Goodreads asked Jennifer Steil:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Jennifer Steil There is no better training for a writer—of fiction or nonfiction—than journalism. Reporters must write every single day, write to deadline, and write to a specific word count. As a journalist you will learn more about how the world and its people work with every story. Reporting can help you develop empathy for people very different from you. You will visit neighborhoods you would not ordinarily explore. You will spend time in the homes of people you would not ordinarily choose for friends. You will do things that scare you. What could be better? I say skip the MFA (you don’t want to be in debt the rest of your life) and get a job at a small paper. You will learn which details are essential to your story and which are not. You will never stop hearing incredible stories. Your writing will improve with daily use. And you will, if you are any good, provide a useful service to the world.

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