Monday, March 18, 2013

Best Writing Advice

On Thursday this week, I'm giving my first presentation to a group of aspiring authors. I can't wait. As my daughter would say, it's going to be epic.

I'm planning on sharing things that I learned on my journey to getting published that I wish I would have known sooner, including some time saving tricks and general habits to make writing easier and better.

I would love any ideas from my blog readers on their best piece of writing advice. It can be about any part of the writing process.

So, if someone asked you for your one most important bit of writing advice, what would it be?

Or, if you're a reader not a writer, what is something you wish writers would do--or not do?

Any advice is welcome.

19 comments:

  1. Best advice I remember is "There are no secrets to being published, so stop asking." It was something like that.

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  2. A few things that have stuck with me: you should write because you love it, but if you want to succeed, treat it like a job.

    Now, I know some might disagree with that given the word "job" itself implies work that we are obligated to do. But writing IS work, and to become a better writer, you need to put the hours in studying the craft, working with other writers, and just plain sitting in a chair getting words on paper. If writing is meant to be a fun hobby, by all means, but for writers pursuing publication, treating writing like a job means committment, and effort.

    To get in the habit of writing regularly, set a timer and only write for that time, avoiding distractions as much as possible. Even if it's just 15 minutes, that's 15 mins that wasn't spent watching TV or reading Facebook.

    Lastly, celebrate other writers' victories. Be happy when other people succeed and leave jealousy and competition aside.

    Good luck with your talk!

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    1. This is great advice. All of it is perfect, and I especially like you advice to celebrate other's victories. The thing about the publishing world is that there can never be too many great books.

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  3. My usual tips from my perch as a ghostwriter are:

    It's not the idea, it's what you do with it that counts. Blogfests prove this. Give a hundred people the same starting point and they'll go a hundred different ways. It's about that imaginative branching out from the start.

    Coherency counts for more than formal structures. It matters less whether your piece hits all the points of the hero's journey than whether the start produces the end and whether it all speaks to the same theme. Structures are a way of analysing work. You wouldn't expect to produce an old master using a paint by numbers kit.

    With the sheer volume of works out there, there are no guarrantees of success. It is not simply a case of 'if you work harder, you will succeed'. So you must try to enjoy the process, because that is all you can be certain you will get.

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    1. This is all such excellent advice! Thanks! I love your thoughts on coherency--so perfect!

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  4. This is unrelated to writing, but I love those social media links you have up there in the corner!

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  5. Buy your muse chocolate. It always helps. Nice to hear from you, Julie!

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  6. Oh, and as a Reader (I put my reader hat on now), ahem, I hate it when writers end a book before all the "story promises" are fulfilled. If a certain outcome is at all inherent in the plot, tie up that thread instead of leaving it for the next book. It's okay to have something to make us wanting more, but not when it's part of the resolution of the story at hand.

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    1. Excellent advice. I've stopped reading many series because I felt like the author was simply trying to sell me another book rather than write a cohesive and satisfying story. I'm a reader, not a sales number. If the first book is awesome, THEN I'll buy the next.

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  7. While you're learning all you can, never give up!

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  8. Write to make happiness and adventure for yourself and others and you will succeed. If you are doing it to get the most hits on your blog or for the whole world to love you, in my opinion, it won't work. I write for that one person that says, "Wow! You got me." And in hearing that it makes me happy.
    Also, I make a rough plot outline of where I want my story to go and as I write I let my characters tell their story. It is theirs, not mine. It keeps it interesting for me and hopefully for those that choose to read my work.
    Oh, and one last thing. Take criticism and use it, but do not take it to heart. It will kill your story.

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    1. Great points. I especially love the one about taking criticism! So important. Thanks T.J.

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  9. I was at your presentation on Thursday and you did a fantastic job. It was one of the best classes of the series, in my humble opinion. I thought I'd give nanowrimo a try last Nov on a lark. Mow all my friends and family are asking how the revision is going and, well...it's hard. I'm buried in kids and housework but I think your presentation may have inspired me to get back to work on my writing. Thanks again!

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  10. good luck on your presentation! You'll do great. My advice would be to read and read a lot, and write as much as you read:)
    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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