Writers Tell All: The Best Writing Advice We Ever Received

We may be superheroes (let’s hear it for writers!), but some days we could use a helping hand and a little prodding to keep writing.  After all, the writing journey is filled with unexpected twists, dead ends, and endless backtracking.

Things like writer’s block.

Rejection letters.

So how do we motivate ourselves to keep writing when we feel stuck?

“Just sit down and write! Doesn’t it matter if you ‘feel like it’; if you have the time, just sit down and write for 20 minutes. After that you can get up and go dance with your pants on your head if you want, but chances are when those 20 minutes are up you’ll wanna keep going!” —Marcus and Glory

“Write about those things or ideas which interest you the most. If you don’t care about the theme or subject, your readers most likely won’t, either.” —Skip Schmidt

“Get your character into trouble on page one.” —Robert Kugler

“Just get it on the page. You can edit later.” —Sarah Colley

“Get beta readers. A writer is much too close to their work to see what sucks. A beta can help you see those bits and therefore make your work and your overall writing better.” —Abbey Kirberger

“Trust your story. Let go of fear. Just write. The edits and revisions will come later. For now, just write until you get to ‘The End’.” —Lynnecca Arden

“Don’t think that because you’re older, you shouldn’t/can’t do it.” —Angela Nurse

“Whenever possible, do the unexpected thing. Ask, what does the reader expect to happen? Then do something different.” —Rachel Young

“Joanna Penn once said to allow yourself to write crappy first drafts. I add this: the work of sculptors doesn’t start until they have the rough stone first.” —B. A. Chemali

“When you finish the book and it’s edited and ‘out there’, start writing the next book.” —Indy Quillen

“1. Don’t over-edit unfinished work. Get the first draft done, then worry about improving it. 2. Write the story you wish you could have been reading right now. 3. Don’t wait for your muse. Force yourself to write and the muse will come to you.” —Slav Georgiev

“Writer’s block can be a lack of motivation. The way to power through is to write, write, write! No matter what words come out, you’re getting somewhere.” —K. R. Garcia

What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received? Share in the comments!