What’s your advice to new writers? “Write write write, read read read, never write something you’re not passionate about, make sure you’re as original as you can be, voice is everything, go deeper into your story than you ever thought possible — and then go deeper still.” – Layton Green
I have no idea who Layton Green is, but I am following @AdviceToWriters on Twitter and he posts some useful stuff every now and then.
Today I came across this brief Q&A with Layton Green and his response to the question what his advice to new writers would be.
For me the most important thing here was this: …never write anything you are not passionate about…
I couldn’t agree more. If I’m only writing about something that doesn’t hold my heart wholly, I write about it quite literally half-heartedly. It comes out flat and I don’t know about you, but when I’m re-reading it, I lose interest and think “meh”.
Whenever I realize I could have done better, I know that I wasn’t fully invested and really should have done better. I never put out anything I am downright ashamed of having published, but I find myself wishing I had put a little more effort into it or spend the time writing something I feel more passionately about.
Layton Green used to be a lawyer. Then he felt the need to write a story one day and found that writing is what he must do with his life.
I’ve known all along that it is what I must do with my life, but have yet to complete a novel. The problem is that I am a bloody perfectionist and I have too many things I want to write about and want to write about them all at once, combining them into one masterpiece.
Then I remember: baby steps.
I need to grow wings before I can fly. And growing wings is just a little bit painful.
I’m getting there. I know I will.
Of this at least I have no doubt.
2clouds 