The Best Writing Advice Ever

What is the best writing advice? I'm often asked this question and, while one piece of advice is never the ultimate golden nugget guaranteed to work for every single writer on the planet, I will always repeat advice given to me:

"Keep writing and don't give up."

If you do keep writing and striving to improve, then you will:

Gain confidence. The more you write, the more comfortable you'll become writing. With this comfort, comes confidence.

Discover your voice. If you keep writing, then you'll find your own voice, rather than borrowing the voice of a favourite author. Your uniqueness will naturally begin to shine.

Master the theory. There's only so much theory one can read about. You have to put it into practice to truly understand it. Some people suggest, once you've written a million words, then you start to 'get it'. This number is not an absolute, of course. Some writers need more, some less. But it takes time and this means never giving up.

Find freedom. If you keep writing, then you'll find the freedom you need to try different things, explore concepts you wouldn't normally explore. You'll become less precious over your every word and you'll stop overthinking every sentence.

Maintain sanity. It's sheer insanity for a writer to give up writing. I know; I tried it once. Not smart. The stories crying out to be written don't go away. The characters begging to be born don't suddenly vanish. The need for creative expression doesn't dry up. Sure, they might hide in the background for a while, but they come out in other ways, such as grumpiness, distraction, and a growing dissatisfaction with life.

Consequently, my heartfelt advice to all writers, new and established: Keep writing and don't give up.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

How to Keep the Creative Spark Alive

The Spark is that tiny fire burning in our hearts. It pushes us to keep writing despite the nay-sayers, the ups and downs, the doubts, the distractions, the crazies and the closed doors. We need to keep that spark burning because it's a fragile thing, easily snuffed. Each writer needs to find his or her own way to relight the Spark, but below are some suggestions which might help.

Keep the Spark sheltered

• Keep it in a safe place, surrounded by a supportive group, encouraging friends and other writers who understand the fragility.
• Delight in the Spark by remembering what it is about writing you love so much.
• Be kind to the Spark by easing off on the pressure 'to get published'.

Keep the Spark fuelled

• A writer's fuel is reading good books written by authors we admire.
• It's getting out and trying new things, taking on new experiences, spending time with family and friends.
• It's research and non-fiction reading. Our strange and wonderful world is full of inspiration.
• It's watching people, paying attention to how they dress, speak, move. It's taking note of their reactions to the world around them.
• It's finding encouragement wherever it might be. For example, the Spark can be ignited by reading our own older works. Occasionally I'm pleasantly surprised by work I used to think was seriously ho-hum. Time has a way of clearing our muddy view.
• It's writing. Odd that writing can be a fuel for more writing, but it's true. The more we write, the easier it becomes and the more ideas come flooding our way.

Use the Spark
The spark is like a muscle. It needs to be used or it will atrophy. Just as writing is a fuel, it's also an exercise for our creative muscle. Don't let the spark wither and die. Don't let ideas go wasted. Write them down to explore later. Write a journal. Write flash fiction, essays, outlines, concepts, thoughts, observations. Write snippets, captured moments, short stories and novels. Just keep writing.
 

What has threatened to dampen your Spark... and what have you done to guard against it? 

This post was written for Alex J Cavanaugh's  Insecure Writers' Support Group. We post on the first Wednesday of every month.

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I had a great time during my mini break doing research for a possible new project. I looked up so many government sites on biological warfare and emergency procedures that my hubby thought we might be getting a knock on the door soon. Hopefully not! Famous last words: It's just research for a novel... I swear!