Dreame Writing Academy Invited Maria Kuiejor Garces Quijano to Give a Special Writing Course
On September 17, 2020, a guest tutor gave a special writing course in the Dreame Writing Academy. The guest tutor, Maria Kuiejor Garces Quijano, is the person behind the bestselling books. She has been in the publishing industry for more than eight years, and most of her projects were included in the bestseller list.
The Facebook group of Dreame Writing Academy has more than seventy thousand members. Members gave a warm welcome to the tutor and actively communicated with her during the course. Maria talked about the basics of writing a bestselling novel and shared her professional writing tips with the members. Refer to their comments and evaluations, they thought this course was useful and helpful, which made them realize some missed details. They had written down several tips and could not wait to start writing after this course.
If you have missed this special course somehow, do not be upset. You can get an overview of the course by reading this article or join our Facebook group to view the entire video.
The Magic Formula of a Bestselling Book
Although writing and creating is an emotional process, there is a magic formula that shows the elements of a bestselling book. The completed formula includes the core, the genre, unique voice in writing, self-editing, and the story title, cover, and synopsis.
According to Maria, the first step in writing a story is having a foundation. When a writer does not know how to start writing, she would suggest her or him answer these questions to find out the cores of the story.
By answering these questions, writers can cultivate different emotions which give them stories a soul.
The second element is the genre. It serves as a story’s identity and determines the target market. Maria often advises her writers to pick a genre that 1) they are good at; 2) they love to do; 3) they are comfortable with; 4) there is a market for it.
When talking about the unique voice in writing, she mentioned three concepts — writing tone, mood, and style. These elements will set a writer apart from other writers, like a fingerprint. To find a unique voice in writing, writers should read a lot, be authentic, and ask for opinions to improve.
After that, Maria talked about the importance of self-editing and title, cover, and synopsis. The goal of self-editing is to answer every possible question a reader would ask and make a professional impression. In her opinion, the title, cover, and synopsis are the final stage of writing a book, but they are essential in marketing a book. A remarkable title, a stunning cover, and an excellent synopsis will contribute to attracting readers, publishers, also film producers.
The Character of Professional Editors
The editors’ responsibility is to shape writers’ manuscripts and make the stories more appealing for the target market. Maria suggested that writers should set aside personal emotions and listen to their editors, because editors and writers have the same goal — to shape and mod the stories the best way possible. Editors usually check the viability and relatability of a story and see if it has potential. Listen to these comments is important, especially for armature writers.
Talent is Not Enough for a Bestselling Author
Talent is not enough to make a stable writing career. By contrast, attitude makes a difference and can determine the longevity of a writer’s career. During the course, Maria mentioned the seven qualities of a successful writer.
1. Flexile. Outstanding writers always welcome suggestions and comments, both the good and bad, and try to look at them from a new perspective. So Maria suggested writers to remember to set aside “BEA” when writing a story. “B” refers to being emotional when making decisions; “E” is the expectation. Writers must manage their expectations when things do not go according to their plans; “A” is the attachment, which means sentimental value.
2. Cultivates Good Habits. Habit is the root of success. Some writers have already formed a habit of writing regardless of time, place, and situation; Some writers have a habit of writing 1000 words per day. These habits keep them practicing until to be good writers.
3. Committed. Writing a story needs a writer’s full commitment not only in the writing process but throughout the writing journey. Maria said a writer needs to be committed to her or his purpose and deadlines. A successful writer must be the one who is committed to loving her or his own work.
4. Disciplined. While writing takes time to create, but Maria believed writers needed to practice the discipline of creating a specific timeline. Also, practice the discipline of building healthy relationships with their readers, other co-writers, and content creators.
5. Motivated. Motivation comes from internal. It likes the eagerness to make a difference, touch someone’s life, and take pride at work. Without these internal motivations, a writer will not be successful.
6. An A Player. Success is a team sport. For a successful writer, the team includes editors, proofreaders, publishers, readers, etc. An A player writer lead by example. The bestselling authors are the kind of writer who inspires other aspiring writers to keep doing what they love most.
7. Passionate. Passion is the key to a successful writer. Because with passion, writers will not be easily shaken by setbacks. They cannot stop because writing is the thing they love to do.
The wonderful course is finished, but it causes a large discussion in the Facebook group. Many members gained valuable writing knowledge from this course. If you are interested, please click here to view the entire video.
