5 Comments »I’ve been getting some emails lately asking for writing advice, so I thought I’d post my reponse(s) here in case others are interested.
These are just some general thoughts about writing, of course. If you want to talk more specifically about developing characters, creating conflict, or even publishing type stuff (finding an agent, etc.), let me know. We can do that, too. 
1) If writing is really important to you, don’t quit. You’ll have a million and one people telling you how hard it is to write a book, and they’re right…but don’t let that stop you. All of us–every single published author out there–had people telling us it couldn’t be done. It can be. You have to be persistent and BELIEVE.
2) Don’t worry about it if you don’t know what happens next in the story, just keep going. I spent years starting stories and never finishing them because I thought if I didn’t know what happened next then it was doomed and I’d better start another one. Finishing the story, even if you think it’s not very good, is super important. Writing, especially in the beginning, teaches you through the experience of writing. In other words, you may hate the middle or the end of this book you just finished, but you’ll learn from it so the next one will be better.
3) Read. A lot. Look at your favorite book and figure out what makes it your favorite. Is it the realistic characters? The funny dialogue? The mystery? Whatever you enjoy about that book is most likely an element you’ll want to incorporate in your own writing. And you should always write what you want to read. Write something that would entice you to pick it up off the shelf, even if it’s not something that’s popular right now (e.g. vampires).
4) Have fun! Don’t worry about pleasing anyone else, especially not at first. Tell yourself the story.
5) Always keep learning. There are lots of good books and articles out there about writing. The Writer and Writer’s Digest are two magazines that most libraries carry, and they have great articles, especially if you’re just starting out. Other books I’ve found helpful are: On Writing by Stephen King, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler, and Goal, Motivation, and Conflict by Debra Dixon.
My mentor, Linnea Sinclair, also found these very cool story cards. We’ve used them in workshops, but I also think they’re incredibly handy for sorting out a story idea and seeing how the pieces fit together.
Okay…back to revising! Oh! That would be another good topic for discussion someday.