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Goodreads asked Alex Hartwell:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Alex Hartwell Write, write, write, and then revise, revise, revise. Nothing will improve your writing as fast as actually putting the words down on the screen and teaching yourself how to arrange them in the best order possible. Have a goal in mind with each story -- and when I say a goal, I don't mean word count. How do you want your readers to feel when they read a specific passage? Go over it again and try to evoke that feeling the best you can.

When you've got a few books under your belt, start submitting to publishers and magazines. Get used to rejection letters. Writing is a long, hard process. No one becomes a good writer overnight, and if you're writing your first book, accept the fact that it has a 99.9% chance of completely sucking.

If you finish it and it's terrible, don't let that get you down. Writing is a lifelong journey. If you find it fun to tell stories, then do so. You don't need anyone's permission, and you're a writer as soon as you string words into a sentence. Pursue your dreams, and never, ever stop.

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