“So your own winning style must begin with ideas in your head.” Kurt Vonnegut
“Avoid cliques, gangs, groups. The presence of a crowd won’t make your writing any better than it is.” ~ Zadie Smith
Unless you’re Margaret Atwood and can paint scenes with language or write landscapes in the style of Jim Harrison. But even if you’re good at it, you don’t want descriptions that bring the action, the flow of the story, to a standstill. ~ Elmore Leonard
“Write the way you talk. Naturally.” ~ David Ogilvy
Writing a story or a novel is one way of discovering sequence in experience, of stumbling upon cause and effect in the happenings of a writer’s own life. ~ Eurdora Welty
There are stories that you can write, and there are stories that you can’t write. And, in the end, you write the ones that you can, and that allows you to bear the ones that you can’t. ~ Jeanette Winterson
Never stop when you are stuck. You may not be able to solve the problem, but turn aside and write something else. Do not stop altogether. ~ Jeanette Winterson
I tell everyone who asks me about writing…almost everyone has an idea for a book, and some even have a great ending, but it’s that 290 or so pages in between that are tough!” ―
In the new year, resolve to try something new with your writing process. Do you always write at night? Try writing first thing in the morning. Do you always outline? Try drafting a scene without one. If you ever feel stuck, trying something new is a great way to work your mind around writer’s block. The more tips and tools you have at your disposal, the easier your writing process will become.
“Keep working. Keep trying. Keep believing. You still might not make it, but at least you gave it your best shot. If you don’t have calluses on your soul, this isn’t for you. Take up knitting instead.” ―
