Sit Your @ss in the Chair and Other Writing Advice
Sherry here in sweltering Northern Virginia — we did have three fabulous low-humidity days. Such a joy to open the windows this time of year!
I’m editing a few chapters for an unpublished writer and it made me think about how much wonderful writing advice we’ve shared during our eleven years of blogging. I think the first bit of writing advice that really stuck with me was from author and college professor John Dufresne. It was, as the title of this blog indicates, “Sit your ass in the chair.” In other words, write.
This is just a few of my writing books! There are more on my iPad. Jessie recommended The Heroine’s Journey to me and it is very interesting!
John Dufresne joined us in 2013 to talk about opening a book and that advice still stands. Read it here. He also wrote one of my favorite writing books The Lie That Tells a Truth: A Guide to Writing Fiction.
A mentor to all the Wickeds, Hallie Ephron, wrote about enjoying the mess when writing. She says: My sage advice is: Do whatever works for you. Another favorite book on writing is Hallie’s Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel Revised and Expanded Edition: The Complete Guide to Mystery, Suspense, and Crime.
in 2016 we all talked about writing advice we’d received. Read it here.
Annette Dashofy offered this advice about writing through tough times in 2018: Find a time of day that works for you, whether it’s before dawn, during your lunch break, afternoon, or late at night, and make a ritual of writing. It might be one hour. It might be 20 minutes. Let your family know this is your sacred time to “go to Las Vegas.”
Be flexible. Stuff will happen. You may have to change your routine depending on life’s demands.
Allow yourself to write crap. If your brain isn’t into the story, that’s okay. Put down words with the knowledge and intention that you’ll fix them later. Sometimes the simple act of getting words on a page can prove cathartic.
Above all else, be kind to yourself. Ask for a deadline extension if things are that dire. Don’t add to the stress by beating yourself up about needing to write when you simply can’t. Remind yourself that everything is fodder. You might be going through hell, but you can draw from those emotions later. Instead of writing fiction, journal. Blog. Or pour your heart out in some form that no one else will ever read.
Art Taylor stopped by to talk about writing every day (do you have to?) and sticking with one project. Read it here.
After Jessie finished her fifth novel she wrote about some things she’d learned along the way about writing. Read it here.
There is much more — way too much for one post including Barb’s recent post on voice. If you want to search our posts you can do it by hitting the three little dots on the upper right-hand side of your screen.
Writers: What’s your best bit of writing advice? Do you have a favorite book about writing? Readers: What would you tell a writer? Is there something you love or hate in books?
