This past weekend I was at the Willamette Writers Conference here in Portland, Oregon (an amazing conference with great teachers and programs--I highly recommend it).
On Sunday I had the pleasure of presenting some programming about NaNoWriMo. Â For one of the activities, the attendees wrote down their best writing advice on sticky notes so we could create the Wall of Advice you see above. Â I promised to write up a post so everyone could see what was written, so here it is.
The advice:
- First read, then write. Write every day.
- The difference between your book and the last book you read that you hated is that they sat down and finished theirs.
- Don't over-outline. Let your characters develop themselves. ~Stephen King
- It is pen and paper not a monster howling outside your door splintering the wood as it crashes through to slice you to shreds with fearsome claws.
- The importance of concepting. Being able to describe your work in a simple phrase so others get it.
- Trust your voice--and follow it.
- Allow yourself to write for just 2 minutes and stop if you want. Often, you will want to keep going.
- When someone tells you writing is a waste of your time, ignore them. They don't know what they're talking about.
- First, do a good, big vomit. Edit later.
- Just get it on paper. You can fix it later.
So much great advice, isn't it? Â That second one about finishing really hit home for me.
What's your favorite or best piece of writing advice? Leave a note in the comments so we can all gather some wisdom to rev up our writing lives.
