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I am so excited about this post! Over 45 actual writers, authors, (& a former literary agent) have come together to give their advice to other writers. Whether you are just starting out, or have published a dozen books, these tips are not only encouraging... they work. How do I know? Because they have been tried and proven by actual writers during their writing journeys. Now, they are passing them on to you. I haven't numbered them, because they are all equally important, and no one tip is #1.
ON READING
"Read. A lot. I imagine my writer brain like a battery and I charge it by reading. If I don’t read enough, my writing suffers or dies out altogether." –Haley
“Read. As much as you can, as often as you can. You won’t get ahead in this business if you don’t know what’s popular, what’s selling, and what’s not.” – Christine
"Read. Write. Repeat." –Rohan
"Read well-written books. You can’t be a good writer if you’re not a good reader." –Catherine
"READ. Absorb other's styles, structure, word usage, etc. You don't copy, but learn all you can from them. A person who is not a reader will not be a good writer." –J.L. Callison (website) / (facebook)
ON WRITING
"Breathe. Writing is like everything else. It can get stressful and at times frustrating. As with any job, sometimes you just need a coffee break." –Dennis
"Like any craft, you need to practice before you get good at it." –Colin
"Share your writing selectively. Keep some writing private." –Laurie
"I’m not always going to be there to get you by the shoulders and shake you, so you gotta learn to do it yourself." –Xan Whittle, former literary agent
"Write a story that you’d never get tired of reading. Write for yourself." –Raph
“Start writing. If you wait for the perfect time or the right inspiration, it will never come. You just have to start.” – Marji
"Write as light as you need to, and as dark as you are able to." – Victoria
"Don’t wonder if it’s good enough or if it’s worth it. There are a million different tastes out there, and whatever you’re writing will appeal to someone. It might not be the next best seller, but it’s most definitely worth it. Believe in yourself and keep typing away." -J.L. Heritage (facebook)
"Write with heart. Care about your subject, about your characters, and that will inevitably shine through." –AmyNikita (website) / (facebook)
"Write from experience or passion. The old adage “write what you know” is always faithful." – John
"Don’t write to change the world. Just tell the story." – Danny Burnham
"Writing is a craft. Learn it, study it, practice it. How to write well is important, from structuring a sentence to understanding the whys behind the basic rules. Then you make what you learn work for you." – Patricia (Learn the craft – Wanjiru, Bill)
Write the book you want to read. – Chelsey, Marji, Kathryn
"There is no shortcut for butt in chair, fingers on keyboard." –Dee
"Never stop learning and evolving. Nurture your inner storyteller and encourage others who find themselves traveling a similar writer-ly path." –Veronica
"Challenge yourself. Write something that you feel you cannot attain as a writer but feel compelled to try and accomplish anyway." –Luke
"Back-up your writing." –Lucinda S., Haley
"Before you send off your writing, run it through one of the text to voice programs (plenty of free ones out there). It really gives a good feel for how a sentence or paragraph scans. Sometimes a sentence can look good on paper (especially when you have read it for the 100th time) but it can sound jarring to someone else." –MW Brown (website) / (facebook)
"Try to write every day, even if it's just for a minute. Next week, aim for five minutes, then ten, then fifteen. Good habits are difficult to get into but if you can write every day it will give you the best possible start." –David Evans (website)
"As I recall her encouraging rejection note, Judy-Lynn del Rey (of Del Rey Books) said she really liked my ideas, but I needed to learn to write. Plain spoken, accurate, and helpful advice." –Bill Buchanan
"Don't let anyone else tell you what to do with your story if you were confident from the beginning." – Iris Sweetwater
"Write something that is worth the thousands of hours of your life you will never get
back; therefore write something that in some way or other, you believe the world needs, even if just a little bit, even if you don't entirely understand why." – Jose
ON EDITING
"I have known many whom I thought were great storytellers get caught up in editing after writing a few chapters and they never recover. We are our own worst critics and the majority of the time, we will tell ourselves not to finish because we think it is bad. The best way to fight it is the elation over having a finished a first draft." –Samantha
Don’t edit until you finish the first draft. –Nicci, Rob, Sherry, Jonah, Shelly
"First drafts are supposed to be ugly. It can all be fixed later." – Dee
"Know that even if a phrase, sentence, or paragraph you've written is brilliant or beautiful, if it doesn't work… cut it. Save it for another time or just let it go." – Beth
"Editing is the most important part and you should embrace it. You got the ideas down, now make it the best piece of writing that you can. No matter how many drafts it takes." –Kristan
ON IDEAS
Write down your ideas as soon as they come to you. –Aradhya, Ken
"Have a pen handy." –Aleshea
"Always think outside the box. A new twist on any subject may be worth a great honor." – Willis
ON YOUR VOICE
"Follow your voice, there are many people telling you what to do, but only you know the road that you are taking. Trust in yourself and listen to your heart. It knows the way." –Deborah
"Don’t be so afraid of what others might think of you that you end up not writing what you want. You’ll never please everyone, but the one person you MUST please with your writing is yourself. If you aren’t happy with what you’re churning out, you will lose all joy in the craft." –Sharon
"Use your own unique writing voice." –Raymond
ON FAILURE
"Don't be afraid of failure - it's the part of the process that forces you to get better." – Morgana
ON PERSEVERANCE
"Write. Write. Write. Despite all the gremlins in your head telling you it's rubbish." – Anuradha
"Don’t give up." –Quinn
Write even when you don’t feel like it!" –Sherry, Gregory
Keep writing. – Lucinda B., David, Scott
"Don’t stop, and don’t get discouraged. This can take a while." – Turtle; "Don't stop." –Tina
"At first, you're not as good as you want to be. Respect that. You'll see work by other writers, assume you stink, then want to give up. Only by practicing writing will you get better at it, and start to become the writer you want to be." –Dan Murphy (facebook)
"You will be rejected, possibly many times, but don’t be discouraged. It’s hard to stay positive when you feel that your dreams are crumbling all around you. You have to fight for your writing. Anyone can have a dream, but not everyone acts on it." –Caitlin Lambert (website) / (facebook)
Thank you to all these brave writers for sharing. There are actually 46, if you counted. I didn't include that last quote, which is mine, because this post is not about me. It is about these 45 writers, and it is about YOU! The writing journey is long, but you aren't alone! There is a writer out there going through the same thing, but you CAN overcome. Share this post with your writer friends, and give them a little encouragement in their journey too!
Which quote is your favorite? What advice would YOU give to another writer? Comment below or over at my Facebook page, where I share tips, quotes, resources, and encouragement for writers.