The first step to becoming a fiction writer is pretending to be one. Pretend to be distracted all the time by ideas and story-lines. Never talk about "writing," always refer to it as "the craft." Carry a little notebook with you, and pretend to jot things down in it. It's not enough, though, to pretend to come up with stories and characters, you have to pretend to set aside time to write. Pretend to find a quiet time or secluded spot where you "won't be disturbed." Now you can pretend to work. This is where the pretend magic begins.
Pretend to write something down and then pretend to read over it. Pretend to edit and revise. This will give you something to pretend to think about the rest of the day when you should be doing other things.
After you've pretended to write an entire story, you can pretend to look for places to publish it. Pretend to submit it. Pretend to be disappointed by rejection, and pretend to keep trying. One day you can pretend to be published.
That's how you become a fiction writer. Your first fictional creation is yourself.
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