Goodreads asked Stacey Zackerly:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Stacey Zackerly It's great to be influenced by your favorite authors but it's really important not to try and copy some other style. That can be hard to do at first because those influences may well be one of the main reasons you want to try writing in the first place but you've always got to strive to find your own voice.

It's been said a million times but it's often best to start out writing about something you know. It doesn't have to be a total autobiography but you'll find it easier to make the characters and plot situations more believable if you're drawing on your own experiences. Another tip is to set your story in a place you're really familiar with. It gives you the opportunity to provide a richly detailed setting for your story and the people in it.

Most importantly do a lot of writing. It's okay to start books that you don't finish for one reason or another. Writing is really one of those practice makes perfect situations. Don't be overly discouraged by rejection or negative feedback. If you look at the reviews here at Good Reads you'll find that there are people who hate some of the most highly acclaimed books of all time. It's hard to go through life as an author completely unscathed and it always hurts when someone says something bad about your work but it's a long road and your masterpiece may be just around the corner.

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