The Place For My Writers Notes

Original posting 18 Feb 2011

I've got conference envy. I was looking at the program for Life, the Universe, and Everything over here http://www.ltue.org/2011_Schedule.html and sighing about not being able to go. And then it struck me... some of these headings are kind of interesting to think about. So, with no further ado, let's take a look.

The very first one is "best and worst writing advice ever given." They have a panel with a moderator to talk about this at 9 AM in the morning. Fortunately, we don't have to get up that early. But we can still talk about what is the best writing advice you've ever gotten (or given)? Along with that, what's the worst writing advice you've ever stumbled over, and wished you had never heard of.

I'm going to recommend two different pieces of writing advice as best. One is the relatively long-term advice given by Heinlein, which I remember as four steps. Write. Finish what you write. Submit. Keep submitting. That may not be exactly the way it was stated, but it's pretty close. Second is the short-term advice that I've seen many places, but I think has been best summed up in Howard Tayler's pithy acronym -- BICHOK. Butt in chair, hands on keyboard. Yes, you need thinking time, pondering time, research, filling the well, and lots of other stuff. But the key to writing is to write. Get those words out.

Worst writing advice? I need to think about that a little.

What about you? What's the best and worst writing advice you've ever encountered?

Original Posting 1 June 2009

Writer's Digest, August 2006, pages 60 and 61, have an article by Jeannie Greeley with the title, "Inspiration Points." The focus is on advice for aspiring writers, in particular from people who are already writers. "Inspiring newbies without giving a false sense of success..." What do writing instructors and published authors recommend?

It takes a village. Join a community to stay inspired. Some kind of writing community helps. It's a shared creative environment, and it's a public commitment. It's good modeling.

The truth about payday. "Honesty is the best policy... about how much the writing life pays." Or doesn't pay. The average advance for a work of fiction is from $5000-$10,000. Do the math. How many novels can you churn out each year? Then comes the hard question of how to combine a 9-to-5 job that you can live on with writing. Some people go for mindnumbing jobs.

Coping with rejection. Rejection letters are part of the business. Wallowing in it doesn't help. Figure out a strategy that works for you to respond -- whether that's a short break and pep talk, sending out another copy, or whatever. But do expect that you are going to get lots of rejections.

Inspiration: fact or myth? How important is inspiration? Writers' opinions vary. Christopher Castellani says "any writer who blames inactivity or a dry spell on lack of inspiration is just lazy." Creating a book is "lots of hard, laborious, meticulous work." Others admit that inspiration helps, but it's not enough to get you published. Perspiration -- following through -- determination is what makes publication.

The sidebar suggests six ideas for helping you stay on the road:

1. Keep a list of comfort books -- reread those authors that inspire you to write to remind yourself.
2. Celebrate your accomplishments. Whether they are small or big, you've done something for your craft. Reward yourself.
3. Visit writing websites and read about other writers' accomplishments.
4. Talk to experienced writers about your situation. Most of them are happy to share tips.
5. Make a list of reasons why you want to write. This is your list, so be as silly or melodramatic as you want. Personal affirmations don't have to make sense to anyone else.
6. Take revenge. You can respond to rejection letters in private or even post them on RejectionCollection.com

Sounds like good advice to me?
Write!

[here it comes again! out of the mists of history, an exercise from the past!]

Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 01:41:43 -0500
From: A noiseless patient spider
Subject: EXERCISE: a dose of advice, a brace of questions

(how many are in a brace, anyway?)

a ponse for the the morn, a ponder for the afternoon, or even a weighty thought or two for the evening, a dream for the nighttime?

Alright, let's consider this.

Suppose the ever-changing tides of chance bring up an encounter with the beginner, and the beginner looks up at you (in your grizzled writing togs, with the feather of achievement somehow tucked into your bonnet), and asks for advice.

What do you tell them?  What is the one-sentence (okay, a paragraph, three points, a short poem, your choice!) piece of advice that you would offer someone interested in writing?

Now, let's assume that something happens, and you get a chance to ask a question of... how about a writer with a string of accomplishments to their name?

What question do you ask?  What is the burning issue that you would dearly like to discuss with a senior writer?

And just for fun, let's also consider an opportunity to ask your reader a question.  Yes, the audience of your work has been magically transformed into an individual, sitting in their lazyboy, waiting for your question.

What would you like to ask your reader?

So, three pieces:

1.  Your advice to a starting writer (feel free to give them a leading question to ask, if you like).
2.  Your question to another writer
3.  Your question to your readers

Go ahead, the floor is yours...

"I dream in my dream all the dreams of the other dreamers,
And I become the other dreamers."  Walt Whitman

a butterfly did dream... tink