Ken Capobianco
Write. You need to write every day. You can't be a writer without doing it.
It sounds fundamental, but too often people procrastinate or say they will get around to it and write maybe once a week. That won't cut it. You also must read. In the social media era, people aren't reading as much. You learn to write by reading great prose. Even when I was not published, I was reading--Didion, Fitzgerald, Baldwin, Roth, Kundera, Giovanni--and absorbing. By the time I sold my first piece, I had a firm understanding of how great writing was crafted. It took me years of false starts and bad writing (I was writing every day), but I got to the point where I had the confidence to share my work with editors.
It sounds fundamental, but too often people procrastinate or say they will get around to it and write maybe once a week. That won't cut it. You also must read. In the social media era, people aren't reading as much. You learn to write by reading great prose. Even when I was not published, I was reading--Didion, Fitzgerald, Baldwin, Roth, Kundera, Giovanni--and absorbing. By the time I sold my first piece, I had a firm understanding of how great writing was crafted. It took me years of false starts and bad writing (I was writing every day), but I got to the point where I had the confidence to share my work with editors.
More Answered Questions
Brian Brady
asked
Ken Capobianco:
I worked with you at "Allesso's" Dept. Store in Roosevelt Field and married a girl from sweaters. Loved the references to Long Island and the store, until my daughter said "It's all fun and games until mom's in the book." The book could be great for high schoolers, especially young men dealing with anorexia. Some stuff (e.g. Jesus statue story) would have to go. Any interest?
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