Although I enjoy my LiveJournal account and will continue to use it, I find their system for posting Comments to be unfriendly. If you don't have a LiveJournal account, you have to comment as "Anonymous" or log in with "Open ID." The reasons for this have been explained by LiveJournal and they are not planning to change.
I'm ready to make this blog -- Writing Tips, Tricks, and Tactics -- an active part of my life. I am hoping to hear from you!
To kick off the resurrection of this blog, I would love to hear from fellow writers on the subject:
What is the best tip (or one of the best) you have received on how to be a better writer?
The best tip I ever received was (after hearing "write what you know" forever): "Write what you want to know more about." Writers shouldn't be limited to what they already know. Whatever interests you, find out about it. Then write about it.
ReplyDelete"Allow yourself to write crap." Because if you don't, you'll never get through a first draft.
ReplyDeletejust get the idea down, don't worry about anything else to start with then go back and polish it up later.
ReplyDeleteZanna, Ian, and Helen - great tips! I always disliked the "write what you know" admonition because I have led a pretty plain, boring life. If I had to write only about that, well. . . you get the picture!
ReplyDeleteI read a book by Stephen King that suggested writing short fiction to hone your craft. Practicing my art with short fiction has proved valuable in boosting my confidence, developing ideas, and getting something published while my novel was/is stewing. I think it's good advice.
ReplyDeleteGen, I love Stephen King's book On Writing. I see where he is coming from with that suggestion, and it's obviously working very well for you!
ReplyDeleteFrom Mel Odom: Write to the emotions that is what all of us know. When I started out, I was a farmboy from rural Oklahoma. I didn't know anything, but I knew how my characters felt and that's what I wrote about.
ReplyDeleteBecky! That's great advice, and probably the hardest thing for me to do. I'm told I need to show the character's "feelings" in addition to "thoughts." I guess that must be easy for most people to differentiate between the two, but it often isn't for me.
ReplyDelete