6-10 of 21 Harsh But True Eye-Opening Writing Tips From Great Authors

6-10 of 21 Harsh But True Eye-Opening Writing Tips From Great Authors

Hello and welcome to part two of my 21 Harsh But Eye-Opening Writing Tips From Great Authors. This time I;m going to post another 10 tips from famously great authors from time and paraphrase them again as to why they are great tips and what we can learn from those tips to help us all go on to becoming better writers. As good as these authors themselves perhaps!

6. You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. Jack London.

I like this guys style! And he hits the proverbial nail well and truly and tells you like it is! And it's so very true too. You can't wait for inspiration to come to you, if you do that, it will hardly ever show up. But when you go after it with a club in your hand you'll be much likelier to find it. I don't think he literally means pick up a club and go looking for. I'm sure you get his hypothetical meaning though!

7. 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

Now if anyone knows a thing or two about writing books it's our George Orwell! I've read most of his books and they are all truly captivating and inspiring. Just great fun books to read! And it's kind of true what he says here about writing a book being a "horrible, exhausting struggle". And that nobody would dare to do such a thing unless they was inspired by some deep motivation or reason. For most people that can be the knowledge that the book could do well and they could be rewarded for it. But for the rest, until that time, it's still often a struggle just to get it completed.

8. There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are. W. Somerset Maugham

I'm not sure what inspired W. Somerset Maugham to say this but I can sort of see the take away from it. In that when it comes to writing a novel, there are some rules you need to stick to. However, nobody really knows what those rules are so you have to sort of make them up as you go alone and find out about them on your own terms.

9. If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time — or the tools — to write. Simple as that. – Stephen King

That's very true. As a writer, you'll be doing lots of reading. In fact, that's what most writers do most of the time. Actually, writers are always constantly reading. And to be a better writer, one must read all the time. Because as you read, you learn to improve your writing skills too. Those same skills are adapted into the tools you need to become a successful writer. That much I think Mr King would agree to!

10. Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong. – Neil Gaiman

So very true again! People always seem to have an opinion on something and when it's something that's based on something that doesn't fit right with them, it's usually a problem that can be fixed. But when they tell you what's wrong and the way the fix it, they are usually wrong and it's their own problem. Just like most things in life really!

Okay that's 6-10! I'll leave you with these for now and post some more later on for you!

I hope you like these. Have you learned anything from them?

What other writing tips would you give to young and new writers today?