Jane Ward
Writing is a discipline. Do it everyday if you can–journal entries, essays, short stories, novels–even if the work you produce is only fragments of pieces you haven’t quite figured out how to finish. The practice helps you establish writing as a good habit.
Read. A lot. Across genres and styles. Think critically about what you read– what works, what doesn’t. For the stories that don’t quite hang together for you, ask yourself what you might have done differently to make it more successful. When you find stories that are satisfying, ask what makes them so. The more good and not-so-good work you read, the better you will understand how to construct stories of your own.
I spent many years knowing I wanted to do this work. But I would start stories and be unable to finish them. Living and aging and growing all seemed to make the process of finishing stories easier. I knew more about people, about life. My best advice is to give yourself this space and this time to develop.
Read. A lot. Across genres and styles. Think critically about what you read– what works, what doesn’t. For the stories that don’t quite hang together for you, ask yourself what you might have done differently to make it more successful. When you find stories that are satisfying, ask what makes them so. The more good and not-so-good work you read, the better you will understand how to construct stories of your own.
I spent many years knowing I wanted to do this work. But I would start stories and be unable to finish them. Living and aging and growing all seemed to make the process of finishing stories easier. I knew more about people, about life. My best advice is to give yourself this space and this time to develop.
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