January 30, 2014
Neil Gaiman - 8 Rules of Writing
I am always learning or trying to learn more about being a better writer. Last year I gave myself a challenge to write daily and began using Judy Reeves book A Writer's Book of Days. This has been a remarkable year for me…writing daily and developing a schedule that works for me. I think my writing has improved, but I could be a tiny bit biased!
I read Brain Pickings nearly every day … to be a better writer, you must read…read…read! Today, I came across this article written by Neil Gaiman and his 8 Rules of Writing. Below is his list.
For me, I definitely relate to #1, #2 and #8. I need to work toward #3 since I have too many projects started and not finished. Thank goodness, I do have a writer friend that meets the needs of #4 and had helped me out more times this year than I can count.
Writing has given me more confidence and has led me to do things I never thought would happen in the past year. For me, writing is like breathing…I could not go on without it…even when I severely fractured my left arm and it was difficult to manipulate all my tools for daily writing practice.
This year, I have challenged myself to continue writing daily, continue the serial novella I began and published in May, 2013, post to each of my blogs every day and a personal writing challenge that I have shared with no one and will not until that challenge is completed.
Copyright © 2014 Annie
Always…I wish you peace, joy and happiness, but most of all I wish you Love.
As Ever, Annie
Brain Pickings site for Neil Gaiman's 8 Rules of Writing: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/09/28/neil-gaiman-8-rules-of-writing/
I read Brain Pickings nearly every day … to be a better writer, you must read…read…read! Today, I came across this article written by Neil Gaiman and his 8 Rules of Writing. Below is his list.
- Write
- Put one word after another. Find the right word, put it down.
- Finish what you’re writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.
- Put it aside. Read it pretending you’ve never read it before. Show it to friends whose opinion you respect and who like the kind of thing that this is.
- Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.
- Fix it. Remember that, sooner or later, before it ever reaches perfection, you will have to let it go and move on and start to write the next thing. Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving.
- Laugh at your own jokes.
- The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you’re allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it’s definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I’m not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.
For me, I definitely relate to #1, #2 and #8. I need to work toward #3 since I have too many projects started and not finished. Thank goodness, I do have a writer friend that meets the needs of #4 and had helped me out more times this year than I can count.
Writing has given me more confidence and has led me to do things I never thought would happen in the past year. For me, writing is like breathing…I could not go on without it…even when I severely fractured my left arm and it was difficult to manipulate all my tools for daily writing practice.
This year, I have challenged myself to continue writing daily, continue the serial novella I began and published in May, 2013, post to each of my blogs every day and a personal writing challenge that I have shared with no one and will not until that challenge is completed.
Copyright © 2014 Annie
Always…I wish you peace, joy and happiness, but most of all I wish you Love.
As Ever, Annie
Brain Pickings site for Neil Gaiman's 8 Rules of Writing: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/09/28/neil-gaiman-8-rules-of-writing/
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