Anne and Ellen's Top Tips for Young Writers

photo by Anne MazerWe've been giving a lot of writing advice over the last few years, so this week we put our heads together to come up with some of our top tips for young writers. Here they are. Hope you find them helpful! -- Anne and Ellen 

Anne Mazer:

Get out of your reading comfort zone. 

If you’re serious about writing, every writer will tell you to read as much as possible. If you love paranormal romances, dystopian novels, or science fiction, you are probably gobbling them down like popcorn and thinking that, as an extra bonus, this will help your writing. True. Whatever you read will feed your writing. But it’s important to stretch a little now and then.  If you only read one kind of book, your understanding of books, writing and language will be limited.

When my mother was young, she had to memorize poems and passages from Shakespeare, among others. By the time I was in school, we weren’t reading Shakespeare, much less memorizing him. Imagine having that language in your blood as a young child. It would never leave you. It didn’t leave my mother; it gave her a lifelong love of words and literature. Even if she only understood one word in ten, she still had the rhythms of his speech in her head. What a great training for a writer! I envy it.

Not that I’m telling you to memorize Shakespeare - unless you want to, of course. But once in while, crack open a book you wouldn’t normally think of reading. Tackle fiction that challenges you, or that seems out of your league. You’ll build your reading and writing muscles.

Take it s-l-o-w-l-y.

 Over the last few years, Ellen and I have noticed that many of the kids who write to us seem to want – or even expect – success as a writer to come immediately. Before they’re even out of their teens, they want to produce professional quality work. Hey, everyone, what’s the rush? Writers take a long time to develop. In fact, if they hatched in the wild, they’d have one of the longest gestation periods in nature. Not only that, but ideas are slow hatching, too. I’m working on one right now that I’ve had for over twenty years. Many writers begin to hit their stride in middle age or even later. So if you’re not an international success by the time you’re eighteen, there’s still hope for you. Nice thought, isn’t it?

Do lots of things other than writing

 If you want to be a writer, you have to write. But if you only write, will it make you a better writer? In my opinion, no. It won’t make you a happy camper, either, to shut yourself in your room, taking breaks only for meals and the occasional shower. Living a full life can include writing, but it shouldn’t exclude anything or anyone you love.  Like friendships and family, or following your passion for tai chi, raising llamas, clay ovens, permaculture, ancient languages, or volleyball. Everything that you do and love and experience will flow into your stories and make them richer.  Nothing is wasted in writing. Which makes it one of the most eco-friendly activities around.

Ellen Potter:

 Treat your story like a birthday wish 

If you tell someone your wish, it won’t come true, right? When you are writing a story, try to keep it to yourself.  When you tell someone your story before you write about it, it can take the excitement out of working on it. Also, you open yourself up to negative reactions, or the wrong kind of responses, which can discourage you from writing.  If you need to show your work to someone before it’s finished, be very picky. Choose someone who is sensitive to the fact that your work is still in a rough stage. Choose someone whose opinion you trust and who has your best writing interests at heart. Give your story a chance to “come true” just like that birthday wish.

Don’t worry about getting published

Write because you love to write. Really, it’s that simple. Write because you can’t get that certain character out of your head. Write because you want to take readers on a wild joyride of an adventure. Write for any reason at all . . . but don’t write because you just have to get published. It will paralyze your creativity.

True, seeing your name in print is thrilling. But when you are worrying if your story is publishable while you are writing it, you are getting in your own way by preventing yourself from being totally immersed in your story. You’ll keep second-guessing yourself, as in “Has this been done before?” “Will editors think the storyline is exciting enough?” It’s hard enough to write a story without your inner voice pestering you every three seconds.

Once you have finished your story, and if you still feel a burning need to publish, you can submit it to magazines or web sites that specialize in publishing the works of young writers (have a peek at the Inspiration Library on our web site for some ideas: http://www.spillinginkthebook.com/inspiration-library/)

Or enter a writing contest for kids. Here’s the latest Spilling Ink contest posted on our site: http://www.spillinginkthebook.com/contests/

Wake up & Smell the Coffee: Gratitude for Writers

photo by Anne Mazer

When it comes to writing, what makes you feel grateful? Here are our Thanksgiving lists for you to ponder. Feel free to add your own in the comments. Happy Thanksgiving! Love, Anne and Ellen

 

Ellen Potter

As a writer I am daily thankful for:

1. Coffee. 
2. The sudden and overwhelming need to pluck my dog’s ear hairs.
3. Coffee (I cannot overstate my esteem for the bean).
4. The New York Times obituaries (Anne got me hooked on these).
5. Unscheduled visits from friends who want to go out for a cup of coffee.
6. A few moments of deep breathing to slow down my heart rate from all the coffee.
7. And most of all . . . the looming threat of having to pay back a book advance if I don’t stop plucking my dog’s ear hairs, reading obituaries and drinking coffee.

 

Anne Mazer

Why I’m Grateful to be a Writer

1. It’s fun to go to work in a bathrobe.
2. I love roaming in the fields of imagination.
3. Words! Words! With only one “l” (and a lot of work) they become Worlds!
4. Having a “steam release valve” for my overly active brain.
5. I actually get paid for this?
6. Spending time at the library, walking, and daydreaming are part of my job description.
7. The disasters in my life turn into comic fiction. Celery ice cream, anyone?
8. Because I love books.
9. Ellen Potter is my writing partner.
10. My readers.
11. YOU!!!

Writing Then and Now

Max at the typewriter/photo by Anne MazerAnne Mazer: Writing Before and After Technology

When I first began writing, I worked on a portable typewriter. Mistakes had to be painted over, and retyped. If there were too many of them, I had to do over the entire page. Not only that, but when you had finished the book, you had to type a final copy by hand: neatly, without mistakes. Then I’d hurry to a print store to make a copy for myself before I sent it off to the agent. (All that paper flying around! Hundreds of pages! Not very green.)  

What a thrill it was when I got my first computer. It was a hand-me-down from my parents and it took at least five or ten minutes to boot up. Imagine my joy when I realized I would never have to retype a page again. And I could move whole sections of text around in only seconds! With the time I used to spend retyping, I could now practically write an extra book each year.

 Then came email. I checked it only once or twice a day, because my dial up access was so slow. And I was still mailing out manuscripts to my publisher. They’d send them back as hard copy, marked up with red editing pen and flagged post-it notes. But one day, they started asking for electronic copies. And then they started sending back electronic edits. Pretty soon I almost never talked to anyone on the phone anymore.

With broadband Internet and faster connections, the time-honored writer’s traditions of wasting time and avoiding writing became much easier as well. Now instead of chewing on pencils, starting out the window, or crumpling up paper, I am able to read gossip on any celebrity I want, stare at stupid jokes on Facebook, or check my email every five minutes. (I have done this.) For writers, sitting alone in their rooms for hours, the Internet is a very powerful, very deadly drug. User, beware.

Computers have made my life much easier in many ways. Or have they? In the past, “all” I had to do was write the books.* Now, I am not only writing the books,** but I’m also maintaining two websites, a Facebook page, a Twitter account, an Amazon page, a Goodreads page, as well as posting on my own blog and this one, writing guest posts and interviews for other blogs, answering emails and snail mail, etc. etc. Sometimes I wonder how I find time for writing.***

One thing hasn’t changed: writing**** still takes a lot of time, thought and work. Would I rather be typing and retyping, printing out copies, and making changes by hand? Would I rather be tweeting, updating, liking, blogging, and posting?  Check out my next blog post or tweet for the answer.

*Hardest work I’ve ever done in my life.

**Very, very hard work.

***Did I mention how hard it is?

****Hard.

Max typing/ photo by Anne MazerEllen Potter: Writing Before and After (Baby)

When I was pregnant, more seasoned mothers congratulated me heartily and asked me all the usual due date, gender, and name questions. Then they asked what my plans were for work after the baby was born.

 “I’ll just write when the baby naps,” I told them breezily.

That’s when their smiles faltered.  “Good for you,” they said uneasily, as though I’d told them that I was planning to march into the Oval Office and serve up my solution to the financial crisis. All things considered, that might have been easier than writing with an infant.

Here are just a few things that motherhood has given me: 

1. A swift kick in the Alps

Before motherhood, time was as free as air. I was frolicking through my day like Heidi in the Swiss Alps. Then came the wee one. Suddenly, time was a precious commodity.  And yet, I found I was able to write more in less time. How does that work?! I think I was fueled by sheer terror of not being able to meet my deadline. It was very eye-opening. Now I know that I actually don’t need oodles of hours to wait for the Muse to whisper in my ear. Or maybe the Muse is also a mother and puts us writer-moms on the top of her To Do list. 

 2. A distaste for blood and gore.

 No, I’m not talking about childbirth.

Before having my son I could write about anything without flinching. My short stories (for grownups) poked around at some pretty grim stuff.  But along with motherhood came a sudden distaste for fictional violence. My heart was tenderized. Even though the bad guy totally deserved to be whacked in the head with a crowbar, he was somebody’s kid, wasn’t he?  And what about his poor mom? Suddenly I couldn’t bear to write about anything bloody or violent. And I deleted Quentin Tarantino movies from my Netflix Queue.

 3. A sense of Poospective. I mean perspective. 

So there I was, driving to New York on my way to meet a Hollywood producer who had just optioned the film rights for one of my books. I was feeling like hot stuff.  I had taken along my husband and infant son because I was still nursing. Just as we’re parking and getting ready to meet the producer, my husband uttered the dreaded words:

“Do you smell something?”

Oh yeah. Diaper blowout. It was as though my son wanted to remind me who was really running this show. A Hollywood producer? Au contraire, Mommy. Think again. All bow down to the power of the poo!

And for the record, it’s impossible to feel like hot stuff when you are wrist-deep in . . . well, hot stuff. 

Best Writing Advice We've Ever Gotten

Last week, we posted the worst. Now here's some of the best! - Anne and Ellen

Ellen Potter

1. Some of the best writing advice I’ve heard came from a friend of mine who is a New York City Police Officer. Although he’s seen plenty of crazy situations, and has stared down the wrong end of a gun more than once, when people ask him what it’s like to be a cop, he usually shrugs and says, “Eh. It’s just a job.”

 I like that. I think that’s a healthy way to look at being a writer too. It’s easy to make a fetish out of writing (i.e., “I can only write after I light 12 patchouli-scented candles and have a chiropractic adjustment.” Or, more commonly, “I can only write when I feel inspired.”). Writing is just a job. A challenging, glorious, gut-wrenching job, but a job nonetheless. You don’t need to be a Sensitive Genius in order to be a writer. In fact, it’s probably better if you aren’t. You just need to be insanely persistent. You need to show up for work every day, even if you sometimes feel like you are staring down the wrong end of a gun.

2. Another great piece of writing advice came from Oscar. Oscar is a horse. I was taking riding lessons when I met Oscar. I am a fairly crummy rider. Oscar loved to take advantage of crummy riders. He knew he had a sucker on his back the moment I climbed on. He bolted then stopped short. I stayed on, but barely. That was just the beginning. He had all sorts of tricks designed to unnerve me. After five minutes of this, I told my instructor that I wanted to get off. Oscar had won, fair and square. But my instructor said, “If you get off now, you’ll always be intimidated by horses like Oscar. Imagine you have Velcro on your butt. Just stay put. ” After assuring me that Oscar was not going to kill me, I agreed to try again.  I imagined the Velcro. I stayed put. And after a while Oscar grew bored of his own shenanigans and began to play nice.

 Okay, the writing connection is this: When you feel completely stuck in your writing, when every cell in your body is telling you to give up, stay put. Don’t let it intimidate you. If you shy away this time, and tell yourself that you just don’t have the skills, talent, brains, or whatever, you are setting yourself up to admit defeat every time you hit a rough patch. Imagine that Velcro on your butt. And your butt on the seat. And Oscar . . . I mean your writing . . . will eventually settle down and begin to play nice.

Anne Mazer

 I wish I could say that my best writing advice came from a beloved teacher or mentor or friend. But oddly enough, it came from people with whom, to put it politely, I had very, very complicated relationships. Maybe their words sank in because I was always arguing with them in my head. Or maybe I disagreed with them so frequently, that the good advice really stood out. Who knows? Frankly, I have to grit my teeth to acknowledge that these people gave me good advice. No, not just good advice, it was great advice. Maybe even the best advice I ever got. Grrrrr….. 

1. “You never know what you can do. Don’t give up.” Never mind that the person who gave me this advice was always telling me what I couldn’t do. They were right on the mark with this little gem. It whistled into my ears, oozed into my bloodstream, and started circulating wildly in my brain. Every time I’ve ever gotten discouraged (which is a lot), I’ve thought of it. It gives me hope. And it’s true: no one, not even you, can predict what you might do next. You may have just written the worst chapter in the history of literature, but tomorrow, you could surprise everyone, including yourself, by writing something pretty darn decent. You’ll never know if you storm away from your story in a snit. There are surprises around every corner. Would you really want to miss out on one by quitting too soon?

2. "You’re a misfit in an office.”  When Person B delivered these words, I knew the game was up. For five years, I’d been working to perfect the role of secretary/administrative assistant. I had the suit, the make-up, the heels, and the hair. (Hard to believe for anyone who knows me now.) Not only that, but I had somehow learned to type, could scrawl a bit of shorthand, and was almost competent at taking phone messages. I was faking a lot of my job, and getting away with it, too. People were paying me a generous salary, and I hadn’t been fired yet. But Person B saw right through me; he knew I didn’t belong there. I could have gotten mad at his words, and maybe I did, a little. But then I surprised myself. (See Advice #1, above.)  The next words out of my mouth were: “I’ve always wanted to be a writer.”                  

And then I became one.  

I learned something invaluable that day. It’s okay to be yourself. In fact, it’s essential to be yourself. Don’t try to fake it, like I did, and turn yourself into someone who you aren’t. That’s a waste of your life. (Of course, we all have to do things we don’t like from time to time, but that’s different than trying to force yourself into a role that doesn’t suit you.)  Although I had limped along as a secretary for years (I have only pity for the people I worked for), when I became a writer, new and unexpected strengths appeared. Suddenly I was organized, committed and determined. I discovered that I could work hard and love it, that I could persist through failure, and that I could find my voice.

This advice also applies to writing itself. Don’t try to make yourself into Neil Gaiman, or Suzanne Collins, or Tamora Pierce, for example. They are wonderful writers and will inspire you. Read them, learn from them, but then find out who you are, as a person and a writer. It will take a lifetime, but I promise you won’t regret it. 

The Worst Writing Advice We've Ever Gotten

Ever gotten bad writing advice? We have. Honestly, we've had way more GOOD advice than bad, but we thought it would be fun - and enlightening - to look back at the clunkers. Here is the worst advice we've ever gotten. We were lucky enough not to take it. Read it and shudder! - Anne and Ellen

Ellen Potter

 1. Really, this one isn’t bad writing advice; it’s just plain bad advice, period. One of my college creative writing teachers advised us to walk in dangerous neighborhoods at night. She said that, “One can only feel genuine emotions when one is out of one’s comfort zone.”

That may be true, but I would also argue that being robbed and beaten to a pulp may interfere with one’s writing schedule.

Okay, okay. I’ll admit she does have a point about comfort zones. When you’re in them, your senses don’t have to operate on high alert. When you’re out of them, you tend to notice more, hear more, feel more, which can help you to produce good writing.

Personally, though, I’d rather get out of my comfort zone by pony trekking on the Yorkshire moors than getting mugged in a 7-Eleven parking lot.

2. And then there was this little gem, from that same professor: “If you can manage it, have a lousy childhood.”

 Apparently, feuding parents, severe corporal punishment, and frequent public humiliation are a surefire recipe for literary greatness. Actually, I understand her point. Early trauma can certainly help you understand peoples’ complicated, and often ugly, emotional and psychological  layers; but if a writer is perceptive and sensitive, I believe they can achieve the same results, and still have a Thanksgiving dinner that doesn’t end with a food fight and triple restraining orders.

 3. A while back, the rule of thumb for picture book writers was, “No one wants to read books with talking animals anymore.”

 Olivia the (talking) pig, Mo Willems’ (talking) elephant and (talking) pigeon, and Martha (the talking dog) have two words for that little piece of advice: “Um, Really?”

ANNE MAZER

Although I’ve received a lot of great writing advice over the years, here’s some really bad advice that I’m glad I didn’t listen to. It’s always good for a writer to have a streak of stubborn rebelliousness.

 1. “You can’t write that.”  I was shocked when a well-respected professional told me not to write a story I was committed to. I don’t remember her reasons, except that she disliked my idea, but I wrote the story anyway and published it. 

Conclusion: Even the best of writers can steer you wrong sometimes. Evaluate the advice you receive and make sure it serves you well.

2. “It’s been done before.” I made the mistake of telling my idea to someone who didn’t know much about writing or creativity. After he dismissed my idea, I went ahead and wrote my book, which was eventually published.

 Conclusion: Be careful whom you share your ideas with. Some people don’t understand the writing process. That doesn’t make them bad people; it means you shouldn’t confide your ideas in them.

3.  “It’s just a dream.” A well-intentioned friend, on hearing that I planned to become a writer, tried to talk me out of it. He thought that I lived in my head and didn’t have a good grip on reality. Fifty books later, I now have a (slightly) better grip on reality, and all that living in my head proved to be good for something, after all. 

Conclusion: Only you get to decide whether to pursue a dream or not. No one can predict what you can or can’t do. You have to find out for yourself.

 Okay, we've told you our writing horror stories. What about yours?