Saturday, August 22, 2009

Hey Buddy, Can Ya Spare a...

Photo by Marcin Wichary


...Tip?

What's the best piece of advice for writing (or life in general) you were ever read/heard, or learned through experience?

32 comments:

Vodka Mom said...

"the road to hell is paved with adverbs." my best friend Steve King.

Angie Ledbetter said...

What a great one to start our discussion with, VM. Thanks! King's book On Writing is one of the best and easiest to understand.

Donna M. Kohlstrom said...

I think my husband says it best when he tells me "chill out"!

Janna Leadbetter said...

"Love each other" is high in my book.

Michelle H. said...

Write what you know - research what you don't know.

Rebecca Nazar said...

Given King's quote, how about Twain's "If you catch a adjective, kill it"

Laura Eno said...

To keep going, no matter what.

That's my mantra in regards to everything in life. :)

Terri Tiffany said...

Sit your but in the chair and write.

Stephanie Faris said...

The entire GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict workshop held by Debra Dixon back in the 90s (in addition to her book) revolutionized my plot-creation.

Liz Wilkey (a.k.a. A Mom on Spin) said...

my dad's. . .

To try and fail, is at least to have tried.

But to fail to try, is the suffer the inestimable loss of what might have been.

(I'm sure someone famous said it first, but I don't know who . . . )

Angie Ledbetter said...

Donna - good suggestion to not sweat the small stuff.

Janna - pretty much golden in my book too. :)

Excellent Michelle.

That one made me smile, Rebecca.

Laura - ...full speed ahead!

Terri - BIC/FOK (Butt in Chair/Fingers on Keyboard.) I've got that taped to my monitor.

Thanks for that good writing craft reminder, Stephanie!

AMoS - so so true. Regret is one of the things I fear...so I act accordingly, sometimes spontaneously. :)

Linda Hoye said...

What doesn't kill you will make you stronger.

Carrie Wilson Link said...

Reading is writing.

Kathryn Magendie said...

wish you were coming with us today * sob *

miss you!!! (nothing no one like my naww friends)

Hmm, - to write the rough draft with abandon and joy without worrying about who will read it, or who will publish it -- just write it because it gives me joy and pleasure and quiets the voices in my head (laugh)

Angie Ledbetter said...

Linda - Unfortunately that's true.

Never heard that one Carrie, but likey.

Kat - Me too!! Love your writing advice to throw ourselves into our work with abandon and in the moment. :)

Karen said...

You cannot change people....you can only change how you react to them.

Angie Ledbetter said...

Karen - That one should be on everybody's Top 10 list.

Unknown said...

Rejections make you a real writer.

AND

A good revision revises almost every word.

Angie Ledbetter said...

Double ouch...but probably true! Thanks for throwing some good tips into the jar, Suzanne.

Kasie West said...

Don't think about anyone else while you're writing--write what you would like to read.

Travis Erwin said...

Write like yo momma is dead.

Angie Ledbetter said...

Thanks Kasie. Good advice on the importance of focus.

Travis - yeah, and as Hem said, "...write one true sentence..." (or something close). Put it all out there.

Eileen Astels Watson said...

Write, write, write and read, read, read! It's the best way to learn how to write!

Deb Shucka said...

It's a process - life and writing - and you can't skip ahead. You also can't rush the process - it has a life of its own. All you can really do is show up and be all the moment allows.

2nd Cup of Coffee said...

Used to be in my blog header: "Don't write like you went to college." Alice Kahn.

Angie Ledbetter said...

Eileen, good tippage. :)

Deb - Wise as always. Thank you for sharing.

Hey 2nd Cup! That's an interesting idea. LOL

Regina said...

From The Writer's Almanac today... and I agree!

Annie Proulx-
"When someone asked her about her advice to writers, she said: "Spend some time living before you start writing. What I find to be very bad advice is the snappy little sentence, 'Write what you know.' It is the most tiresome and stupid advice that could possibly be given. If we write simply about what we know we never grow. We don't develop any facility for languages, or an interest in others, or a desire to travel and explore and face experience head-on. We just coil tighter and tighter into our boring little selves. What one should write about is what interests one."

Jessica Nelson said...

Go with my gut. :-)

♥ Braja said...

"If you have to read how to do it, are you sure you're in the right profession....???"

Sandra Leigh said...

This, too, shall pass.

Dorothy said...

For writing? RUE: resist the urge to explain
For life? Wait five minutes and it will change

Unknown said...

The best advice I ever got was "Write what you know". It is much easier to write about things you know about than to have to do a lot of research for an article. The second best piece of advice was to write in your own voice, ignore the proper grammer, and your words will flow better. I do find this to be true.

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