Jason Arias
My advise for aspiring writers is to read everything that excites you. Even read stuff that doesn't excite you, if it's important enough.
The whole time you're reading, be writing, be seeking out authors you love, and figuring out why you love them, and taking their workshops. Learn how to find story in everything, and what makes some stories more compelling than others. Dissect language and play with structure. And in turn let language and syntax crawl inside you and change your DNA, keep you awake at night, continue to excite you.
Learn as much grammar as you can stomach. Listen carefully to critique and thank your critics, those people are sharpening you. Keep reading. You're still reading, right? And writing? Those two things are the keys to getting better at your craft.
When you feel like all your stuff sucks, look back at what you were writing five years ago and realize how much more that stuff sucks. You're making progress, you just can't feel it.
And I guess that's the main thing: Know that whatever you're doing is the best you can do right now, but you're only getting better.
The whole time you're reading, be writing, be seeking out authors you love, and figuring out why you love them, and taking their workshops. Learn how to find story in everything, and what makes some stories more compelling than others. Dissect language and play with structure. And in turn let language and syntax crawl inside you and change your DNA, keep you awake at night, continue to excite you.
Learn as much grammar as you can stomach. Listen carefully to critique and thank your critics, those people are sharpening you. Keep reading. You're still reading, right? And writing? Those two things are the keys to getting better at your craft.
When you feel like all your stuff sucks, look back at what you were writing five years ago and realize how much more that stuff sucks. You're making progress, you just can't feel it.
And I guess that's the main thing: Know that whatever you're doing is the best you can do right now, but you're only getting better.
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Do you have any other books in the works? And where might one procure your current books? :)
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