Goodreads asked Mary Davis:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Mary Davis I used to know the answer to this. Over a two decades ago when I was first getting published, I would tell aspiring writers to be persistent and not give up, because a contract could be just around the corner and you wouldn’t want to give up on the eve before that happened. But now, that answer is obsolete in light of self-publishing.

So what would I tell an aspiring author now? Know your craft. Have others read your work to see if what you think you are saying is how others understand it. Have your work professionally edited so you can present your best work possible. Your mother is often a good person to read your work when you need a pep talk but not as constructive feedback. Unless you’re my children, then the pep talk is off the table. If they are serious about writing, I want to help them make their stories shine.

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