Best Writing Advice?
Thursday July 24, 2008
Lately I've been thinking about the advice I've received over the years that continues to reverberate and to sustain my writing. Some of these insights were from teachers, but a lot originated in the interviews with writers on this site. It led me to focus this week's newsletter on a few of these, and to pull out this advice from Amanda Eyre Ward: "Have faith. Surround yourself with people who believe writing is important. Fall in love with writers and read everything they've done...."
All of this got me wondering what advice About.com readers might have. What's the best advice you've ever received about writing? Pass it on in the comments below.
This is a great piece, I think there are too many sites out there willing to give generic half hearted advice to freelancers just to get the SEO, but this post is a great discussion starter.
“BIC” – Butt In Chair – from Jane Yolen, one of the best writers and speakers I know. I believe the BIC speech is on her website, but I can’t check right now because it won’t load for some reason.
Be persistent, believe in yourself, develop a thick skin and find supportive writing friends as you will encounter times of discouragement dealing with rejections and callous people who think writing is easy.
The road to hell is paved with adverbs.
- Stephen King
“Write something every day.” This came from my Dad, but I have heard it many times since from writers and writing coaches
“Read ahead of yourself,” from Frances McCue. Whenever my writing bogs down, it helps to read some of the great writers out there.
“Keep on writing! The paper is patient, but it loves to see the good stuff.” Someone wrote that to me years ago and it has stuck with me for some reason. A different perspective, really.
Write what you want to read but read beyond your interests, learn from others especially the greats and spend some time planning regardless of whether you follow the path or not.
Inspiring advice I once received: “There is already a Stephen King; a JK Rowling; a Michael Chabon; and a Cormac McCarthy. Yeah, they’re all great, but what the world is lacking is your voice, so be true to it.”
Intrigue, surprise and delight are the three pillars that provide a sturdy platform on which any fiction writing can comfortable balance. That is my take on the subject; just to share my idea about the method.
Best wishes…
No matter what anybody says, just remember that your career as a writer is only over when you give up.
Well, what are you inspired by? I’m inspired when I read about Fantasy and I stick to it and write about it. It can be hard to think up a beginning but stay determined and let the creative side of yourself out.
“Save what you write”–from Gail Carson Levine. It can help inspire you later, and it’s always amusing to look back on it and see how you’ve grown, both as a writer and as a person.
Isaac Babel, a Russian writer at the beginning of the 20th century, had some great advice about how to write/revise. You can find it here at http://www.readingourpast.com/2008/08/on-writing_13.html