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If you don’t read, please don’t write.
You want to know how to write? Let me give you some advice. I asked a budding author once what books he read. His response struck me as odd and, bear with me here, dangerous. Usually, you don’t think of the word “dangerous” when talking about writing. It might sound hyperbolic, maybe even silly, but I firmly believe it. “I don’t read. I just watch movies.” Budding Author I just watch movies. A common misunderstanding about books and movies is that they’re the same thing. They both tell stories so you can just watch tons of movies and write novels, right? Wrong. They’re not the same thing. Yes, they both have…
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William Zinsser Taught Me One Important Lesson About Writing
It’s easy to be a lazy writer. Which is scary. I fall into habits, ruts, and techniques that feel comfortable and, after a while, it doesn’t feel wrong. It feels normal and right to put words on a page and never look at them again, thinking it’s good to go. It’s not, of course. After reading “On Writing Well,” by William Zinsser, I learned quite a lot, but perhaps the most important lesson was taking the craft very seriously. Zinsser is a stickler. Throughout his book, he makes that perfectly clear. He painstakingly pours himself over grammar, syntax, rhythm, meter, and every element of good writing. For Zinsser, if you aren’t…
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Unpacked: The Way of Kings – Prologue
In Unpacked, I analyze, dissect, and review various parts of a book that I’m currently reading. The goal is to better understand a piece of literature rather than mindlessly consume it. “The Way of Kings” by Brandon Sanderson is almost ten years old. First published in 2010, it begins “The Stormlight Archive,” an epic fantasy series Sanderson is still working on today. With the size of the book reaching over 1,000 pages, a prelude, prologue, seventy-five chapters, several interludes, and an epilogue, epic is almost a dull way to describe the book. Perhaps majestic? This is my first Sanderson. I have heard many good things about him and only recently…
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Balancing Ego and Humility as a Writer
Look, here’s the deal, all artists, writers, authors, etc., are pretentious, egotistical maniacs. Balancing ego and humility as a writer is like a trapeze artist carrying an elephant on their back while they walk across a tightrope. It’s nigh impossible. It’s also essential. I suffered from this problem often (and still struggle with it) when I first hopped into the foray of writing as a young adult. The high of finding an art form I loved and the thrill of dreaming about being a writer somehow took over the idea of actually writing. I’d form stories in my head and dream of writing them down but rarely did. Yet, somehow, I dreamed…
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How to Make Writing Fun Again
If you’re writing and it’s a blast, this article isn’t for you. But one day, it will be. Let me explain. A long time ago a couple states down from where I live now, I was a kid on fire for writing, suddenly obsessed with the art form. After school, I’d write for hours and would feel totally enthralled by it. If you’re a writer, you likely know what I’m talking about. It’s a catharsis like no other. Over the years, writing never ceased being fun. I’d imagine writing in my head and later actually write it all out. There’s something about seeing worlds and character come to life on…
