Goodreads asked Ned White:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Ned White This is most relevant to writers of fiction:

I've mentored more than a few young writers, and often I think their work is not very good. I try to be as constructive as possible, but in the end sometimes their feelings are hurt. Writers can't have thin skins. They should not think that they're great when they're not. Advice: write with self-doubt. Don't be too sure that your stuff is really good. Let the reader decide.

Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite! If you trip over sentence while reading it, others will, too. Fix it. Listen to it - is it rhythmic, does it flow? Readers should glide through your sentences, not stumble and fall.

Read! Be very good at grammar, construction, syntax. If you don't have a solid mechanical foundation, you can't be a good writer.

Finally, expect loneliness. Writing is a one-person job. If you're writing a novel, your life will change - you'll be thinking and feeling it even when you're out to dinner with friends. Accept the isolation - it's part of the job.

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