Stephen Puleo
My gosh -- I have LOTS of it -- too much to go into here. I've done a number of writing seminars for aspiring writers (high school students, college students, and adults), and there are several keys in my view. First, if you want to write you have to read a lot -- seems obvious, but it's so important to read to learn about pacing, drama, narrative, breaking scenes and chapters, structure, character, etc. You need to find your own voice when you write, but it's good to see how the experts do it so you can understand different methods. If "read a lot" is number one, then "write a lot" is number 2 -- I think it's critical that you just sit down and write as often as you can. Don't wait for the muse to strike -- sometimes it does but often it doesn't. You still need to get something down on paper. It may not be great, but you can always go back and edit. We're not neurosurgeons -- we actually can go back and do revisions. So even if you're struggling to put words on a page during a particular writing session, chances are you'll find something good about what you've written. If you don't sit at the keyboard, you have no chance to produce something good. So, read and write. I have more, of course, but start with these.
More Answered Questions
About ŷ Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the ŷ community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
