Writing Advice From The Experts
One must be drenched in words, literally soaked in them, to have the right ones form themselves into the proper pattern at the right moment. - Hart Crane
Some of the best advice for writers in the 21st century comes from those who have seen their successes and offer advice from their own experience. Let�s draw from that brain trust.
On Writing Well
Show don't tell. - Henry James
Don't say the old lady screamed -- bring her on and let her scream. - Mark Twain
Cut out all those exclamation marks. An exclamation mark is like laughing at your own joke. - F. Scott Fitzgerald
First drafts are for learning what your novel or story is about. - Bernard Malamud
Usually, when people get to the end of a chapter, they close the book and go to sleep. I deliberately write a book so when the reader gets to the end of the chapter, he or she must turn one more page. When people tell me I've kept them up all night, I feel like I've succeeded. - Sidney Sheldon
Don't mistake a good setup for a satisfying conclusion -- many beginning writers end their stories when the real story is just ready to begin. - Stanley Schmidt
On Inspiration
Nighttime is really the best time to work. All the ideas are there to be yours because everyone else is asleep. - Catherine O'Hara
I know writers who write only when inspiration comes. How would Isaac Stern play if he played the violin only when he felt like it? He would be lousy. - Madeleine L'Engle
If you wait for inspiration, you're not a writer, but a waiter. - Anonymous
You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. - Jack London
The best way to become a successful writer is to read good writing, remember it, and then forget where you remember it from. - Gene Fowler
Read, read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. - William Faulkner
The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes. - Agatha Christie
So this is always the key: you have to write the book you love, the book that's alive in your heart. That's the one you have to write. - Lurleen McDaniel
In the second part in this series we will look at a few words of wisdom from authors regarding writer�s Block, motivation and editing skills.
