8 Authors Share Their Best Writing Advice
My new blog series is all about celebrating the 5th anniversary of gilagreenwrites. To start us off, 8 authors share their best writing advice.
I asked dozens of authors two questions:
1. What is the best writing advice you received that you return to again and again?
2. A do or a don't for writers
Here are the first 8 answers.
Characters Must Be Compelling
"Create compelling, real characters, and always write from their point of view, not yours."
"When deciding whether to trim a scene from a story, DON'T keep a scene or interaction purely because you like it. It must move the story forward, either in the sense of plot or character development."
---Steve Gordon, author of the Gidon Aronson series
Sound Like Yourself
"Only you can write your book. Your writing is best when it reflects the person that you are - your voice, your perspective, your ideas. Be the person you are as much as possible on the page."
"Write for your own enjoyment and expect nothing more from it. Anything else that happens is a bonus."
--Janice Weizman, author of Our Little Histories
Keep Getting Better
"Never stop honing your craft...keep taking classes on different elements of writing."
"PERSEVERE!! If you believe in your story/novel/poem/etc. don't be discouraged by rejections from literary magazines. It's not personal and if you keep at it, you will eventually find a good home for your piece."
---Julie Zuckerman, author of The Book of Jeremiah
Persistence = Publication
"Keep going. Keep writing. Don't give up. Because those who persist will be those who publish."
---Jennifer Lang, author of Landed: A Yogi's Memoir in Poses
Two Heads are Better than One
"Have a critique group. I had always shared my writing for feedback with my friends… but nothing compared to having strong critique partners who are both willing to tell you the straight truth, and give advice on how to make things stronger. My critique partners have made my writing stronger… and as a bonus, I got a bunch of amazing friends too."
---Ann Koffsky, author and illustrator of more than forty picture books for children.
Invite the Cossacks
"Throw in some Cossacks. This specifically applied when I was writing my first novel, "The Keys to Fanny."What it means, in general, is to provide obstacles for your characters so they can grow and go toward their goals."
---Sally Constain, author of The Keys to Fanny.
Less is More & Keep it to Yourself
"I learned this from Dale Harris, my freshman writing teacher at Sarah Lawrence College in the 1970s. It's a very simple piece of advice, but precisely because of that, I find myself referring to it whenever I write: "Don't use two words to describe something, when you can find one word that covers them both. Using one word produces strong writing, while using two reflects laziness on the part of the writer."
"Do" write every day. Even if you have nothing to write about, write a hundred words about writing nothing. Personally, I haven't often kept this advice, but when I do, it really greases the wheels for longer and more productive writing sessions.
"Don't" share with people too much about what you are writing. This weakens the drive to get it out on paper. Creativity requires pent-up energy and emotion. I figured this out myself, but subsequently read it in the name of Ray Bradbury."
--Eliezer Shore, author of Meeting Elijah: True tales of Eliyahu Hanavi
Write First. Edit Second.
"Finish the first draft before you start editing. It may be tempting to fix things early, but you can't know what edits are needed until you finish that lousy first draft."
"Set a goal for how many hours you'll write per week. Find an accountability partner to report your hours every week. Even if you sometimes miss your goal, stick to the schedule and the partner until you are done! Don't give up. "
--Evonne Marzouk, author of The Prophetess
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