"Look at the people who inspire you, and choose one trait to take on in your own writing. It doesn’t..."

“Look at the people who inspire you, and choose one trait to take on in your own writing. It doesn’t have to be their distinct voice. Don’t venture too far into the quicksand of, ‘But I cannot write like them. I’m not brilliant like that.’

 

Reach out and pick the first gleaming fruit off their tree—perhaps, their love of description, their talent for playful banter, or even their deft weaving in of beloved pop culture.

 

See if you can focus on that skill as you prepare to write. See how you can work that gift yourself, or how you might have already been displaying your own talents with it without even thinking about it.”

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Karuna Riazi is an online diversity advocate, essayist, and overwhelmed undergrad senior at Hofstra University. Her debut novel, The Gauntlet, is out today!

Your Camp Care Package is brought to you in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org