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My writing advice, for what it’s worth:
1) read as much as you can and read widely
2) learn about all different kinds of approaches to writing and pick what works best for you.
3) publishing is a rough business, so be stubborn, but also be gentle with yourself.
1) read as much as you can and read widely
2) learn about all different kinds of approaches to writing and pick what works best for you.
3) publishing is a rough business, so be stubborn, but also be gentle with yourself.
4) Keep learning. Every book is different. Some tricks will always work, and sometimes you need to try new things.
5) keep your eyes on your own plate. If you try to compare yourself to other writers, you’ll just drive yourself mad. The only writer you’re competing with is you.
5) keep your eyes on your own plate. If you try to compare yourself to other writers, you’ll just drive yourself mad. The only writer you’re competing with is you.
6) things will always need to be done, so give your writing time weight. It’s necessary, like a doctor’s appointment. It it not frivolous time.
7) sometimes carving that time out is hard. That’s okay. If you can only manage 20 minutes a week, that writing will still add up.
7) sometimes carving that time out is hard. That’s okay. If you can only manage 20 minutes a week, that writing will still add up.
8) stampede forward and don’t look back. Writers, we love to fuss with things, and that can keep us from finishing a draft. I don’t edit until the book is done-sometimes I know a change has to be made. I’ll make a note of it and barrel forward.
9) you’ll want to quit. That’s okay. Sometimes you need to take a break to get perspective & sometimes it’s just hard to write. Spite & pigheaded stubbornness help. You know what else helps? A support network. Build one that keeps your head above water during the dark times.
10) which means you also need to be support for other writers. It goes both ways.
11) do your homework. Research is a big part of it, but don’t go so deep that you stop writing.
11) do your homework. Research is a big part of it, but don’t go so deep that you stop writing.
12) your goal-your only goal-is to get words on the page. They don’t have to be good. (In my experience, good writing happens in revision.) You just need words on the page, until you have pages, then chapters, then a book. Again, it doesn’t have to be good.
13) turn off your internal editor for drafting. Your internal editor is useful! But it lies during drafting. Listen to it with a careful ear during revisions. Sometimes it will still lie, so learn to trust your gut.
What am I forgetting? What advice do you have?
Or is there anything you’re stuck on or want advice for? My advice isn’t always good, but it is free. So there’s that.
Oh, 14!) Don’t write the book you think people want-write the book you want to write. You’re going to spend a lot of time with that thing, and if you’re not entertaining yourself, it’s going to be a slog. And if you’re not into it, the reader likely won’t be, either.
