A note from Headbuzzer: This week, author Maria Padian will be visiting on our blog! Maria is the author of Out of Nowhere, and we'll be choosing 15 lucky Buzzers from Maria's blog post comments to win an ARC (so update your mailing address)!
Advice to Young Writers
By Maria Padian
At the risk of sounding cliché, here’s my advice for any aspiring writer: Just. Do. It.
You’d be amazed at the number of people who want to write, dream of writing, talk about writing and all the ideas they have... and never actually sit down and write.
Here’s the biggest impediment to writing: not writing. I know, this sounds ridiculous, but I mean it. Put your fears aside and Just. Do. It. Don’t worry about whether your writing is good: I absolutely guarantee that most of your writing will be awful. In fact, awful writing should be a requirement. All writers know that we have to write thousands of awful sentences in order to come up with a few decent ones.
Don’t worry about not having ideas: if you keep moving that pen across the paper, and allow your imagination to flow, something, eventually, will jump out at you. On a good day, this might take seven minutes. But sometimes it takes years. Be patient with yourself.
Don’t worry about what others think of your writing: even Mark Twain got bad reviews. Seriously, if you want a good laugh, read his essay about critics.
Don’t worry about publishing, don’t worry about praise, don’t worry that you’re a bit odd, spending hours and hours alone scribbling about make-believe people. There are worse ways to spend your time, and here’s a lovely secret: it might give you joy. And then, if you create something you really like, and want to share it with someone else?
Guess what? You’re a writer.
Paigers97: Great advice. I really want to be a professional author.. And that is what I tell people what I want to me... Then other times when they ask me why I want to be a writer I reply to them, " I am a writer, I want to be an author."
chelleyreads: That's me. I need to just sit down and write. Writing a novel is always at the back of my mind but, yeah, i just need to sit and write. thanks for the advice :)
Book_A_Holic: That is great advice. That's how I write best, just sitting down and doing it.
SashaMae1996:
I agree. with this piece of advice. I used to do that but now I dont. And as you write you will get better.
Tiffasaurus: So inspiring! Thanks for the pep talk. :)
Evie: Thanks for the great advice!
Books_Rule: Great advice!
AnnabelleMarieV: That's such great advice! Sometimes you have to stop thinking too hard and just go with it.
LoveyDoveyBooks: Thanks Maria, this is very helpful post :) I'm someone who over thinks everything, but this will definitely help me to 'just do it'!
racheltroyer12: Thanks for the advice! :D
Liviania: I love that essay!
KindredDreamheart: Great advice.
Bookendipity: Great advice
Star_Chaser: Thanks for the great advice.
BookItToMe: I will be sure to share these tips with my writing group. Thank you for this advice, it is wonderful to be able to talk to authors and hear their thoughts and advice on writing and characters.
Celeste_pewter:
Ah, thank you for this advice. I sometimes think WAY too much about trying to perfect my writing for an audience, and that completely makes me freeze up.