Advice on writing – ignore most of it !
I see a lot of writers offering their ideas and a lot of them are like me. Posted a couple of books on the internet, had a few nice words, getting some regular readers. Then they start pontificating about how to be a writer. I promise I’m not going to be one of them !
For a start I don’t think you can learn to write. Writing is a lot like sex, nature either gave you the equipment to make people ecstatic or it didn’t. All you can hope to do is hope to improve your style.
Ok I lied, I’m going to have a mini pontificate !
Be true to yourself ! Get your genre and style right. There’s no use aiming at being a children’s book writer if you most enjoy writing horror. Similarly I’ve seen writers trying to be darker when you know they should be the next Enid Blyton.
Read a lot ! Authors you enjoy, not the books your English Lit teacher foisted onto you. Read everything they ever wrote and let the style and rhythm soak into your soul. Yes all writers have a soul and it has nothing to do with being religious. Then use your own imagination to think of a good story and let the style and rhythm you picked up shape the story.
Don’t copy ! For a start a lot of the classics are just very old, not very good. Show a critic a candy wrapper written in 1800 and they’ll call it a masterpiece. Remember the bit about being true to yourself?
Ok now go off and write…………….
I see a lot of writers offering their ideas and a lot of them are like me. Posted a couple of books on the internet, had a few nice words, getting some regular readers. Then they start pontificating about how to be a writer. I promise I’m not going to be one of them !
For a start I don’t think you can learn to write. Writing is a lot like sex, nature either gave you the equipment to make people ecstatic or it didn’t. All you can hope to do is hope to improve your style.
Ok I lied, I’m going to have a mini pontificate !
Be true to yourself ! Get your genre and style right. There’s no use aiming at being a children’s book writer if you most enjoy writing horror. Similarly I’ve seen writers trying to be darker when you know they should be the next Enid Blyton.
Read a lot ! Authors you enjoy, not the books your English Lit teacher foisted onto you. Read everything they ever wrote and let the style and rhythm soak into your soul. Yes all writers have a soul and it has nothing to do with being religious. Then use your own imagination to think of a good story and let the style and rhythm you picked up shape the story.
Don’t copy ! For a start a lot of the classics are just very old, not very good. Show a critic a candy wrapper written in 1800 and they’ll call it a masterpiece. Remember the bit about being true to yourself?
Ok now go off and write…………….
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