Author Guest Post: Lilian Duval's 5 Things I Learned About Being an Author

Today I'd like to welcome Lilian Duval to A Bookish Affair!

5 Things I Learned About Being an Author that I’d Like to Share with You

By Lilian Duval, author of YOU NEVER KNOW: TALES OF TOBIAS, AN ACCIDENTAL
LOTTERY WINNER

1. You have to keep writing every day, even if it’s just a little bit, such
as a paragraph in a notebook. If you don’t, you’ll get out of shape, just
as a musician or an athlete would if they didn’t practice. Writing is an
activity that exercises your mind and your creativity.
2. People often ask, “Is it autobiographical?” And you should always
have an interesting answer ready. Honestly, all writing has to be
autobiographical to some extent, because the author puts herself into
the minds of all the characters.
3. Never lose a tidbit! What’s a tidbit? Well, it’s a gold nugget that can be
as short as one sentence; it’s a set of words that sound good together
and that you can use later on in a story, a novel, or an essay. Write it
down fast, before it evaporates, and save it in an idea box or folder.
You’ll be glad you did when you come across it later on and find its
perfect home in a future writing project.
4. Treat your commitment to writing the way you would a regular job,
because it is. If you’re working on a piece of writing, don’t answer the
phone, read the newspaper, or surf the web. You’re supposed to be
writing!
5. Read what you’ve written out loud now and then to see if it sounds real
and has a lively ring to it. If not, talk it out and go back to the drawing
board. This helps you make your writing compelling and authentic.

About the Author:

Lilian Duval lives with her husband George, a native of Singapore, in a small house
in New Jersey overlooking a large county park. They have two sons and a daughter, all
independent and ambitious, and several cats. She’s an amateur classical guitarist and
enjoys attending concerts and plays in New York City.

But writing has always been her calling. In her own words, “The most enjoyable activity
I can imagine is to invent some characters, make them a little larger than life, set them
bickering and thrashing against each other and their fates, and enact a fictional resolution
that makes more sense than the chaos and unpredictability of our complicated lives.”

Lilian’s latest book is You Never Know: Tales of Tobias, an Accidental Lottery Winner.

You can visit Lilian’s website at www.lilianduval.com. Connect with her on Twitter at
@lilianduval and Facebook at Lilian Duval.

About You Never Know: Tales of Tobias, an Accidental Lottery Winner

What happens when an ordinary person becomes extraordinary?