relevant thing is that I published an article in Archer magazine about heteronormativity in popular history. I didn’t think much of it – someone did use it in their gender history class as a reading though! Then after that, at least 6 months after, I got an email from the commissioning editor at Ultimo Press saying “I read your Archer article and it reminded me of the other essay you were shortlisted for, I was just wondering if you were thinking about writing anything like this as a book length?”
And I said, “Yes I am!”
I wasn’t actively pursuing that project at that time, but I’d been thinking about if for a while. So being presented with this opportunity, I jumped at it.
I had a writer’s website with my email listed on in, so I think that played a big part in this all coming about.
The publishing process has been good! It's been a long, wild ride, as some people would expect, but some people might not know just how long the process of getting a book published is. I’ve felt very supported by my editor and the rest of the team. And it’s exciting!
What are the main challenges of being a writer?
I feel like this could be a question for a panel at a writers festival. There’s so many ways to answer this
The biggest one would be the financial one. If I didn't have a day job I wouldn’t make any money.
There’s also just making myself do the work, because sometimes I am very lazy and find it hard to sit down and write. Especially the last round of edits. But, I’m still obsessed with it all.
What piece of advice would you give someone looking to become a published writer?
Submit to a lot of places. Write a lot of things and don’t delete them. I still have things I wrote in 2012 that are pretty shit, but it's fun to look back on.
I once heard the saying that writing is like an apprenticeship. After 10 years of writing you become a fully qualified writer.
So, you only get good at writing by doing it a lot.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Publishing this book and going through all of that. I don’t know yet what that’s going to be like with promoting it, so I'm really looking forward to next year. After that, I’ll be working on my next book where I’ll be fully leaning into my Harold Holt conspiracies…
Dani’s book comes out with Ultimo Press in 2023. You can read more about her writing on her website.