Tag Archive - writing advice

Some Savvy Writing Advice from Famous Authors

Now that I’ve posted a number of quotes from famous authors on the writing craft that I disagree with, to redeem myself, I am going to share some great advice from other famous authors that I heartily agree with. Last week, I talked about the need for writers to develop their intuitive response to their own writing in order to assess whether any advice (or criticism) given should be heeded. Everyone is subjective, and so each person will react to a particular piece of writing differently.

It’s often difficult for writers to stand back and see the flaws in their story, and not every bit of advice is going to be right on. In fact, a lot of advice from even the smartest, well-meaning, and honest critique partner can steer us wrong. It’s up to each writer to get in touch with that place inside that confirms or convicts regarding the wisdom of the advice given. Continue Reading…

Why Writers Need to Trust Their Intuition

In my last two posts in the Writing for Life section of my blog I shared a number of quotes from famous authors on writing. These were quotes I came across that I disagreed with. Some I felt were just plain bad advice, and I gave my reasons. But so as not to sound utterly haughty, I am happy to admit there is a lot of great writing advice out there. Only you can decide what is “truth” for you. My aim at sharing my thoughts like this is to help writers listen more intuitively to suggestions or critiques.

Elizabeth George, in her writing craft book Write Away, writes about listening to our bodies, paying attention to how a scene feels to us. I relate to this intuitive method strongly. Here are some things she says: Continue Reading…

More Words of Advice from Famous Authors That Are Just Wrong

Last week, I went over a few bits of writing advice from famous authors that I personally disagreed with. Maybe some of you disagreed with me. I think it’s great to agree to disagree. Hopefully, though, some of you got the point—that just because someone is famous, it doesn’t mean you have to follow their formula (or creed or belief system) to become a great writer. Or a successful one.

Sometimes following a lot of advice from other people tends to confuse who you are. You are an individual, unique, and what works for one writer may not work at all for another. Stephen King doesn’t like to plot, but somehow his books have been hugely successful. His method seems to work for him, but I can assure you it doesn’t work for everyone.

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