✮ Tips for Writers

My fellow writers who ask me questions… it is good to ask for advice from writers that you admire, and to immerse yourself in their style. You’ll naturally pick it up like a language. I have a few suggestions for anyone wanting to improve in some aspect of their writing:

1. If you’re stuck, switch the genre.
2. You don’t have to write from beginning to end, or plan anything ahead. I don’t. I start with a scene that I like, and let everything just naturally fall.
3. Keep a slush pile. Sometimes an awesome bit just doesn’t work in a story, so I move it to the slush pile, where I eventually dip and pull pearls out. It’s easier to make those bonsai cuts when you have a slush pile.
4. I keep a lot of lists: words, phrases, scenes, favorites… and add to my lists numerous times throughout every day. I use an instant voice recorder and Siri/Alexa so that I’m not forgetting bits I like. I also have a person in the family who remembers everything, so that’s nice for me.
5. I totally do stay up all night starting and finishing a story, sometimes tapping the entire thing out like a text message on my phone. I recommend just getting out of bed, but you know, it happens.
6. I know that I’m done when I feel excited. If I don’t get that feeling, then something is wrong. I might have to rewrite from scratch, or get distance, wait for a different mood, or just completely trash it… I’ve trashed far more than I’ve kept.
7. Get a nice pen and sticky notes. I have many piles of sticky notes, and sometimes I find them on the bottom of a shoe, but they are all really important. There’s one next to me now that I’ve been floating for years.
8. Listen to reasonable reviewers, enjoy the super harsh critics, know that rejection is the norm (hello – 300 in one day!), and stay tough, because everyone is a critic. If you’ve asked for advice from someone who matches you, who appreciates your genre, or is an actual expert, then at least try to follow their suggestions.
9. If you’re asked to review another writer’s work, tread so so carefully. Writers can be very tender. Sandwich suggestions between specific and genuine praise. Don’t get upset if they don’t agree. Usually, they just need praise, and will figure out the snags on their own if they keep writing.
10. Don’t share your work with family and friends. (Try not to even let them know that you write.) If they insist, hand over some slapped-together junk that you don’t cherish, because nothing will crush your spirit like family, and you’ll also censor your writing in anticipation of their reaction.
11. It can be fun to go through lists of writing prompts and just play around. If you’re having the so-called “writer’s block”, you’re probably not doing well physically and emotionally – sort that out, and then find one of those prompt lists.
12. Join a writing club for decent feedback. And dip out if it stinks. There’s online groups, MeetUps, groups you can form… just make sure everyone is trading and getting feedback, and that the leadership keeps it comfortable.
13. Positive feedback can also be a trap. Some people just like everything – they are the diametric opposite of the critic, and can really lift your spirits, but then you’ve got this big puffy head… yeah, mostly just ignore the praise too. You’ll know if you like your work or not, without someone else telling you.
14. Never ever respond to a remote reviewer, not the positive ones, and definitely not the negative ones. Don’t copy paste them into social media. Don’t touch them. Breaching that glass wall will only cause you problems. Also, don’t spend too much time on social media – whatever your reason is – because it’s mostly a waste of time.
15. Consider very carefully, who are you writing for? You? The audience? I have stories that I write exactly as I want them, and I have trendy junk. And yes, obviously use a pen name… hey, especially if you’re writing romantic erotica.
16. Your writing does not have to be perfect. You don’t have to write the Next Great Classic. You don’t have to steal the breath from your readers. Most of the good writing that makes decent income is quite forgettable. Don’t stifle yourself by setting the bar too high.
17. Not everyone will like Vincent Van Gogh, or even Pablo Picasso, and many will say that their art is child’s work. You cannot please everyone, and trying to, or comparing your work to others will not serve you well. Write your own flavor, and know who you are writing for. You don’t need to workshop every discouraging review. Some are just disco rage spittle. (How clever.)
18. As for Pablo Picasso, he was a classically trained artist, and could make photo-realistic art, but that cubism was so fun! When he broke rules, he did so intentionally with a purpose. You too can break rules! Just know what and why, and get your classical standards down first. (Yeah, I break many, many rules.)
19. Write what you know. You might not have been in the spaceship, but you’ve been in the relationship that you’re describing. Are you confident of your research? Did you research until it all clicked? Be very careful when you stray outside of your culture. (Okay, I do that too.)
20. If your computer program seems to delete everything, don’t panic. Call the company and get a tech to retrieve it. The Feds can do it, you can too! On the other hand, if you wrote everything in an online program, but your device was offline and didn’t save, and it didn’t update when reconnected, you’re doomed. Don’t let that be you. Get a flash drive that automatically backs everything up or set a timer to remind yourself to “save” every 15 minutes.
21. Not everything gets finished right away. I have 18 stories that I’m working on, probably a few that I’ve forgotten about, a few electric ideas that I’m eager for, and another 21 that are finished and not yet published (mostly because they’ll be packaged with stories that aren’t done yet).
22. Get a laptop keyboard, an office chair, two 10lb weights to exercise your back, a big rock to hold the tablet stand (mine is petrified wood from the Dakotas), a tablet, a set of over-the-ear Bluetooth bass-boost headphones, and a tablet stand that will place the tablet at eye level.

Well, I’m a writer writing about writing, so I can go on all day. Peace out.