After years of reading tips and advice to write successfully, all of it seems to smush together. Here are all bits and pieces of them I put together. I DID NOT COME UP WITH ANY OF THESE except the last two.
Sit down and write.
What does your character want? Now, how can you keep them from getting it?
Please stop worrying about marketing your book before you have even written it.
Don’t worry about how people will perceive your work. Worry about what you have to say.
Yes, everything has already been written. But has it been written from YOUR point of view?
Just write the story. For the love of everything that is good in the world, just write the story.
Reading helps as you write.
Stop! PLEASE STOP worrying about the title of the book. It will come to you when you least expect it.
Don’t edit as you go. You will waste time fixing mistakes more than you will be writing. The point is to get the story out, and not to keep it waiting.
Your first draft is gonna suck. Don’t try to be the one who says “Not mine!” It’s gonna suck. It’s going to feel like trash, but it will be done. Once you finish the first draft, then you can fix it.
Do not try to edit your book immediately after you finished writing it. Celebrate and leave it alone for a couple of weeks to maybe a month. Come back with fresh eyes.
Don’t let editors or beta readers try to completely change your work. Fight for the story you want.
If an editor, however, tells you something is tone deaf, please listen to that.
Write when you can. But if you need a break, take one. Don’t feel shamed that you have to write every single day.
Don’t use tropes! Or if you must, use them but give it a fresh take.
Writing is hard but its the best feeling in the world when you have completed a work.
YOU GOT THIS! KEEP WRITING!
Don’t worry about seeing all the mistakes you made when the editor sends your work back to you. Their goal is to make your work shine not to make you feel like a failure. The mistakes are fixable.
Write what you want to read. Don’t let anyone tell you how to write your story.
Stop doubting yourself. Seriously. Stop it. You are undertaking something that has spanned the centuries and when you finish, you will be part of the legacy of being an author.
Writing is noble art. You are part of a long line of storytellers. So finish that work in progress. Be proud of your work.
xoxo
Erin Elyse
erinelysebooks.com 