More Writing Tips From Authors

Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand. — George Orwell

Make a note of ideas for further development before you leave a piece for tomorrow.


"Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." – Anton Chekhov

Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

"The nearest I have to a rule is a Post-it on the wall in front of my desk saying ‘Faire et se taire’ (Flaubert), which I translate for myself as ‘Shut up and get on with it.’" — Helen Simpson



Imagine that you are dying. If you had a terminal disease would you finish this book? Why not? The thing that annoys this 10-weeks-to-live self is the thing that is wrong with the book. So change it. Stop arguing with yourself. Change it. See? Easy. And no one had to die. – Anne Enright

Use the mini-skirt rule: Make it long enough to cover everything, but short enough to keep it interesting.

1. There is a time for writing, and there is a time for editing. Don’t do both at once otherwise you’ll become too critical about what you wrote.

Make writing a priority in your life. If you say it’s important to you, then show it in how you spend your time.

“If you want to be a writer,” says Stephen King , “you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”

“The hardest part is believing in yourself at the notebook stage. It is like believing in dreams in the morning.” – Erica Jong

• “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.”

1. Give yourself permission to write a crappy first draft.

Cory Doctorow: On writing when the going gets tough…

Write even when the world is chaotic. You don’t need a cigarette, silence, music, a comfortable chair, or inner peace to write. You just need ten minutes and a writing implement.

1. Always ask the question…”What if…”