By Linda Lavid  »  The publishing world of the late 20th century was grim. Due to a couple of decades of diminishing returns and the buyout of many publishing houses, conglomerates heavily invested in an increasingly small pool of writers, who they tagged as "best selling," a self-fulfilling prophecy of their advertising dollars. 

One only has to look at the New York Times bestseller list to see this recurring truth. But such is the way of the North American free market, where products are branded, pumped, then sold to the masses. Not necessarily a bad thing. After all, John Grisham is very entertaining. The problem was, it left many voices out of the mix.

Enter the equalizer - technology - and suddenly the world, along with publishing, shifts. Computer technology, software, and the Internet have converged and dramatically changed the landscape for the independent writer.

Every step, from writing to rewriting with word processing programs, from book design to publishing with print-on-demand printers, from marketing to selling on the Internet, has changed the publishing paradigm. Manuscripts no longer need to languish on shelves, or be sent dog-eared through the mail for another go-round with an agent or publisher. The waiting is over.

A writer can now publish his work quickly and at a reasonable cost. Marketing outlets are infinite given the virtual nature of the Internet, and never before in history has the relationship between writer and reader been so intimate. It's exciting. But with this freedom comes a huge responsibility to your readers, to yourself. The task is daunting but hardly impossible. It all begins by taking one step at a time.

First and foremost, you must write the darn thing. This involves writing, rewriting, editing, head-bashing, then more of the same. Producing a book-length manuscript is hard work. In my case it took years. There were several false starts - inching upwards, then sliding back - a very steep learning curve. I began from the precarious position of having no training, formal or otherwise. I didn't have a clue. But I suspect most writers feel the same. How one writes or learns to write is tricky.

There are several aspects to writing fiction. Rendering what John Gardner in The Art of Fiction describes as a 'vivid and continuous dream' is a complicated affair. Story is created from the imagination of a writer, who in turn must translate it onto a page of symbols so that another person can read, absorb, and experience the story in a similar fashion. It's a remarkable process when you think about it. So, are you up for the challenge or is the writer's quintessential question nipping away inside: Do I have the talent?

We imagine talent as some huge reservoir of subconscious knowledge that some lucky people are born with. We think of Shakespeare and Mozart and Einstein. But the truth is we all have talents of many kinds and measures. Think of your family and friends, and assuredly you can name many of their strengths unique to them. Talent is nothing more, or less, than an individual ability. And while there are gifted writers, I do not believe that having an innate talent is imperative to become an author.

Fiction demands a working knowledge of many points of craft. And while mastering craft can be daunting, each one of us has skills to meet the challenge. If you have an analytical mind, cause and effect will be solid. If you are intuitive, your story will take imaginative twists. If you are emotional, you will have a true internal compass to tell a riveting story. If you are a global thinker, you will see the whole. If you are a detail person, your story will be tight. If you are a visual, auditory, or tactile person, your story will be vivid. If you are curious, writing will never bore you. If you are empathic, your characters will be believable. If you're old, you'll bring a wide array of experience into the process. If you're young, your story will be fresh. If you're stubborn and relentless, your story, at last, will be finished.

So what's your talent? Most likely you have many, some not even touched upon.

Before going further, I propose that writing can be both taught and learned. I also submit that the quality you need most is neither talent nor knowledge but the mad, unrelenting desire to tell a story. And with this passion, walk to the end of the diving board, loosen your shoulders, and take the plunge.

• The author can be reached via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or her website www.lindalavid.com.