Thread by @Joannechocolat

Today's #TenTweets, by request, are on DOS AND DON'TS FOR ASPIRING WRITERS. Follow the hashtag to collect them all! #TenThingsToDoAndNotToDo

1. DO: drop the word "aspiring," and write. Give yourself permission to be a writer.
2. DON'T: go around telling all and sundry. You'll find it hard enough without dealing with other peoples' comments and expectations. #TenThingsToDoAndNotToDo

2. DO: make time and space in your life. Book a regular slot for writing. Enlist the help of others, if needed.
DON'T set yourself tasks you can't achieve. Better to plan for three hundred words a day and succeed, than three thousand, and fail. #TenThingsToDoAndNotToDo

3. DO: engage with the online writing community. It's friendly and very supportive, as long as you're prepared to give as well as take.
DON'T: assume that they owe you anything. Asking for favours without prior engagement won't earn you any friends. #TenThingsToDoAndNotToDo

4. DO: know your market. That means engaging with readers and reading new releases in your chosen genre.
DON'T: limit your reading to your own genre. The broader your reading, the fresher your ideas.
#TenThingsToDoAndNotToDo

5. DO: use an editor. Especially if you're planning to self-publish, your work needs to be as polished as it can be. You owe it to your readers.
DON'T: upload a first draft and hope to amend it later. You only have one chance to make a first impression.
#TenThingsToDoAndNotToDo

6. DO: check out and follow agents' submission guidelines before making a submission. It's a basic courtesy.
DON'T: argue, push back, or snark online if an agent rejects you. Agents all talk to each other, and no-one wants to represent a dick. #TenThingsToDoAndNotToDo

7. DO: engage with the blogging community. They're mostly passionate readers, and can help give your book attention.
DON'T: assume that just because you send them an ARC, they owe you a review. They don't. They're doing this for love, not money. #TenThingsToDoAndNotToDo

8. DO: follow other writers on social media. Tell them if you like their work. Engage with them, and learn from their experiences.
DON'T: ask them to read or endorse your unpublished work, or get your manuscript published. They can't help you in that way. #TenThingsToDoAndNotToDo

9. DO: learn to take advice from editors, agents or any other professional who may be kind enough to offer feedback. They don't have to. Be glad if they do.
DON'T: be that person who assumes that their undiscovered genius puts their work above criticism. #TenThingsToDoAndNotToDo

10. DO learn from your rejections.
DON'T just assume that you were rejected because you suck, or that the business sucks, or that the readers suck. Remember that for most of us, multiple failures, mistakes and rejections are both normal and necessary.
#TenThingsToDoAndNotToDo