Today Clancy shares some of his best writing tips with us.
·
Don't be one of those people who just talk about being a writer... BE a
writer. Write something! And never give up --- never,
never, never, never.
·
My
advice to aspiring writers is to write as much as you can as regularly as you
can --- every day, ideally. Write because you want to write
rather than because you want to be a writer. Be original or don't bother.
·
Write
as you speak, and on the subjects that you know about.
·
Don't let anybody discourage you!
·
Read. Read. Read. Outline.
Outline. Outline. Write. Write. Write. Repeat. That's it!
·
Be grateful for every word you
can cut.
·
Do it because you must, because
you want to, need to, couldn't live with yourself otherwise. If you do it for
the fame and glory, you may fall hard on your face.
·
Write about what obsesses you.
·
Rejection is a speed bump, not a brick wall.
·
If writing is important to you,
you must be prepared to work hard at it, and simplify your life so that you can
give your art the time and energy it requires. You must be willing to take risks,
try new forms, grow with each thing you write. You must try to tell the truth
as best you are able.
·
You have to trust your gut, trust
your characters to take a story where it's going to go. Sometimes a story has a
life of its own, so let it breathe and develop.
·
Give it your best shot.
·
You
have to commit. A book is not just writing --- you
have to promote the book, read the contracts … seriously.
·
Your
agent does NOT know more than you do, and neither does your editor. I listen to
advice, but I don't always follow it. Back your gut feeling at all times. It’s
your baby.
·
Learn
all you can about the publishing industry which is currently in a state of
turmoil.
·
These
are the points I published in 'Kid Magazine' in the USA in February 2005. They
still apply.
* If you are
really serious about becoming a writer, try to write 2,000 words a day.
* Accept rejection as part of the journey.
* Seek criticism, swallow it, take it on board objectively and use it to
improve.
* Read similar work published by other writers ... learn, don’t copy.
* Find something you are passionate about and write passionately about
it.
* Revise, revise, revise ... don’t change things for the sake of change.
Alter your work to make it better.
* Never give up.
* Do not take yourself too seriously.
Clancy
Tucker
Thanks for sharing Clancy, there are some great tips there! Clancy Tucker writes a daily
blog that contains tips for emerging and aspiring writers, plus hosts guests
from around the world. These guests include a range from people from authors,
diplomats and illustrators as well as human rights lawyers and a whole heap
more.
To learn more about Clancy click on the links.www.clancytucker.blog.com
www.clancytucker.com.au
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