I'm reminded of a piece of advice I heard somewhere. It's advice given from an experienced author to someone just starting out. And it goes like this:
While that advice seems harsh, there's a lot of truth there. Over the years, I've given up a lot of things. Some things I gave up because I didn't have the money to afford it. Others I gave up because I didn't have the time. Many things I gave up, because I wanted to do something different."Quit. And if that doesn't work, roll up your sleeves and pay the price for success."
And over the years, I've quit writing. I've put it on the shelf in order to do other things. But every time, I come back to it. I like it. It makes me happy.
So, I've made a pact with myself. I'm going to finish the second draft of my Thor story and finish the first draft of a to-be-started story before the end of the year. And if I have time, I'll finish the second draft of my Dreamer story as well.
That's a lot of stuff to do, but since quitting hasn't worked for me. I might as well roll up my sleeves and pay the price.
So, what's the best writing advice you've heard? Not the advice that sounds the best, I want to know what advice caused you to increase the quality or quantity of your writing the most.
* This picture of a Go game taken by Luis de Bethencourt looked so good, it made me want to learn how to play. You should check out his other photos.
4 comments:
My best advice is "write it or shut up about it."
I decided never to talk about writing a book again. Instead I would write first and earn the privilege of talking later.
Good luck on your goals. Let me know if you could use some writer's group meetings to stay fired up!
Thanks Regina. Your comment reminded me of a quote: "When people say they want to write a book, they're really saying they want to have written one."
Are you planning on participating in Nanowrimo this year? Maybe our group can setup regular check ins or write ins or something.
Thanks John, for this post. There is a lot of writing advice out there. I have a critique group friend that says, "we do what we want and make excuses for the rest." While not specific to writing, I find it holds true if I hear myself making excuses for why I haven't written, I know it is my own will getting in the way!
Tamara - So Direct. So True. I like that it brings everything back to me--in the end, it's my decision what I do. Thanks for sharing.
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