Goodreads
Goodreads asked S.E. Ney:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

S.E. Ney As trite as this sounds, write. Get feedback wherever and whenever you can and don't be afraid of negatives. I know some writers who despise anything but positive feedback, which is nice but useless if you want to improve. I think you need to recognise the difference between constructive and destructive criticism and have enough faith in your own work to know when to reconsider and when to stick to your guns. That takes practice and experience. That's not to say being told something you've written is wrong or isn't good enough doesn't hurt, but you learn the difference between 'that IS wrong and I need to correct it' and 'that's right for MY story and MY characters, it stays!' You need to build confidence but not so much as to be blind to obvious mistakes.

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more