TECHNIQUES, TIPS AND ADVICE FOR NEW WRITERS by Craig Lock
from Thomas Clark, senior editor at Reader's Digest
"The foundations of successful writing are within anyone's grasp.
The only way to do it is to do it." -
Tom Clancy
"My greatest good fortune was that I didn't know that I was doing
everything wrong. If I'd have done a single right thing I
probably would have failed. If I'd known how hard - statistically
speaking - it is to get a first novel published, I might have
given up. What success means is really looking failure in the
face and tossing the dice anyway. You may be the only person who
knows the dice came up, but in that knowledge you have something
that millions of people will never have - because they were
afraid to try." - Tom Clancy
"There is no perfect time to write. There is only the present."
-
Barbara Kingsolver
"Dreams are the stuff that make life worth living. Give them up
and you give up all that truly matters."
"The art in writing is rewriting."
Never fall in love with your first draft - rewrite.
"You MUST believe in yourself. If you don't believe in yourself
and your talent and your ability to succeed, then you can't
expect others to believe in you."
- Joan Nixon
People often write to preserve a family's history. You too can
learn about the richness of your family background.
Nice word dat 'dingbat'. Marie invented it to describe the dear
and kindly inhabitants of "Sleepy Hollow".
Write what you care about and understand. The simple truth is
that all good books will eventually find a publisher, if a writer
tries hard enough.
The central secret is to write a book people like you will enjoy
reading.
- Richard Patterson
"Write from your own passion, your own truth. That's the only
thing you really know a lot about. Anything else leads you away
from the pulse."
- Marianne Williamson
"Courage matters as much as talent. A real writer doesn't
consider giving up as an option."
- Marianne Williamson
"Gustave Flaubert said it best: 'We do not choose our subjects,
they choose us'."
- Josephine Hart
"Writers come from every walk of life and every background. An
excellent editor once told me the secret of good fiction is to
place flesh on the bones of an ordinary story and to drive it
with strong characterisations."
- Steve Martini
Write about the most embarrassing moment in your life. Write a
poem of 10 lines, then discuss the next day in class. ZEN AND
THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE was initially rejected by 122
publishers. Since then it has never been out of print. Ideal
length of a book is +- 200 pages. Publishers have rejected
previously published novels, eg. "controversial" NZ writer, Alan
Duff.
"You can't build a reputation on what you're goin to do."
- Henry Ford
Story flows from character. Character is the most important
ingredient in any fiction story. A good plot with lousy
characters is a lousy book. But a mediocre plot with strong
characters makes enjoyable reading."
- Robert Cormier
"Listen to the way people talk. If your characters sound real the
rest is easy."
- David Eddings
Edit and rewrite - until you get it down on paper, there's
nothing to work on. "Even garbage can be improved."
There is no shortcut to writing a good novel. The publisher
doesn't want to hear about the idea, but to see the book."
- Richard Patterson
"My manuscript is the only thing over which I have absolute
control."
- Sandra Brown
"Writing is hard work. But very enjoyable hard work and
completely satisfying - even though one is never completely
satisfied with one's efforts."
- Colleen McCullough
Trust your own instincts.
"Be bold. Thrust forward. Have the courage to make mistakes, even
to fail. Nobody is going to die, if your efforts aren't perfect."
- Garrison Keillor
When you want to quit:
Put your manuscript away for a time. Go off and "shoot pool",
watch TV, fish - do whatever you want to do and see what happens.
If the urge to write goes away, you have no problem. If it
doesn't, you'd better resign yourself to the idea you'll never be
happy, unless you are a writer." - Garrison Keillor "If you
have a masterpiece within you, you'd better save it on paper.
Otherwise one thing is for sure - none of us will ever miss it."
- Steve Martini
"Courage matters as much as talent. A real writer doesn't
consider giving up as an option."
- Marianne Williamson
"When a new writer says to me 'I give up - it's too hard', I
reply, 'Fine, give up' and if the recipient of this advice takes
it without flinching, I know there was no real writer there to
begin with."
- Steven Bach
"Write for yourself, not for social recognition or financial
success. If you're any good, they will come. But the work itself
must be your primary and major satisfaction."
- William Heffernan
Mastering the technical bits:
"Begin with a great opening sentence. Make frequent use of
sensory perception. Use strong active verbs. One good verb is
better at description than a clutter of adverbs and adjectives."
- Joan Nixon
If you have a wonderful idea, don't talk about it to friends and
relatives. Write it down. Don't discuss, nor spend too much time
with writing groups. "Start each fresh day by rewriting the
last page of where you stopped yesterday."
- Patrick McManus
"Always stop for the night at the point where you know exactly
what the next paragraph will be. "It avoids the blank stare when
you're rewriting."
- William Heffernan
Dont tell - SHOW
"Don't be too miserable, if your first efforts aren't any good.
Stick at it. Keep reading and writing and learning, as it's the
only way you'll improve."
- Alexandra Ripley
"Don't be afraid to discard work you know isn't up to standard.
Don't save junk, just because it took you a long time to write
it."
- David Eddings
"Keep writing. Keep learning. Keep believing. You may never make
it big; but at least you know you gave it your best shot."
- David Eddings
And to end off, here is a wonderful philosophy for new writers...
"There is no perfect time to write, there is only the present.
She's right. If we wait for everything to be perfect, we can
spend our whole life waiting."
- Barbara Kingsolver
I hope that the above tips are helpful to you and that is why I am sharing them.
Happy writing
Craig Lock
http://www.craiglockbooks.com
"The world would have you agree with its dismal dream of
limitation. But the light would have you soar like the eagle of
your sacred visions."
- Alan Cohen
The "original" Online Creative Writing Course
http://www.craiglock.com/writer/index.html
Craig Lock's books are available at:
http://www.nzenterprise.com/writer/books.html and
http://www.bridgeniche.com
More articles on WRITING
What is Copyright and How Does One Protect It?
How to Write Creatively and Be Published
Some Writing Tips - 'A Simple Recipe for Writing Success'
Techniques, Tips and Advice for New Writers
'Write Rite' - How to Write Creatively and be published
Sharing some miscellaneous Writing Thoughts
Sharing some more Writing Tips
Sharing some thoughts in Writing the Novel
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