10 Super-Honest Tips For Writers Breaking Into Literary Fiction

You have my admiration and my sympathy

So, you want to write literary fiction.

Why? Isn’t life hard enough already? Why would you pick such a grim hobby?

Okay fine, it’s not a hobby, it’s the immortal spirit seeking a voice, etc. I hear you. I’m in the same boat myself. I often ask the heavens why I was born with such an un-monetisable talent — if it were videomaking, at least someone would pay me for all the artistic upheaval I go through on a daily basis. Oh well.

As someone who’s been in the game for 2.5 years now, I think it’s only fair to let you know what you’re getting into. Because believe me, this path isn’t for everyone. And while I could write an entire book on this (and I’m planning to launch a course sometime this year to dive deeper into it), for now I’ve put together a quick-and-dirty list of advice for new literary fiction writers. Consider this the equivalent of the career handouts at a trade show — except that I’m peddling my trade, but I’m also cautioning you against it.

You won’t always want to read, but you have to

People think of writers as happily wallowing in books and coffee all day.

The wallowing? Yes. The happy part? Not so much.

Books are your study material. You’ll need to read them closely and frequently so you can pick up techniques — multiple books in your chosen sun-genre of literature, multiple readings of the same books, multiple readings of books you may dislike personally but which contain examples of the craft that are objectively worth learning from. And at some point, there will come a time when you’ll get so sick of books that you’ll want to toss them all out and watch TikToks for the rest of the month.

Guess what? You still have to read. No read, no write.

Folks will think you’re a layabout

A lot of people equate writing fiction with being unemployed and stoned — and regrettably, there are many writers who present that way.

Ignore the haters, obviously, but also make sure you have a source of income. No matter what the novels tell you, living hand to mouth is not conducive to writing (done that for a brief spell, never want to again). And if you insist on being unemployed, I hope you have a family fortune to back you.

You’ll need to know when to step away

When a random idea strikes you, it’ll feel like the coolest thing ever because you just thought of it. Which it may be, but the problem is, it may distract you from whatever project you’re already working on. Take a breath, step back and remind yourself that just because it’s a good idea, doesn’t always mean it’s going to be a good story. With that reality check in mind, make a note of the idea and tell yourself you’ll give it a chance — after your current project.

Similarly, when you’re having trouble with a section even after rewriting it a dozen times, it isn’t a reflection on you. Chances are, you’ve just been staring at the same page for too long. Step away, give your mind a break, come back after a few days. You’ll likely find it much easier to work with.

Listen to your bullshit detector

This one’s from Salman Rushdie’s course on Masterclass.com, and it’s a winner. The core idea — every writer has an in-built detector that goes off when they’re writing rubbish. Stop kidding yourself that you’re being unique or whatever — you know you’re not. Ditch the ego, call the shit out and back off. You’ll be doing yourself a giant, giant favour.

At some point, you’ll need a core theme to write about

I spent two years vehemently convincing myself that I was “above themes” — that I had too much I wanted to say to be boxed in by categories.

Until I figured out that all along I was, in fact, writing about a theme — confused modern women. And ever since, I’ve felt way more authentic about my writing.

Don’t get me wrong — experiment. Experiment the heck out of your fiction. But at some point, you need to hone what you’re good at if you want to deepen your craft, and a big part of that is having a theme you feel strongly about and can write convincingly about. And if you’re having a hard time identifying a theme, watch out for commonalities that pop up in your writing. It may not be an obvious link, but it exists, I promise! The human brain loves to play with what it knows.

What you think is “finished” is probably not

Rule of thumb for literary fiction — when you think it’s finished, it’s three edits away from being actually finished.

Literary short stories aren’t blog posts that you just upload and be done with it. Each story needs to be tuned to perfection, from word choice to scene transitions to character motivation. And then, maybe, you’ve got a finished story. (Until the editor of the magazine it gets accepted into sends their own edits.)

Publication may or may not be a good thing

Getting a story accepted by a magazine always feels great. But is getting published necessarily a sign that your story is the best it can be? Especially if it’s in a small no-name magazine? If you’re gunning for long-term fame, always pick quality over quantity . Two polished stories in top-rated journals will outweigh a series of half-baked pieces in small magazines any day. Especially if you’re planning to pitch a book to a literary agent. And speaking of books…

Your book is a long way away

When you’re just starting out, please, resist the urge to tell people that you’re writing a book.

Yes, I know it’s a flex, and it’s kind of the done thing in the writing community. But here’s what will happen — saying it will raise a few approving eyebrows and stroke your ego for maybe a second, max. And then you’ll be left with the reality that you don’t have a book, as well as a prickle of doubt about whether or not you’ll ever have a book in you.

Wait a while. Keep writing, keep rewriting. Find your theme and embrace it, write stories you love and stories you don’t, keep reading, keep absorbing. It’s only in January 2023 that I finally understood the kind of book I wanted to write and am executing it— 2.5 years after I started writing. And I’m so, so glad about the wait.

Prepare to loathe yourself intensely at intervals

You’ve worked so hard on that story but it’s just not happening! You’ll want to set fire to your drafts and yourself, you’ll rue the day you ever thought about becoming a writer.

There’s no easy resolution to this, I’m afraid. Positive self-talk only goes so far. You’ll just have to get through it — although wine does make it easier.

Your highs will feel like heaven

When that story does finally come together. When you get your first-ever magazine acceptance. When someone reads your work and tells you how much it meant to them.

Revel in those moments like a child released into a gingerbread house. Hell, eat a whole damn gingerbread house if you want. After all the stress and misery of literary writing, you deserve that joy. And I can tell you, those moments will be few and far between, so hold on to every single one of them.

Made it all the way to the end? Still keen on a career in literary fiction? Congratulations, you’ve passed the first hurdle.

The rest is up to you.