Take your writing to the next level with writing advice from the greats.

There’s no need to start from scratch when it comes to writing. The very writers whose careers we admire have given us some great advice.

1. Learn to develop the habit of writing. Writing is a craft more than it is a talent. You develop into a good writer by developing a writing habit.Octavia Butler put it best:“First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.”
2. To Write Well, You Have to Read. In On Writing, Stephen King says:

   “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”

   

3. And Read A Lot!
   Anne Lamott in Bird By Bird says “Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul. “”
   
4. Then FINISH the book.

Neil Gaiman hasn’t written a book about being a writer, but he has written at least 29 books(!), so he knows something about how to get writing done.

“How do you do it? You do it. You write. You finish what you write.”

If you’ve been working on the same story for years and you don’t see a way out, ask yourself, “What would Neil do?”

The way to write better books isn’t to work on 1 book for 8 years. Maybe it’s to write 8 books, getting better with each.

Now Some READING Advice:

Listening to audiobooks isn’t cheating, I promise! I love that I can listen to audiobooks while I’m driving or taking a walk. And they’re great for both fiction and nonfiction.

Some fiction books are read by voice actors who really bring the performance to life. American Gods is AMAZING to listen to! And most of the time the author reads their own nonfiction audiobook and adds in some interesting asides that didn’t make it into the book’s print version.

So give Audiobooks a try with the free offer from Audible below:

Audible is offering 2 free audiobooks for people who sign up for a free 30-day trial. So there’s nothing to lose!

If you’re a writer or even a wannabe writer looking to solidify your message, download my free Write With Purpose cheat sheet here.

WRITING ADVICE SUMMARY

The best authors have given us this great advice on being a writer:

• Writing is a habit. Practice daily.

• To be a good writer you must be a reader.

• And read even more.

• Finish what you start.

Get more inspiration from writers plus your own Write With Purpose cheat sheet here.

 

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