Goodreads asked Sarah McCraw Crow:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Sarah McCraw Crow Give yourself permission to write, and to write badly! You might have heard Ann Lamott talk about shitty first drafts, which is what we all write. Try not to worry about what others might think, or what the outcome will be. Just get some words on the page. For me, writing by hand in a notebook often yields more interesting results than writing on a Word document on the laptop.

And read a lot. Go back to the books you love and reread them, thinking about what it is that made you love them the first time. Read whatever is calling to you.

If you can, find a writing buddy, a writing group, or a class. Sharing your work and getting feedback really helps writers learn to write better. The key is finding the right person, group, or class. Grub Street in Boston offers a range of short- and long-term classes in all genres. Stanford University's continuing education division also offers some great online classes, but they're expensive.

flag