1. “Writers are born with talent.”
As Ryan Boudinot says in his article for The Stranger: “Some people have more talent than others . . writers are not all born equal.”
2. “If you didn’t decide to take writing seriously by the time you were a teenager, you’re probably not going to make it.”
Ryan says, “Being a writer means developing a lifelong intimacy with language. You have to be crazy about books as a kid to establish the neural architecture required to write one.”
3. “If you complain about not having time to write, please do us both a favor and drop out.”
Ryan writes: "My experience tells me this: Students who ask a lot of questions about time management, blow deadlines, and whine about how complicated their lives are should just give up and do something else."
4. “If you aren’t a serious reader, don’t expect anyone to read what you write.”
Ryan says, “Without exception, my best students were the ones who read the hardest books I could assign and asked for more…”
5. “No one cares about your problems if you’re a shitty writer.”
Ryan says: “For the most part, MFA students who choose to write memoirs are narcissists using the genre as therapy.”
6. “You don’t need my help to get published.”
My advice is for writers to reject the old models and take over the production of their own and each other’s work as much as possible.
7. “It’s not important that people think you’re smart.”
Ryan says: “If you can put your ego on the back burner and focus on giving someone a wonderful reading experience, that’s the cleverest writing.”
8. “It’s important to woodshed.”
Ryan warns about the instant gratification (and distractions) of social media, saying it’s the “enemy to producing the kind of writing that takes years to complete. That’s why I advise anyone serious about writing books to spend at least a few years keeping it secret.”
FROM: CHRIS ROBLEY on MARCH 25, 2015 in WRITING TIPS
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