Resources for new writers

To Begin With

 

Here you'll find:

• Learning about craft
• On Rules: Finding what works, Shortcuts, and Locked Doors
• ​Rules To Beware Of:  Shields against bad advice 

Learning About Craft 

The first and greatest teachers of craft are books. Read, and pay attention to how the writer is doing what they do. Try to mimic it - and then, almost unconsciously, you'll start to form your own style. 
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There are also so many great resources out there to help you improve your craft. Here are a few:
Strunk and White's Elements of Style
This incredible curated list of books and interviews on craft by de-canon
Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin 
Still Writing by Dani Shapiro
Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott
This interview with the great Toni Morrison in the Paris Review
The Magic Words by Cheryl B. Klein
Holly Black's Resources page

On Rules 

You're not doing it wrong. 

I want to say that first, because when we go looking for rules, it's usually because we're worried. So take a deep breath and try hard to believe what I tell you here: you're a writer. Right now. Yes,  a real one. You are. I draw a stately sword and hereby knight thee. You're part of the club. 

Okay, now about those rules.
Rules can be super useful. They give us structure, a starting place, a wall against which to test our new theories. By no means am I saying you don't need them, or shouldn't want them. And while plenty of great writers reinvent rules, or buck tradition, you can always benefit from revisiting the basics, the same way an Olympic athlete still practices. There's incredible honor in standing at the starting line. It means you're willing to do the work, to learn, to face the challenge.

But by that same token, if you come across rules that don't feel right, or don't seem to work for what you're attempting, feel free to leave them behind, or try something new. Rules can be a life raft - but at some point, if you want to reach new waters, you might need to let go and swim. 

Finding What Works 

Follow any writer you like, and you'll learn their take on this whole storytelling thing.  If you throw a pebble, you'll hit a writer sharing their creative process (please, don't throw pebbles at us, we're easily frightened). Some of them have immaculate desks with fairy lights all around. Some organize their plots with color-coordinated notes and markers. Some wake up every day at five to write two thousand words, no matter what. 

​Maybe that inspires you. Or, maybe it doesn't work for you. That's okay. Different isn't wrong. 

It's fun to dress up as a writer. Sometimes, that's the only way to convince yourself to approach the page - and we've all got ideas of what 'Being a Writer' looks like. Typing in coffee shops, skulls with candles dripping down them, desks in charming writer-sheds, fountain pens, dramatic turtlenecks. But maybe you're not a skulls-and-turtlenecks writer. And if you're not, no amount of skulls will change that, or should. 

The best writer to be is the one you are. That's where the good work lives. 

Art is a deeply personal and often lonely adventure. The frills - the coffee, the props - might help you feel excited to work, or capable of the journey, and that's great. But the work - the real work - is learning your own mind, following your own skill, listening to yourself. If you can learn to do that, and feed your writer-mind what it needs (not what you'd like it to need, what it actually needs), you'll be fine. 

Shortcuts 
The other reason we go looking for rules isn't because we want guidance or comfort - it's because we want shortcuts. 

The very design of this field makes us anxious, from an early age, to be A Great Success right now, and yesterday would've been better. We can see the successes of our peers more easily, and constantly, than ever before. That gnawing need to do more, faster, better - it can be both a driving engine and a bottomless pit. Usually, it means we try to push out unready work too early, too young, too soon. 

It all generates the feeling that everybody else knows a quicker way to get there, and if only you could follow that shortcut, you'd be there too. 

There is no shortcut to your best work. No degree, conference, award or workshop can grant you that satisfaction. No list of rules will guarantee that your work is published. When it comes to knowing what you're doing, and creating something true, only time and practice will get you there. It's something you'll have to wrestle in yourself. 

Locked Doors 
Writing can feel like an endless series of doors, each one harder to push open than the last - and yet, while we're struggling to find a way in, some people seem to pass through the barriers without effort. It happens constantly, quietly. Nobody goes around shouting that they have a secret key, but it sure seems like some people have found one. 

The reason it seems like some people have a secret key is that the door was never locked for them. It's much easier to get an agent if your parent is a famous author and you grew up meeting all their publishing friends, for instance. It's easier to get an MFA, or attend workshops and conferences, if you've got the funds, the health, the time. People are not breezing past you because they're better, smarter, or more deserving. They just don't have to spend time picking the lock, or kicking the door down.  

I don't say this to discourage you. I say it to let you know that if the doors seem to jam when you try them, you're not doing something wrong, you're not imagining it, and you're not alone. You haven't failed. Those doors will open. More and more of them open all the time, when we hold them open for each other, through sharing information and uplifting each other's voices. 

And remember: you deserve to enter that room, as much as anyone. Having to kick down the door does not make you any less worthy.

Anyone who says otherwise is probably holding the key that locked it. 

Rules to Beware Of 

Writers and publishing professionals love to give advice. It makes us feel fancy. For the most part, it's coming from a good place, or at least from limited personal experience. There's nothing wrong with seeking advice from those who've gone ahead of you. 

But when looking for advice, it's helpful to carry a shield, just in case. 

Your shield is already with you - a sharp eye for detail, a talent for asking questions, the ability to look, and look again. Hold it ready, in case you encounter potential snares. 

Watch Out For:

Rules that steal passion:  If you find yourself shutting down your own instincts, or losing joy in what you're doing because of a rule you've heard, stop and reconsider it. Contorting to fit someone else's voice can distort your own - and it can be very hard to find your way back. 

Rules that are impossible to follow: "Sit in your chair and focus" is easier to follow without, say, or a toddler, or chronic pain, or an extra job. Just as reading aloud in class is easy for some students but torture for others, there are some structures that just aren't set up to work for everyone. If you seem to fail at following rules that others find easy, it might be that the rules weren't built to help you, and you'll have to find another way around. That's okay. 

Rules that are too easy to follow:  You're the good kid, the rule follower. Obedience serves you well. So you begin to dislike people who don't follow the rules; maybe you even punish them for it. You mock bad grammar or mispronunciation, judge someone's education, tear down a new writer's attempts to learn. Remember - rules are tools, not weapons.  

Rules that offer crowns: We give people power over us in lots of ways - through attention, money, time, love. We all have people we hold in high esteem, or whose authority feels justified. But just because someone's in charge doesn't always mean they're worthy or correct. You don't have to listen to anyone just because they're famous, or hold a degree, or won that award; listen to someone whose words deserve your time. 

Rules dipped in poison: Some people mean to cause harm. If it's a trusted figure, you might be tempted to give them the benefit of the doubt. Remember, even among beloved figures, power  can bring out the worst in people. When they show you who they really are, believe them. Ask who their words are meant to benefit, who they might harm, and why. 

Use Your Shields 
Go forward knowing that writing advice is great - but not all advice is for everyone, and all of it needs a grain of salt. Be aware of who's making the rules, and why. Do they benefit you, but harm others?  Are they holding you up, or holding you back? ​Can you get free of them if you want to? And can you hold out your shield for someone struggling along the way?

We can all get there, if we help each other. I know you'll find what works for you, and I wish you all the luck in the world.