Beth Greenslade's Blog, page 108

Stupid Writing Rules You Should Definitely Ignore

As writers, should we choose to look for it, we can find advice about almost every aspect of our craft.

From how to develop your characters to plotting your plot. From how to approach publishers, to how to make a success from DIY publishing - there are literally thousands upon thousands of pieces of advice out there.

Which is great.

There is a tiny problem, however. Not all of it agrees.

Of course, as with anyone that has had an opinion on anything ever, there will always be someone who feels the exact opposite way. But when it comes to writing we are often bombarded with so many rules, so many do’s and don’ts that it can not only feel overwhelming, but can actually have a negative impact on the quality of our writing, and how much we enjoy doing it too.

There are lots of so called ‘writing rules’ that seem to be bandied about quite often. Rules which don’t necessarily make any sense. Here are just some of them that we think should definitely be taken with a pinch of salt.

1. Don’t reference anything contemporary otherwise, your book will go out of fashion

Cultural references can actually be helpful in creating your world, grounding the reader and helping them to visualise and relate to your story. Your book won’t suddenly become dated because you’ve mentioned an iPhone or a certain model of car or a song that is currently popular. If you think contemporary references add to your story then use them

2. Don’t start by describing the weather

OK so opening with ‘it was a dark and stormy night’ can seem a little cliched, but if the weather is important to set the tone and the mood of your story, don’t shy away from including it in your opening lines. If you can describe the weather in an arresting and unusual way, this can capture your reader's attention from the outset and pull them into the story.

3. Always start in the middle of some action

Many excellent books don’t start in the middle of a scene. Some begin by describing a character or details of the world the book is set in. Of course, action doesn’t necessarily mean ‘in the middle of a raging intergalactic battle.’ But there are other ways to begin your story, and if they feel right to you, just go with it.

4. Don’t make the opening scenes to dark or depressing

Some pieces of advice appear to say that starting your book on a low point will depress and put off your readers. This is nonsense. Every book is different and opening yours where the protagonist is about to do something dreadful, or something dreadful is happening to them, can actually be incredibly powerful.

5. Never use sentence fragments - your readers won’t understand

People don’t speak in full, proper sentences all the time do they? Nor do they have perfect English. If you want your character's dialogue to be believable, writing in sentence fragments, or having them stutter or trail off, can be an effective way of doing so.

6. Don’t read while you're writing

Some advice claims that reading books while you are writing will either put you off, or it will mean you immediately copy that writers style. This is ridiculous! Reading is a fantastic way of inspiring writers and helping us to learn and grow.

7. Always write in the present tense

Some pieces of advice even baulk at the idea of using the word ‘was’. While writing in the present tense does bring immediacy to a book, if you choose to write in the past tense, or have instances where you do, it doesn’t mean that your book won’t be a success.

8. Always have a happy ending

Believe it or not, readers don’t need to have a happy ending to enjoy a book. If you feel your book should end in a way that your protagonist doesn’t get what they want, or they do but at such significant cost it barely seems worth it, this can be just as effective. It may leave the reader feeling shocked and upset - but not cheated, and that’s the most important thing.

Writing advice is great, and can really inspire writers and help them to improve. However, if a rule doesn’t feel right to you there is no need to take it as gospel. Sometimes breaking the rules is what it’s all about after all!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Stupid Writing Rules You Should Definitely Ignore appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Stupid Writing Rules Your Should Definitely Ignore

As writers, should we choose to look for it, we can find advice about almost every aspect of our craft.

From how to develop your characters to plotting your plot. From how to approach publishers, to how to make a success from DIY publishing - there are literally thousands upon thousands of pieces of advice out there.

Which is great.

There is a tiny problem, however. Not all of it agrees.

Of course, as with anyone that has had an opinion on anything ever, there will always be someone who feels the exact opposite way. But when it comes to writing we are often bombarded with so many rules, so many do’s and don’ts that it can not only feel overwhelming, but can actually have a negative impact on the quality of our writing, and how much we enjoy doing it too.

There are lots of so called ‘writing rules’ that seem to be bandied about quite often. Rules which don’t necessarily make any sense. Here are just some of them that we think should definitely be taken with a pinch of salt.

1. Don’t reference anything contemporary otherwise, your book will go out of fashion

Cultural references can actually be helpful in creating your world, grounding the reader and helping them to visualise and relate to your story. Your book won’t suddenly become dated because you’ve mentioned an iPhone or a certain model of car or a song that is currently popular. If you think contemporary references add to your story then use them

2. Don’t start by describing the weather

OK so opening with ‘it was a dark and stormy night’ can seem a little cliched, but if the weather is important to set the tone and the mood of your story, don’t shy away from including it in your opening lines. If you can describe the weather in an arresting and unusual way, this can capture your reader's attention from the outset and pull them into the story.

3. Always start in the middle of some action

Many excellent books don’t start in the middle of a scene. Some begin by describing a character or details of the world the book is set in. Of course, action doesn’t necessarily mean ‘in the middle of a raging intergalactic battle.’ But there are other ways to begin your story, and if they feel right to you, just go with it.

4. Don’t make the opening scenes to dark or depressing

Some pieces of advice appear to say that starting your book on a low point will depress and put off your readers. This is nonsense. Every book is different and opening yours where the protagonist is about to do something dreadful, or something dreadful is happening to them, can actually be incredibly powerful.

5. Never use sentence fragments - your readers won’t understand

People don’t speak in full, proper sentences all the time do they? Nor do they have perfect English. If you want your character's dialogue to be believable, writing in sentence fragments, or having them stutter or trail off, can be an effective way of doing so.

6. Don’t read while you're writing

Some advice claims that reading books while you are writing will either put you off, or it will mean you immediately copy that writers style. This is ridiculous! Reading is a fantastic way of inspiring writers and helping us to learn and grow.

7. Always write in the present tense

Some pieces of advice even baulk at the idea of using the word ‘was’. While writing in the present tense does bring immediacy to a book, if you choose to write in the past tense, or have instances where you do, it doesn’t mean that your book won’t be a success.

8. Always have a happy ending

Believe it or not, readers don’t need to have a happy ending to enjoy a book. If you feel your book should end in a way that your protagonist doesn’t get what they want, or they do but at such significant cost it barely seems worth it, this can be just as effective. It may leave the reader feeling shocked and upset - but not cheated, and that’s the most important thing.

Writing advice is great, and can really inspire writers and help them to improve. However, if a rule doesn’t feel right to you there is no need to take it as gospel. Sometimes breaking the rules is what it’s all about after all!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Stupid Writing Rules Your Should Definitely Ignore appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Are Your Characters Boring?

One thing that is sure to kill your book is having characters that are boring. No matter how exciting and intriguing your premise, no matter how well thought out and beautifully written your plot, if you characters aren’t full of life, aren’t exciting, unpredictable, courageous, outrageous beasts, then it doesn’t matter what else you do, your readers simply won’t be able to engage.

Making characters interesting is harder than one might think. There is a difficult balance that all writers must try to strike. That is - making your characters realistic, but also making them exceptional.

Let’s face it, most of us happily plod through our lives, doing boring, mundane things. Dusting, walking the dog, grocery shopping and so on. Sure there are big, thrilling moments, sure there are times when things go drastically wrong, or we laugh our socks off, or we have a wild night where we just go with it and end up doing things we never expected to do, but the day to day - it’s not exactly page turning stuff right?

Characters need to be ‘larger than life’ but they also need to be relatable. If you create every character as a grotesque exaggeration of a personality type, your reader will find it difficult to connect. But if you don’t give each of your characters some sort of hook, some sense of intrigue, this can have an equally negative effect.

Of course, we can write characters that are purposefully boring in our books, ones that our hero finds unbearably dull - that’s OK and is a good opportunity to bring humour into your story. But if your main characters don’t leave an impression, you're making your book hard work for your readers.

So what are the things that you can do to ensure your characters excite your readers?

Characters must have motivation

A motivated character has a sense of purpose, readers can identify that purpose, and can root for the character to achieve it (or not). The purpose of a protagonist is what your story should revolve around. What is their goal? How will they get there? Getting your readers to invest in their goals will help them want to keep reading.

Characters must have conflict

Every good character has obstacles they must face, these can be actual physical obstacles, or they can be emotional ones. Inner turmoil about making an important decision can be just as effective as battling it out against a baddie. Creating conflict and allowing your readers to see their struggle can be very powerful indeed.

Characters must have emotion

Readers want to know how your characters feel, and creating emotion in your characters is a great way of getting your reader to feel emotionally bonded to them. If you reader cares about your characters, your book becomes something more than just a book - they are invested, they are involved. Characters should feel a range of emotions, and your readers should be happy with them when things go well, and sad, angry, frightened with them, when they feel that way too. Take your readers on the journey with your characters, have them feel what your characters feel. If you can capture emotion brilliantly, you’ll make your readers care, and then you’ve pretty much won the battle.

Creating engaging, exciting. interesting characters is crucial to any story. So follow the tips above and make sure that your characters don’t bore your readers - if you don’t, you simply can’t expect them to care about your book.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Are Your Characters Boring? appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

What To Do If You Get A Bad Book Review

Getting a horrible review can feel truly dreadful and is one of the things that writers fear the most. It is one thing receiving rejections from agents and publishers - we expect these, but they only either ignore us or write a couple of lines saying ‘thanks but no thanks.’

A bad review, however, is something quite different.

A bad review means that someone has not only read your work but has such a strongly negative opinion of it that they feel it is their duty to share that with the world to protect them from the horror of your writing! That hurts.

Bad reviews can have a devastating effect on the writer. They not only upset us but can really knock our confidence and put us off writing altogether. It can also put other readers off buying our books too!

So, if you do receive a bad review, how do you make sure you handle well? Here are some options to try:

Don’t take it personally

Remember a bad review isn’t a personal attack on you (even though it may feel like it). Writing is your work, your business - and you aren’t going to have a 100% success rate. Not everyone can like what you do so don’t take it personally - it’s not meant to be,

Look to the greats

There are practically no successful books that have had nothing but positive reviews. Even the most famous of them cannot please everyone. Here are a few examples:

"This is actually a horribly written boring piece of literature. It took me 2 days just to get past the horrible first chapter because there was nothing going on to keep me reading. And I figured if it is already this slow and boring then I have to stop. Stay away from this disgustingly overrated book and disgustingly bad writer." Review of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

"Maybe it has a deep meaning that I didn't get, but honestly, no! It's just not worth the read." - Review of Carrie by Stephen King

- "This collection of books is really, really terrible and boring, and I wouldn't wish the task of reading it on my worst enemy." - Review of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Don’t respond

Whatever you do, do not respond to anyone who writes you a bad review. You’ll come across as petty and unable to take criticism. At the end of the day there is a distinct difference from someone who has written a considered, but negative review and explained why, as opposed to someone who has just written horrible things about your book for no reason. At the end of the day, the former has every right to be entitled to their opinion and the latter will just come across as an internet troll who other readers are unlikely to take seriously. If someone has written something personally offensive, you do have the option of reporting this to Amazon to see if they will take it down.

Be accepting

A bad review is still a review and means someone thought your book was interesting enough to buy in the first place, so there is a silver lining! The fact of the matter is there is not a huge amount you can do about a bad review so just remain positive, keep trying to improve, accept it and move on.

Re-read your good reviews

For most writers the good reviews far outweigh the bad - so when you are feeling down just read over all those wonderful compliments you got about your writing, and you’ll start to feel better soon enough.

Remember why you write

It’s important to always remember what inspires you to write in the first place. If you only do it to make money and get famous then that’s too bad. But if you do it because it’s your passion and you simply can’t not, then a bad review or two shouldn’t get you down for too long!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post What To Do If You Get A Bad Book Review appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

How To Turn An Idea Into A Story

As writers, we are always on the lookout for new ideas. We keep our eyes, ears and minds open in the hope that something will suddenly inspire us, and we will get that little spark of desire, that little flutter of excitement that means that a new idea is brewing.

However, as writers, we also know that many ideas - yes even the ones we got really excited about, never actually translate to stories. Often we find that when we try to build on an idea out, or we sit down to start writing, we quickly realise that the idea simply doesn’t work when we try to turn it into a fully fleshed out story.

This naturally can feel disappointing. However, if you find that this happens to you more often than you’d like, it may not be that the idea was simply a bad one, but rather that you haven’t put in the time and effort required to help it take off.

So how do you turn an idea into a story? Here are some helpful tips.

Brainstorm

Once you have that initial spark of an idea, the next thing you need to do is brainstorm like crazy and see where it takes you. This part of the process should be fun and easy. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself - not everything you come up with has to be used, but just try to get down as much as possible. You could try creating a mind map, doing word association, or just jotting down snippets and little-fractured bits of the story on cards or post it notes and then moving them around and grouping them together to see if anything comes out of it.

Write a proper outline

Once you have exhausted yourself coming up with lots of different ideas, it’s time to write your story outline. This doesn’t have to be a blow by blow account of what happens, but should have enough detail to make you feel confident that the story works, and that there is indeed enough of a story for you to bother writing it in the first place!

Flesh out your characters

Now you know your idea is going places, try to focus on your characters. No matter how good your plot is, it simply won’t work unless your story is full of interesting, intriguing characters who your reader is excited to follow. Spend time really getting to know your characters and thinking about ways to make them resonate with your reader. When you do this you will become so much more invested in your story, and you readers will care more too.

Research

Make sure that you do a thorough amount of research before you start writing your book. You don’t want your story to collapse because your premise was based on something that simply wouldn’t work in 'real life'. Of course, the beauty of fiction is having the poetic licence to create worlds where the rules and facts of the one we live in don’t apply. But if you are writing the kind of book that is based in the world as we know it, you need to make sure you get your facts straight before you begin.

Know how it finishes

Every great book has a killer ending. Makes sure you know what yours is before you begin. This way you can see how the entire story will play out, right until the very end.

Turning an idea into a proper story takes time and skill. Of course, your idea will change and grow along the way, but by following the above tips you can assure yourself that your idea will work as a story and that you don’t waste any of your precious writing time!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post How To Turn An Idea Into A Story appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Things To Think About When Looking For An Agent

Finding a Literary Agent is by no means an easy task, but if you are able to land one it could mean your book has serious potential and is far more likely to be published.

Let’s face it, most writer’s would love to be accepted by an agent, however, this doesn't mean we should do so blindly or at any cost.

When looking for an agent it’s important to consider certain factors to ensure not only that you stand the best chance of them accepting you, but also that you get the best agent for your work.

Here are some things to think about:

Do you fully comprehend your works potential?

Understanding what your work is worth is so important. If you have fully researched your genre and your audience you should be able to say, with confidence, who your book will appeal to, who will buy it, and why they will love it. This will not only help you with your pitch, but will also ensure that you find an agent who understands this too.

Do you really need an agent?

Sometimes an agent really isn’t necessary. So it’s important to consider why you think you want one in the first place. Some publishers won’t accept manuscripts that aren’t submitted through agents, however many do. If you cut out the middle man and do a deal with a publisher directly you are more likely to receive more royalties. So think carefully before you submit your work to agents, because having one unnecessarily could actually hinder rather than help your book.

Do they specialise in your genre?

Make sure you land yourself an agent with experience in your genre. They more they specialise in your area, the better. They’ll know who to contact and be more passionate about your book too.

What is their track record for book sales?

A bad agent is as useless as no agent at all. Make sure you find out how successful they have been in the past before you sign anything. Otherwise you could get stuck, bound to an agent who never actually sells your work.

Do they communicate well?

Good communication is key. If an agent responds positively to your submission, from then on they should be happy to communicate with you, respond to you promptly and be happy to answer any questions you have. If they aren’t, this could hint at potential problems further down the line.

How enthusiastic are they about your work?

Perhaps most importantly you want your agent to be super enthusiastic and excited about your work. If they feel as though your work has truly got lots of potential they are so much more likely to work as hard as they can trying to make it a success.

Being confident of the answers to these questions will help ensure you find an agent that is compatible with your needs, that will do a great job for you and that loves your work as much as you do!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Things To Think About When Looking For An Agent appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Writers: Why It’s Important To Always Write Your Best

Writers are often told it’s important not to put too much pressure on themselves. This is good advice.

Many writers struggle to do they very things they love because they are crippled with self-doubt and fear that they will never be good enough.

We should all take steps to banish our self-critics and learn to write more freely and more joyfully.

However, there is a difference between doing so and using this as an excuse not to try our best!

It can be easy to try and fool ourselves that if we don’t give our writing our all, it doesn’t matter if we don't succeed because ‘we weren’t really trying anyway.’ It can also be dangerous to write with an attitude of ‘no one else has to see this,’ as it can make us lazy and distracted instead of doing what we should be doing, which is putting every effort into our writing, each and every time we sit down to do it.

Always writing as well as you can has a big impact on how you learn and grow as a writer.

Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why this is so important

Pride & Self esteem

Writers need to take pride in their work, and if you never try as hard as you know you can, how can you feel this way? If you always push yourself, always try to focus, and always try to make your writing the best it can be, you can finish the day knowing that you did everything you could to realise your dreams. The better you write the more your confidence will grow and the less you’ll put yourself down, so it’s great for your writing confidence and self-esteem too.

Time wasting

Bad writing wastes time. While you can always go back and edit your work when you are done, the better your first draft is the less you’ll have to do! Don’t waste your own time by slipping into sloppy, lazy writing patterns. Make your first draft is the best it can be and you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you get to the editing stage.

A bad reputation

Of course, if you are a freelance writer, or you write an author blog, writing your very best also applies! If you continue to push out work that isn’t as good as it should be you’ll soon develop a bad reputation, lose work and put potential readers off too.

You’ll never improve

Writing as well as you can means you are always striving to improve, to better yourself, and to learn and develop as a writer. If you never try, you’ll stay stagnant and stuck and you can never expect to get any better.

You owe it to yourself to bring your A game each and every time you write. So next time you sit down to do so make sure you try as hard as you can to produce the best work possible - it’s so worth it if you do.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Writers: Why It’s Important To Always Write Your Best appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Weird Writing Superstitions!

Writers are strange creatures, and just as sportsmen might have a cap or a medal they have to wear before a big game, or those going into an exam might take a trinket or ornament as a good luck charm, or have to perform a certain elaborate ritual before they begin, writers also have their weird and wonderful ways!

We all know that while hard work, perseverance and always striving to improve will help a writer give themselves the best chance of success, but we also know that there is a good bit of luck that’s involved in the process. Being in the right place at the right time, having your proposal read when an editor just happens to be in a particular mood, and making sure your creativity never runs out - you never know when the fates will come together and things will work out for or against you!

That’s why many writers don’t leave it up to pure chance to make sure they aren’t hit with a bout of bad luck, and many have adopted some, erm, let’s call them eccentric, rituals and beliefs to keep bad luck at bay and make sure they never get struck down with writer’s block.

Let’s take a look at some writing superstitions from famous authors…

Alexander Dumas who wrote The Three Musketeers liked to colour code his work. Poetry was written on yellow paper, articles on pink, and fiction on blue.

John Steinback wrote all of his novels in pencil and made sure he had twelve freshly sharpened pencils ready to go in his drawer before he started a writing session.

Edith Sitwell, a famous British poet used to lie in a coffin before starting the working day. She claimed it helped ‘clear her head!’

Truman Capote would never begin a new piece of writing nor would he finish a current piece of writing on a Friday. He also did all of his writing lying down.

Isabelle Allende would only begin a new piece of work on January 8th as that’s when she began her first successful novel, The House of Spirits.

And, perhaps weirdest of all…

Friedrich Schiller apparently couldn’t get any writing done unless he could smell rotten apples and so kept some in his desk drawer at all times while writing!

Other common writer superstitions are never having thirteen pages in a chapter, never giving your book a title until it’s finished, having a favourite writing tool or implement that you simply cannot live without, wearing a certain outfit to write in, and never calling characters any of your friends names in case something bad should happen to them!

Do you have any weird and wonderful writing superstitions or rituals? Let us know!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Weird Writing Superstitions! appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

10 Tips For Getting Feedback On Your Writing

Every writer needs feedback on their writing - whether they want it or not. Useful feedback can really help us learn and improve, make better decisions and be more ruthless when it comes to editing our books.

Of course, getting feedback can be tough. Our writing is precious and personal, and if you have managed to get to the end of your first draft you will have no doubt put considerable time and effort into doing so.

It’s important when we ask for feedback that we make sure we get the most out of it. We might think our writing is earth shatteringly good, we might think it is utter garbage, and many of us swing from one extreme to the other depending on our mood, the time of day, or how much caffeine we’ve had.

So how do you make sure that you get feedback that will help you improve your work? Here are 10 useful tips.

Accept that you need it

All writers need people to review and critique their work. You have to face the fact that you are probably too close to it and have read it too many times to know what’s working and what isn’t. So don’t ever submit your work without letting other people read it first.

2. Don’t ask for feedback until your manuscript is ready

Make sure you have done everything in your power to make your manuscript as good as it can be before you hand it over. If you already know it needs improving or there are scenes that don’t work, the feedback will just be telling you what you already know.

3. Be specific about what you want

Make sure you let them know exactly what you are hoping for from their feedback. Ask specific, thought-provoking questions and guide them a little. Similarly, if there are things you don’t want comments on, make that clear too.

4. Don’t just ask anyone

Don’t ask people who you know love you too much to be honest with you. An ideal person is someone who you trust to give you helpful and honest feedback, and someone who knows what they are talking about too.

5. Get more than one opinion

The more people you can get to give you feedback on your work the better. This way you will have a collection of different opinions to compare and contrast which could be very useful.

6. Look out for repetition

Look through all your feedback and look out for themes where different people have made the same or a similar comment. If more than one person is saying it, it probably needs attention.

7. Don’t get defensive

Remember, you asked for feedback, if you don’t like it, that’s too bad! Getting defensive or trying to explain your work will only put people off trying to help you again.

8. Understand when feedback isn’t helpful

Sometimes feedback genuinely isn’t helpful. Useful feedback is insightful and will point out things in your book, but also explain why they need more work. Comments like ‘didn’t like this’ aren’t helpful and it’s OK to recognise this and brush them aside.

9. Ask questions

It’s OK to ask questions about your feedback, to probe a little deeper and ask for a bit more detail. Remember to do this politely - explain why you need further explanation and never sound like you are challenging them.

10. Remember, you have the final say

You are the writer, it’s your work, so at the end of the day, you have ultimate control. If you feel very strongly about something and don’t want to change it then no one will force you - go with your instincts and stay true to yourself.

These 10 tips will help you to obtain useful feedback and know what to do with it when you do - the rest is up to you!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post 10 Tips For Getting Feedback On Your Writing appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

10 Great Writing Lessons Worth Learning

When it comes to writing we have a wealth of information at our fingertips, and there are so many ways we can learn, can grow, can improve.

Of course, while this is wonderful, it is easy to get bogged down in with all the writing advice, the different techniques and the rules that we should memorise and apply to our writing, and often it can feel a little overwhelming.

That’s why these 10 lessons are great to print out and pin up on your wall - they are quick reminders of the things you should be doing as a writer to keep you positive, active and engaged!

1.Write for your readers, but mostly for yourself

To be an effective writer, you should write with readers in mind. However, the joy of writing comes from writing for yourself, because you love it. Never let go or compromise on that.

2. Stick to your writing routine as if your life depended on it

Try to write every day. If you can’t, make sure you have a regular writing schedule and don’t let anything stop you from keeping to it.

3. Use others as inspiration, not to get you down

Comparing yourself to others won’t get you anywhere, instead let your favourite writers inspire you, and let other people’s success motivate you to find your own!

4. Experiment!

Try all sorts of different things with your writing, different types, different genres, different voices - it’s half the fun of the job, and you never know when you’ll find something that makes you feel like you’ve struck gold.

5. Find friends, fans, and mentors - and always appreciate those who help you

While writing on the surface, may appear to be a lonely task, writers actually rely on a whole team of people to help them. Family and friends, editors and book designers, publishers and agents, readers, critics and fans.. Always appreciate, communicate with them and nurture them.

6. Learn how to handle rejection

All writers need to learn how not to take rejection personally. It’s easy to think a criticism of your work is a criticism of you. It’s not. All writers get rejected, all writers get criticised - it just means you’re doing your job!

7. Everyone has bad days, and that’s OK

We all get into a writing slump from time to time, we all suffer from self-doubt - there days where you think ‘what am I doing? Why am I wasting my time?!’ It’s OK to feel like that sometimes - just don’t let it last forever.

8. Always write your best

If every time you sit down to write you are determined to do your best, you’ll help yourself in the long run. Don’t aim for perfection, but do try your hardest - this way you’ll spend less time redrafting and more time feeling positive about your work.

9. Learn what triggers your creativity

Reading, listening to music, going for a walk, having a glass (bottle) of wine. Whatever works for you, find out and then learn how to harness that creativity so you always feel as though you are brimming with ideas and moving forwards.

10. Learn from your mistakes and just keep trying

At the end of the day, the writer who doesn't give up is the most successful - so learn from your mistakes, get over your setbacks, and never give up!

So there you have it, 10 simple but effective lessons every writer should keep close to their hearts. What would you add to the list?

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post 10 Great Writing Lessons Worth Learning appeared first on Writer's Life.org.