Goodreads asked Matt Stanley:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Matt Stanley Two things. First, learn how to write. Many people begin a novel before they understand the basics of narrative or dialogue or description. It's better to begin with shorter practice pieces. If you start a novel before you are ready, you risk reinforcing your mistakes. Second, learn about structure. A novel or a short story is a complex structure – not just 'writing'. If a piece has no structure, it is unreadable (or just boring).

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