9 Writing Tips from Best-Selling Authors
If you’re a writer, no doubt you’ve heard some advice from the best-selling authors in the world. But what is the best wisdom help your writing? These nine writing tips from best-selling authors will keep you motivated and inspired.
1. John Grisham says that you shouldn’t get discouraged.
Don’t give up.
This is the most important tip of all. Don’t lose hope if you’ve been rejected by an agent, publisher, or even a contest! You’re still on the right path to success.
Even the best writers have received rejection letters from editors. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t pursue their dreams anymore; it just means they must try harder and keep writing until they get published.
2. Stephen King advises writers to walk away from the work when they can, so they can see it with a fresh eye later.
Walk away from your writing when you can so you can come back to it with a fresh perspective.
Stephen King offers some great reasons for taking a break from your work: “I find that if I walk away from my desk for an hour or two—go downstairs, play my guitar (even badly), watch TV or read the newspaper—when I come back to what I’m working on, it’s as though I had never seen it before. If something is not working well, this distance will often give me an idea about how best to proceed. Sometimes all it takes is time away from a problem—time spent doing something else—to find an answer.”
3. Neil Gaiman recommends reading short stories if you ever feel blocked.
If you’re ever feeling blocked and can’t think of anything to write, Neil Gaiman recommends reading short stories. He says:
“My advice is to do what writers do when they get blocked. Read short stories. Read new authors who aren’t related to your work at all, to get new ideas and open up your mind.”
4. Dan Brown warns writers not to write long chapters.
Dan Brown, the author of The Da Vinci Code and many other bestsellers, warns writers not to write long chapters.
He points out that long chapters make a book too big and hard to follow, which can bore readers.
5. Author Paul Coelho recommends that writers read their work out loud.
Reading your work out loud is a great way to catch mistakes. You can also hear how it sounds and whether you like it. If you don’t like what you have written, you can edit it.
When I read my work, I imagine myself in a library where nobody knows me and nobody cares about my story (or doesn’t care). This way, I can focus on telling the story without thinking about what people might think or if they will understand certain things in my writing because they are too complicated, which is very important, especially when writing a novel.
6. Nicholas Sparks reminds us that even famous authors were new at some point, so don’t be afraid of being new.
Nicholas Sparks reminds us that even famous authors were new at some point, so don’t be afraid of being new. He says you should “write the book you want to read.” If you’re writing a story about a girl who falls in love with a boy and wants to travel the world, write it! Don’t let anyone tell you what kind of book to write or what genre is popular right now. You know your story best and can tell it better than anyone else. Write the book that only YOU could write:
- Keep writing no matter how many times you fail.
- Don’t give up on yourself. If this isn’t working for me yet, what else could I try?
7. Chuck Palahniuk says writing is a craft, and you must learn it first.
Chuck Palahniuk says writing is a craft, and you must learn it first. In other words, writers need to keep learning because writing is a skill that can be learned.
Palahniuk does believe that writing isn’t easy, but he also says that anybody can learn how to write. The best way to learn how to write is through practice, which means writers must practice their craft on a regular basis in order for them to improve their skills as an author.
8. Elizabeth Gilbert tells writers to put down their phones and go outside.
Author Elizabeth Gilbert is a big believer in putting down your phone and getting outside to “go somewhere where you can’t find your way back.”
“You know when you’re walking by yourself on the beach or through a forest or across some vast prairie, and you realize that ‘I am completely cut off from everybody else in the world; I am 100 percent alone right now,’?” Gilbert says. “That’s such a powerful feeling because eventually, everything will be OK again. You’ll go home, but it gave me freedom for those few hours when you were completely cut off from humanity.”
Gilbert says she finds inspiration by going outside: “I think we all have this dark side within us that needs expression…and when we express it creatively without judgment—whether it’s through music or dance or writing or painting—that’s how we connect with our true nature.”
9. David Baldacci advises that no one becomes a writer by trying to become one. You have to write and keep going until it happens.
One of the best advice I can give anyone is to start writing. Don’t worry about what other people are doing, don’t worry about what you think you should be doing, and don’t worry about what people will think of you if they see that you haven’t done anything yet. The only way to know whether or not this is something that works for you is by trying it out.
I also advise against spending too much time worrying about how much your writing will make or what kind of lifestyle it might afford. If your goal is fame and fortune, then frankly, there are easier ways to achieve them than by sitting down at a desk every day for hours on end and putting words down on paper (or screen).
There are many different ways for people to become and stay motivated about writing.
Many authors write daily, and some follow a routine they have established over time. Others find inspiration by reading other writers’ work or by listening to music. Some authors keep their writing secret until they are ready to share it; others have no problem getting feedback from anyone who asks for it.
Some writers find communities of like-minded people who can support them in their endeavors; these can be online or in person, depending on what works best for you at this stage in your life (or both). No matter how you choose to do it, don’t be afraid of writing something different from what you’ve written before—you never know what might come out next!
Conclusion
Writing is a craft; if you want to be a writer, you need to treat it like one.