Keep writing.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
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Nathan Bransford
Brooklyn, NY
United States
Brooklyn, NY
United States
Nathan Bransford is the author of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow (Dial, May 2011), Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe (Dial, April 2012) and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp (Dial, February 2013). He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd. and is now the social media manager at CNET. He lives in Brooklyn.
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87 comments:
Thanks for the reality check! I never wait for inspiration anymore. I just sit down and force myself to write.
I'd tweak this a bit. I wouldn't tell someone "Just golf." If they keep ingraining bad habits it does no good long term.
Write, and learn, and write some more, and learn some more. Repeat.
But yes, mostly, keep writing.
And tea.
Love it :) So true!
Nice!
WORD VERIFICATION: ejeeteni. Something very, very small.
@rjdaley101071
http://mydaleyrant.blogspot.com
THE MAN IN THE CINDER CLOUDS
I would add: and trying to get better. It isn't just a numbers game. One of my editors once told me the majority of submissions he saw from the same people never improved in quality, and neither did most of those he published! I try to learn a new trick every time I write, whether someone's handing me a Snausage for it or not. It's much more fun that way. Even though Snausages smell gross.
And yet, it is sometimes the hardest thing to do, Thanks for the reminder.
And reading!
What about if the problem is Repetative Strain Injury?
Ha ha ha. I have so wanted to write a blog post like this . I applaud you for doing it.:) Its so true too. Happy writing everyone.--Amy Joy http://amysjoy.com
I get so engrossed in the writing process I forget to eat, sometimes for days on end. What should I do??
lol. cool :)
Exactly what I needed to hear exactly when I needed to hear it. It's easy to get distracted by the summer fun! As someone on Twitter posted recently, "Back to the comma mines!"
Also: alcohol
And, of course, there are those people one is tempted to tell "Stop writing!"
Truth has never been so profound.
That's brilliant.
You have never been more eloquent.
yeah. pretty much.
Well said, although every now and then I have to stop and think about what I want to write.
Love it!
Haha, snausages. Well said. I find that the more I write, the easier it becomes. Its the revising that I have a tough time not dragging my feet on.
This is very wise.
I'm posting this one near my computer. Thank you!
Absolutely. Great reminder
Ann
Thanks. I needed that.
A rare miss for the great Nathan Bransford.
I think I 'd tweak it a bit to "Keep writing better than you did the day before." Otherwise, you stagnate.
I prefer setting the offending page ablaze and then bathing in the ashes to set an example for the rest of the novel that they could be next.
But, you know, keep writing is good advice, too.
That's what writers do - they keep writing (although I agree with JS Bell that knowing the techniques of good writing will result in a better product).
Inform yourself, and watch what other writers are doing. Write something different when the muse fails to show up. Learn when you're most productive and try to do your writing then. If Life intervenes, be flexible. Be mobile at times to get ideas stirring in the brainpan.
Where's your imagination? Dig in your heels and get tough.
Short posts are posts of might. You've aptly demonstrated this by the responses you've gotten. "I would tweak this a bit." "I would add."
I'm going to try brevity when I'm burned out trying to think of something to post!
Ann Best, Author of In the Mirror, A Memoir of Shattered Secrets
Great post (as usual) and great advice. I'd only add "keep reading" to that "keep writing."
:-)
Love this.
Reading, too. Definitely.
I think this is the best advice in the simplest terms possible.
Also, you win for shortest, most worthwhile blog post ever written. Congrats!
You're like the Confucius of the literary world.
Ha. This took me by surprise. I was expecting something slightly more in depth, but this will do, too =)
This is the shortest blog post I've ever read. In fact, I've never before read a blog post wherein the title was significantly longer than the actual post.
I am amused.
Yep :) Couldn't have said it better.
Wow. I kind of need this today.
Haha. Touché.
Gracias!
Thank you for not saying reading! I can't stand when authors are asked what advice they would give other would-be authors, and they respond by saying "read as much as you can." It's like a conspiracy to keep everyone else down so they can get the biggest possible piece of the book market.
Amen.
Truer words have never been spoken.
Unless, of course, your writing is filled with bad habits you really shouldn't be repeating over and over again. I find I need to do a lot more than continued writing to get better. I need to read, try new things, get reviews, etc., etc. I've noticed that some famous writers get better over time; some get much worse over time - not sure why that is.
Great advice!!
Anon@anon.com
www.anon-anon@blospot.com
HOW TO SELF PROMOTE ON A COMMENT THREAD
A .99 amazon kindle book
:))
Preach it.
I knew you were going to say it :-)
And shuffle every day.
That is beautiful and I am crying.
Just kidding, I'm not actually crying. But it is beautiful.
This made me laugh. I have experienced this fact over and over again. Because sometimes I forget that the problems don't fix themselves.
Yup.
Nothing better then the K.I.S.S. system. You know, Keep It Simple Stupid.
Thanks Nathan.
I would say writing + getting critiques + studying the craft (books / workshops). Without these you are unlikely to make progress.
Hi Nathan. Beautiful as always. I was wondering if you ever find it helpful to STOP writing for a time though. I'm new to all of this of course, but after writing about 3 terrible things right in a row, I realized I was not helping my state of mind to keep making myself write (ie: you have to write something EVERY DAY!- advice I've heard). I took a little hiatus- plotted a little here and there for a new piece, watched some TV (gasp!), played outside- and I feel like things are just coming together so much easier (and better) for this book than the first three "works" (a loose term here).
anon-
Definitely, I'm actually planning on blogging about that soon.
Love it. Plus you can't go wrong with a title like that!
I love this! :)
Anon makes an interesting point. I'll be eager to read your post on the subject. Maybe the above should read "write, breathe, read, write again."
Except it wouldn't be so cool.
Absolutely. Even if its something as small as a book review for Amazon.
Be amazed at what you can do once you accomplish somthing that simple.
Haha, I came here via twitter. How did I know you were going to say that?
Well, that's one approach Nathan. But I prefer eating gummy bears or at least keep writing while eating gummy bears ;)
Short, sweet and to the point. I love it!
Most sensible piece of advice I've received in a while. LOL.
Possibly my favorite post you've ever written, and that's saying something. :D
Haha, thank you. How timely!
And keep revising!
And reading! It's one of the simplest and most enjoyable ways to learn.
is it that this is just a bad time of year for authors???
"A man of few words is most often heard more so than the most eloquent copious orator."
Well said.
Perfect!
Hahahahaha, yes, perfect!!!
I have a sticky note attached to the side of my laptop that says, 'NEVER GIVE UP!' [sometimes though I want to shred the dang thing] But yes, keep writing is a wonderful solution, with a satisfing ending. ["I did it"] And so easy to remember...♥ [when we're not pre-occupied with wanting to throw computers out of windows] 3 books later, that sticky note is still working for me! ☺
To paraphrase the great Dory: "Just keep writing, just keep writing, writing writing writing writing."
Hence my handy graphic representation from 2008:
How to write a first draft :-)
Thank you, Nathan.
Brilliant:)
And then write some more.
Too true!
Meh...I partially agree with you.
One of my favorite quotes is "Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect."
It's just as important to keep learning as it is to keep writing.
Yes, or as Natalie Goldberg is reported to have told every student who came with a writing problem, "Write anyway."
Deep.
Succinct.
LIKE! K.I.S.S.
aka: Butt in Chair.
Good advice, along with: "The hardest part of writing is keeping your ass in the chair."
Touche! I would like to add, keep reading to that as well. :)
very true
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