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The only writing advice I have ever had that was any good comes in four parts (though @Richard_Kadrey’s advice today is also spot on. So here is a small thread.
The first was given by Henry Rollins: “The only thing that makes you a writer is the act of writing.” Writers spend too much time in poncey naval-gazing and talking about writing (like this), when we should just get on with it.
The second was: “It takes a thousand pages to flush the crap out of your system and find your own voice.” It took me a bit more than a thousand pages, might take others a lot less.
Third was: “Doesn’t matter if it’s 2,000-words or a 100,000-words David, writing is attrition. It is just putting one good word after another till it’s done. Build it sentence by sentence, page by page.”
Fourth was from Douglas Adam’s: “Hot water. Taken internally and externally.” Tea/coffee breaks and showers/baths are essential to both carve the space for creative insights to come through and avoiding neck and back ache.
The only things I can add is that only you can paint the invisible, electrical storm in your head with words. You need to keep faith with your stories and remember, opinions are like arseholes, everyone can have one about your work, but you don’t have to take arseholes seriously.
