Advice is not expensive, you can find an endless supply of opinions and how to’s on the inter-webs. It’s easy to get distracted by the amount of information available, and before you know you haven’t started yet. The key is understand there is no wrong way. You have to just see what works for you, there is no short cut. It’s all trial and error; whether you’re a morning person, a night owl, or love outlines vs not… Below are a few of our favorite nerdy writers, and what works for them.
George R. R. Martin
“Don’t write outlines; I hate outlines. I have a broad sense of where the story is going; I know the end, I know the end of the principal characters, and I know the major turning points and events from the books, the climaxes for each book, but I don’t necessarily know each twist and turn along the way. That’s something I discover in the course of writing and that’s what makes writing enjoyable. I think if I outlined comprehensively and stuck to the outline the actual writing would be boring.”
Neil Gaiman
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drMuQqLLEe0&w=420&h=315]
(edit by @TangerineShow, interview from @Nerdist)
JK Rowling
“I always advise children who ask me for tips on being a writer, to read as much as they possibly can. Jane Austen gave a young friend the same advice, so I’m in good company there.”
Robert Rodriguez
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUWtrt5JW5s&w=560&h=315]
(edit by moondyne, interview from @Nerdist)
Felicia Day
“It takes a very brave person to express themselves creatively. I know the paralyzing fear of being bad very well; it’s one of my greatest weaknesses. For years I had a voice inside me telling I “should” do this and I “should” do that, but I couldn’t overcome the possibility of being horrible to actually risk doing something about it. So I did nothing. And I loathed myself for my weakness.
Finally I had a strange realization that time passes whether you’re doing something with it or not. It would be easy to let every day go by easily with no risk and then, at the end of the day (my life), I would look back and realize that fear ruled me: At that point there would be nothing I could do about it. So, I got off my butt! It wasn’t easy and I had a lot of lapses (I still do) but the experience of being ruthless with myself was an amazing lesson to learn.”
Guillermo Del Toro
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08BZrInrtJc&w=560&h=315]
Steven Moffat
“Every writer writes about what they’ve personally been through, just because that’s what’s to hand. I don’t know if it’s an important rule of thumb – you should tell the story that most animates you.”
So there you have it wordsmiths, story lovers, story watchers, nerds!
Enjoy and
😉
~R
