Fiona Snyckers has emerged as South Africa’s foremost chicklit writer, combining strong writing craft with memorable characters and an entertaining plot line.
Learning to Write
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a writer. I wrote stories to amuse myself throughout my childhood. My first published work appeared on the children’s page of The Star – a local Johannesburg newspaper – when I was ten years old. I also garnered several prose-writing prizes while I was at school.
At 18 I went to university and did what they say you should never do if you want to write. I studied English literature. And, yes, it did lead to a crisis of confidence in my own abilities. There’s nothing like immersing yourself in the greatest literature the world has to offer, to make you question your own talent. You become haunted by the idea that everything has already been said, far better than you could have said it, and that there is nothing new under the sun.
Creative Writing: Practicing the Craft of Writing
Six years later, I emerged, blinking, into the glare of real life and decided to put my more high-flown literary ambitions on hold. At this stage I was very influenced by the American writer Florence King and her descriptions of how she honed and practised her writing craft by producing pulp fiction for years before she wrote her first ‘real’ book.
I threw myself into the task of writing and submitting a number of romantic novels. I quickly learned that these were not nearly as easy to produce as I’d thought. My submissions got rejected so many times I lost count.
Learning to be a Writer
I don’t regret the experience for a moment, however, because it taught me a great deal about plot, pace and dialogue. The next few years of my life were taken up with having children and trying to write a proper book. I had a number of frustrating near-misses. There’s nothing quite as heartbreaking as an agent or publisher who starts off full of fire and enthusiasm for your work, only to cool off gradually to the point where they won’t take your calls anymore.
Write a Best Seller
My first published novel was the result of an idea that excited me so much, I knew this would be the one that finally made it. I was very pleased to be proved right. Getting published is a privileged position to be in because it frequently leads to further offers and opportunities. In between the series of novels I’m currently working on, I have also written a romantic novella, a mobile novel, which will be serialised to teenagers via their cellphones, and numerous articles and features.
Read Fiona Snyckers’ top hints and also her tips for new writers, to help make that dream of being a published writer a reality.
Helen Brain - I am a writer and writing teacher, living in Cape Town, South Africa. I published my first book in 1997, and now have over thirty books ...
