Goodreads asked Rachael Arsenault:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Rachael Arsenault My advice is pretty much the same as most other advice I've seen: read a lot and write a lot. The more written media you consume, the more you start to pick up on certain tropes or arcs or techniques and can figure out how they might work for you. And the more you write, the more you find your voice, find your strengths, and find your common pitfalls.

There's definitely more to it than just that, though. For one thing, I recommend looking to more than just other books as examples to learn from. All storytelling mediums can teach you something, whether it's TV, comics, video games, plays, or whatever else you might take in. Even a friend telling a story can teach you something. The only thing you have to be mindful of is that certain things that work in one medium might not translate directly into writing.

The other big thing I recommend is reading critiques of other books. Now, take that with a grain of salt - not all critiques are created equal, and you can't let yourself get too consumed with worrying about pleasing everyone who might read your book. But in-depth, thoughtful critiques can help bring to light problems in narratives that you might not have considered, or maybe had a vague notion of but couldn't quite put your finger on. Relatedly, I recommend really paying attention when you read a book and don't like it. Try to break down what doesn't work and think about what could have been changed or improved to make it better. Building that sort of critical thinking skill can be super helpful when working on your own writing.

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