Janet Roberts
Don't try to write like anyone else. Never quit or give up. Learn from feedback you receive and from your mistakes, but don't let any of that change your style or voice. Take chances. Take risks and grow.
It's good to have structure, but it's not good to have rules. There is a difference. As soon as someone says "you should never", they are pushing you and your creative voice into a box or a formula. I was at a writers conference where an agent said "never have anyone waking up or worse waking up when there is a storm outside." And I thought "where would Anita Shreve who wrote The Pilot's Wife be if she'd listened to that?"
Assess feedback and incorporate what seems and feels right to you. But be your own person and defend your work!
It's good to have structure, but it's not good to have rules. There is a difference. As soon as someone says "you should never", they are pushing you and your creative voice into a box or a formula. I was at a writers conference where an agent said "never have anyone waking up or worse waking up when there is a storm outside." And I thought "where would Anita Shreve who wrote The Pilot's Wife be if she'd listened to that?"
Assess feedback and incorporate what seems and feels right to you. But be your own person and defend your work!
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