Sometimes I wish there were a magical formula for writing, a recipe which, just like Nigella's chocolate cloud cake, always yields the same fail-proof result time after time after time. Whether you're new or old to writing though, you will know that there is no such thing as a writing silver bullet and that we all navigate the creative waters by doing our very best. Over the years I've received some excellent writing advice, some of which I would like to share today. Some will ring true to you, while some other may make you feel sceptical if not downright superior in that 'yeah, but I know better' manner. Either way, I urge you to give these few points a try because you never know what you find once you undertake a new learning path.
Write what you know
When I first heard this one, at school, I thought it was a stupid way to impose limitations on my writing by clipping the wings of my imagination. In truth, I obviously didn't know, nor understand, what it really meant. To write what you know means to use your self as a springboard for ideas and execution. Your creative identity is unique and your inspiration will never be the same as someone else's. I always start from what I know; it gives me ideas for these little articles, it brings new characters to mind, it helps me to start unafraid, it provides me with a bottom-less well of novelty, it removes the spectre of block.
Don't just write what you know
Much later came this piece of advice. I desperately needed it when I went through the uni years, which I spoke of here, when I felt that I could not possibly imagine something I had never experienced or hoped to experience unless I could latch onto reality in some ways. I later understood that by starting from what you know and by never limiting yourself only to what you know, you have all the ingredients to keep your writing entertaining and surprising, first and foremost to yourself. Writing which surprises you as the author is likely to surprise everyone else too.
Write for yourself
Have you ever heard a famous writer say that he hates what he writes and that he wished he wrote something else? I guess not. As writers, we all write for ourselves, even if we never re-read our work past the submission deadline. All of the fiction I've been toying with over the years has always been fiction I wanted to read in my spare time. My PhD was the ultimate self-indulgent writing project. While there are works I wish I had written (Earnest, Paradise Lost, The Body Thief, The Creative License), I always try something new that may surprise me long before it may surprise readers.
Don't try to write your favourite book
You know the old adage 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'? Reader, that's something that is only good for kids, and the youngest variety only. If you want to be a bona fide writer, you cannot hope that by imitating your favourite author you will absorb some of his peculiar magic. It just never works. And maybe you're thinking there are loads of copycat books out there but, please, do not confuse genre with copy.
Don't be a writing pussy
Odd one out, right? Not really. I once had a university lecturer who was not subtle. Yet his lack of subtlety made for priceless advice, especially if you are a writer of non-fiction. Ask yourself this: if you don't amuse, educate or annoy, why do you write?
What's the best writing advice you received over the years? Why does it resonate so deeply for you?
Comments