A few weeks ago, I signed up for an open house at Gotham Writer’s Workshop. As a result, I was added to their email list and have been enjoying their newsletter. Today they featured 10 solid tips from author Zadie Smith, known for her brilliant books White Teeth, The Autograph Man, and On Beauty.
1.) When still a child, make sure you read a lot of books. Spend more time doing this than anything else.
Chances are if you’re reading this blog post, you aren’t a child but if you have children in your life in some way this is a great gift to pass on to them.
2.) When an adult, try to read your own work as a stranger would read it, or even better, as an enemy would.
Hard to be critic of our own work, especially if we love the piece, but this point is critical to being a good editor.
3.) Don’t romanticize your “vocation.” You can either write good sentences or you can’t. There is no “writer’s lifestyle.” All that matters is what you leave on the page.
This is my favorite tip in this list. Practical and straight-forward. And it made me realize that my life off the page is an important influence on my work.
4.) Avoid your weaknesses. But do this without telling yourself that the things you can’t do aren’t worth doing. Don’t mask self-doubt with contempt.
I’m a fan of playing to my strengths. Thank you, Marcus Buckingham.
5.) Leave a decent space of time between writing something and editing it.
I like my writing to sit for at least a day before I start editing.
6.) Avoid cliques, gangs, groups. The presence of a crowd won’t make your writing any better than it is.
I like that this puts us in charge of determining the value of our own writing.
7.) Work on a computer that is disconnected from the Internet.
For fiction writing, I totally agree. Blogging and news writing often require research and the internet is invaluable for that.
8.) Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it, even the people who are most important to you.
I love my writing nights after work, or having a whole weekend day to just write. Those nights and days are few and far between lately, but I’m hoping to get them back soon. I do write everyday, and it doesn’t seem daunting and doesn’t resemble a chore. It’s just what I do. Just like brushing my teeth.
9.) Don’t confuse honors with achievement.
Some of the very best writing I’ve read never won any kind of award, and it didn’t make one bit of difference in how much those pieces helped me.
10.) Tell the truth through whichever veil comes to hand—but tell it. Resign yourself to the lifelong sadness that comes from never being satisfied.
The truth takes on many forms, and appears in our lives, off the page and on the page, in so many different ways. Just take it as it comes, through moments of triumph and defeat. It’s all learning.
Looking for more cool tips from some of the best writers around? Check out Tips from Masters.
Christa Avampato 