December Daily: writing advice

[resonant]

runpunkrun asks: What's a favorite piece of writing advice you've picked up over the years?

I'm going to share two that have been particularly useful to me.

From julad: Make it more difficult for the characters.

And from the sadly defunct Eddie's Anti-Procrastination Site: You just have to keep starting.

Comments

[out_there]

You just have to keep starting.

Oh, I like that. I guess I'm not the only writer who puts off opening Word (because I'm in the middle of a tricky bit, or the story's not coming as easy as I'd hoped) and then wastes a lot of writing time procrastinating.

[resonant]

Yep, yep, that's me all over.

[runpunkrun]

Make it more difficult for the characters.

That is definitely something I should keep in mind. I don't like conflict! Unfortunately, that's a terrible trait for a writer.

[princessofgeeks]

*clings*

[resonant]

I have the same problem, so very muh. It makes me the first reader to say, "Um, why doesn't she just _____?" (the writer answers, "Because then the story would be, 'And everybody went to bed early, the end.")

[monanotlisa]

I completely agree with the second one; I wish I could do the first, but -- a lot of times I just want it to be *easier* for my poor babies (not that I follow my own desire here).

[resonant]

Well, yeah! The desire to smooth the path results in easy lives, which are the opposite of stories!

[princessofgeeks]

So much this. Thank you.

[resonant]

I'm probably the last person anyone should ask for writing advice. "Don't do what I do and procrastinate for a year!"

[china_shop]

You just have to keep starting.

Thank you for this.

[resonant]

It's been very comforting advice. Eddie's site was aimed at people who were trying to finish a thesis, but it's applicable to everything!

[laurenthemself]

I remember that one of Julad's coming up somewhere in the DVD commentary for Transfigurations, IIRC.

[resonant]

Yep! It was a terrible struggle for me, and she kept going, "No, but this is too easy," while I felt like lying on the floor and kicking my feet.

[blnchflr]

You just have to keep starting
That's excellent advice for a lot of areas of life, really. I use that principle trying to become a runner :)

[resonant]

I can see how that would work! Really it's true of almost everything worth doing.