What's the best writing advice you ever got?

I've had several people write to share the best writing advice they've ever received. 

Vince Zandri, who has done numerous novels and sold more than a quarter million books, wrote to me and said, "The best writing advice I ever got came from Ernest Hemingway in the form of his memoir, A Moveable Feast. If writers are worried about one thing, it's the ability to keep a story moving from day to day. To avoid the 'block,' as some people call it. Papa wrote slowly and methodically in the early morning hours, and trained himself to stop at a point where he knew what was going to happen next. That way he could be sure of getting started the next day -- and it left him the afternoons to play, exercise, fish, drink, or do whatever he wanted." 

Successful nonfiction writer Mel Lawrenz wrote to say, "The best advice? Take the long view. See the long process of publishing as an advantage -- the stages of writing, editing, rewriting, and revising make for a more refined end product. Don't miss the opportunity to rethink what you originally wrote." 

Harlequin author Dana Mentink sent this: "The best writing advice I got as a pre-pubbed author was that I should act like a professional. My mentor encouraged me to treat my writing like a business, not a hobby. Put in the hours, describe yourself to others as a writer, and really put yourself into the mindset of a professional. She explained to me that there's a big difference between 'I want to write a book' and 'I want to be an author.' The latter requires professional dedication." 

Children's author Kayleen Reusser noted, "Believe in yourself, even if no one else does. At my beginning I was the only one who believed I could write and get published. Even my mother told me I could not write -- no money, no time, three small children to care for. But I swore I would die trying. (Thank goodness it has not come to that.)"

And novelist Dianne Price wrote to say, "Know your characters. LIve with them. Talk to them. Listen to their words and the cadence of their speech. Make them your constant companions. Argue with them. Commiserate with them. Ask them questions. You must know them to make them believable."

What about you? What's the best writing advice you've ever heard?

 

Comments

[Charity]

(I didn't see this show up earlier, so I'll try on this thread.)

I love the advice from Benjamin Franklin in his autobiography about copying great writing. He found writers he admired and copied their work, then tried to replicate their style. I have found studying great authors to help me as well. How does Annie Dillard set up a punchline to make her paragraphs 'snap?' How does Laura Ingalls Wilder use verbs to set the mood of a terrifying winter? How does Sophie Kinsella use plot and characters for humor? Dissecting sentences or diagramming the plot structure of writers I admire has helped me sharpen my writing. I still had to find my own voice, but it gave me more tools in my toolbox.

[Ane Mulligan]

Don't give up! That's really it. If you're serious about writing for publication, learn your craft and don't give up. It's simple, but true.

[Brick]

Probably to stop writing. I really sucked.

[Daisy Ruth]

Thomas Sowell said, "I write only when I have something to say." He also said, "...the only way I know to become a good writer is to be a bad writer and keep on improving..."

[Stephanie Wright]

Lovely post. Thank you for putting this out there in a reincarnated form.

For me, the very best piece of advice (and I've gotten tons of good advice) also comes from Hemingway. This is the art of brevity, to not use convoluted words when simple ones will do, to say precisely what I mean to say and nothing more, to let the story tell itself rather than getting in the story's way.

Good 2012 to you.

Stephanie

[donna v]

One piece of advice that has stuck with me for years is, "write to express, not impress."

[Meredith Rae Morgan]

"Put your butt in your chair and write something every day."

I don't always follow it, but it's the best advice I have ever received.

[Phoebe Conn]

Leslie Gelbman was my editor, and she could be tough. When I pitched a Viking romance, she sighed, and told me they couldn't sell that time frame, or books set in Europe, but if that was what was in my heart, to go ahead and write it. "If I don't like it, I won't buy it." She loved it and CAPTIVE HEART was a New York Times bestseller.

[Melissa K Norris]

Best advice is to be teachable and to keep learning your craft. Also, to write weekly if not daily.

[Valerie Comer]

I've had so much good advice given to me it's hard to pick the top ONE. But it is probably something like this: Pace yourself for the long haul.

Writing for publication is not a get-rich-quick scheme (if you ever do at all). Don't be in a rush to get published. Take your time, learn the craft, do your apprenticeship. One step at a time.

[Unpublished Guy]

One word: plastic.

[Chris Redding]

This is a marathon not a sprint.
cmr

[Kelly Hitchcock (@KellyHitchcock)]

Don't be afraid to kill your own terrible ideas.

[Chip]

Thanks for all the good thoughts! And unpublished guy, I think the words is "plastics." With an "s." :o)

[April]

Mine is similar to Meredith Rae Morgan's:

Apply the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.

[Heather Marsten]

Thank you for this post. I have gleaned a lot of helpful hints from it as a pre-published writer. Currently I'm reading Stein on Writing by Sol Stein - lots of good hints in that :). Have a blessed day.
Heather