Goodreads asked Rebecca Heflin:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Rebecca Heflin Write. Read. Learn. When I started my first book, I had no idea what I was doing. I just wrote. A lot of what I wrote went to the great digital trash can in the sky, but I couldn’t have learned the craft without writing those words. Read the genres you think you would like to write. I learn so much by reading my favorite authors. I also learn by reading books I didn’t really enjoy. I ask why I didn’t enjoy them, and then strive not to do those same things.

Read craft books. I have a shelf of dog-eared, marked up craft books. Finally, learn. Attend workshops, join critique groups, take online courses. Oh, one more thing. Don’t give up. If you really want to write, push through the doubts, the rejection letters, the bad reviews. Use them to hone your craft.

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