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21 Harsh But Eye-Opening Writing Tips From Great Authors
By Cody Delistraty, September 24th 2013
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A lot of people think they can write or paint or draw or sing or make movies or what-have-you, but having an artistic temperament doth not make
one an artist.
Even the great writers of our time have tried and failed and failed some more. Vladimir Nabokov received a harsh rejection letter from Knopf
upon submitting Lolita, which would later go on to sell fifty million copies. Sylvia Plath’s first rejection letter for The Bell Jar read, “There
certainly isn’t enough genuine talent for us to take notice.” Gertrude Stein received a cruel rejection letter that mocked her style. Marcel Proust’s
Swann’s Way earned him a sprawling rejection letter regarding the reasons he should simply give up writing all together. Tim Burton’s first
illustrated book, The Giant Zlig, got the thumbs down from Walt Disney Productions, and even Jack Kerouac’s perennial On the Road received a
particularly blunt rejection letter that simply read, “I don’t dig this one at all.”
So even if you’re an utterly fantastic writer who will be remembered for decades forthcoming, you’ll still most likely receive a large dollop of
criticism, rejection, and perhaps even mockery before you get there. Having been through it all these great writers offer some writing tips without
pulling punches. After all, if a publishing house is going to tear into your manuscript you might as well be prepared.
×
3. 1. The first draft of everything is shit. -Ernest Hemingway
2. Never use jargon words like reconceptualize, demassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass. -David
Ogilvy
3. If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The
Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy. – Dorothy Parker
4. Notice how many of the Olympic athletes effusively thanked their mothers for their success? “She drove me to my practice at four in the
morning,” etc. Writing is not figure skating or skiing. Your mother will not make you a writer. My advice to any young person who wants to
write is: leave home. -Paul Theroux
5. I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide. — Harper
Lee
6. You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. ― Jack London
7. Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one
were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand. — George Orwell
8. There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are. ― W. Somerset Maugham
9. If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time — or the tools — to write. Simple as that. – Stephen King
10. 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. – Neil Gaiman
11. Imagine that you are dying. If you had a terminal disease would you finish this book? Why not? The thing that annoys this 10-weeks-to-live
self is the thing that is wrong with the book. So change it. Stop arguing with yourself. Change it. See? Easy. And no one had to die. – Anne
Enright
12. If writing seems hard, it’s because it is hard. It’s one of the hardest things people do. – William Zinsser
13. Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing.
All they do is show you’ve been to college. – Kurt Vonnegut
14. Prose is architecture, not interior decoration. – Ernest Hemingway
15. Write drunk, edit sober. – Ernest Hemingway
16. Get through a draft as quickly as possible. Hard to know the shape of the thing until you have a draft. Literally, when I wrote the last page of
my first draft of Lincoln’s Melancholy I thought, Oh, shit, now I get the shape of this. But I had wasted years, literally years, writing and re-
writing the first third to first half. The old writer’s rule applies: Have the courage to write badly. – Joshua Wolf Shenk
17. Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. – Mark
Twain
18. Start telling the stories that only you can tell, because there’ll always be better writers than you and there’ll always be smarter writers than
you. There will always be people who are much better at doing this or doing that — but you are the only you. ― Neil Gaiman
19. Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative. – Oscar Wilde
20. You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you. ― Ray Bradbury
21. Don’t take anyone’s writing advice too seriously. – Lev Grossman
image – christine zenino
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• Reply •
do you ever yearn for the soft • 2 months ago
kurts advice is needlessly cruel so im gonna double down on semi
colons, thanks
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• Reply •
Sjaak • a year ago
Rule 16 is not a quote by hemingway, he wrote from dawn till noon and
did not drink while he was writing.
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• Reply •
Sjaak • a year ago> Sjaak
I meant 15
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• Reply •
Logical Nerds • a year ago
Some are really cool tips for newbie writers.
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• Reply •
Andrew • 2 years ago
Very inspirational quotes! I mostly liked ones that told by Stephen King.
He is my favorite author ever!
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R l
OrchardWriting • 2 years ago
Hemingway's bit about prose being architecture not interior decorating
is true as is Zinsser's that writing is hard. It is. Living life as a writer is
also hard.
I also have a book to help writers that avoids (like the plague) stale,
redundant, and cliche writing advice. It’s called A Writer’s Homeschool
MFA: An Informal Guide to Writing and Living a Writer’s Life. Available
on Kindle.
Recommend 15
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12. • Reply •△ ▽
• Reply •
Ranjit K Sharma • 2 years ago
I am tempted to take advice #21 damn (very!) seriously!
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• Reply •
Marty McConnell • 2 years ago
I'm down with #17, great advice. hehe. I use a lot of these quotes to
end chapters in my writing motivation book.
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• Reply •
Andy McBride • 3 years ago
Good list, terrible title.
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• Reply •
Miss Cellany • 3 years ago
Haha I love this list, some of the items made me laugh out loud and
others were thought provoking. Good stuff :)
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• Reply •
Daniel • 3 years ago
Hello Cody, awesome job! For any of you aspiring writers out there, if
you're looking to perfect your craft while earning some cash, I’m
currently looking to expand my team.
Payment is between $0.01-$0.02 per word and projects range from
articles/pages to product descriptions, whole websites, etc. To apply,
send a couple of your best samples and/or links to danielcolisnicencu
@ growupproper . com (no spaces).
If you’re unwilling to work for this rate, you can apply anyway, and if
you’re good, I’ll keep you in mind for when I find some better paying
clients. Any questions you may have, you can send them along with
your email.
△ ▽
• Reply •
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△ ▽
• Reply •
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△ ▽
• Reply •
Robintvale • 3 years ago
I disagree with "First drafts are shit" They are not shit they are just very
raw, green, and the writer doesn't know their characters or world yet.
First drafs are like a naughty three year old, they are young and have a
long way to go. First drafts need lots of hard work, determination and
love. :)
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13. • Reply •
Miss Cellany • 3 years ago> Robintvale
In other words, they're shit :P
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• Reply •
Matej Valuch • 3 years ago
The most important thing is to be yourself.
People who like Hemingway's style and jargon will go for his books, not
for yours. If you imitate the others, you won't make it far in the industry.
So forget all these tips, focus on the writing with all your heart and soul,
and let your creative mind do the magic ;).
Matej, author of the University of Solitude
1 △ ▽
• Reply •
Robintvale • 3 years ago> Matej Valuch
Yes Yes! It takes time to grow, let the imagination go wild. :)
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• Reply •
Syed Irfan Ajmal • 4 years ago
I absolutely enjoyed all the tips but the first tip is my favorite! I have
started to write my first draft without stopping for editing it for googling
something. I just do my free writing, then take a break, and then start
editing. I am able to finish my articles at a much faster rate in this
manner, though I still have a long way to go :) I want to be able to write
at least a few thousand words each day. Wish me luck :)
1 △ ▽
• Reply •
Robintvale • 3 years ago • edited> Syed Irfan Ajmal
It doesn't matter how many you write or if you write each day,
but that you never stop. <3
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• Reply •
kim jang ni • 4 years ago
Its beautiful really how many authors have given me the courage to be
shit and feel shit about my writing. #1 <3 Reminds me of Anne Lamott's
book - Bird by Bird (1994).
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• Reply •
Vergielyn Cubol • 4 years ago
#21 . . . that's beautiful
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• Reply •
Tim Uhr • 4 years ago • edited
I don't want wrong advice I'm just looking for some write advice,
seriously.
1 △ ▽
• Reply •
Vergielyn Cubol • 4 years ago> Tim Uhr
Write - - pun intended, RIGHT?
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• Reply •
Gwen K. • 5 years ago • edited
I keep editing and re-editing the first third of my novel to figure out its
shape. It's holding me back. I didn't know other people did that too.
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14. • Reply •
Hakurei06 • 5 years ago> Guest
maybe even literally *beaks out the grappa*
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• Reply •
Tobi • 5 years ago
Perfect.
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• Reply •
Erika • 5 years ago
the last one did it for me.
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• Reply •
Carrie C • 5 years ago
Ha, harsh but funny (and real) advice that most don't want to hear, but
the truth will only help you succeed. I'll have to "G" rate these and
share on our Speaking Of Wealth Show where we talk to several
successful authors, they will love it! :)
△ ▽
• Reply •
Ramsey Campbell • 5 years ago
One trick I've learned in more than half a century of writing - always
compose at least the first sentence in your head before you sit down to
write.
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• Reply •
BenjReed • 5 years ago
#15 is apocryphal. “Write drunk, edit sober” is often attributed to
Hemingway, but there’s no original source or citation. Hemingway often
drank, and often to excess, but by his own admission he did not do so
while he wrote. Apparently, sometimes he’d drink a beer or two as he
was nearing the end of a day’s work, but that was about it. I don't recall
where I read that, but I believe it was in reference to his later years. As
always, the mythology has dwarfed the man.
There's an indication going around the innernuts that this “quote” is
probably a synthesis of some lines from Reuben, Reuben, a 1964 novel
by Peter De Vries (242). The character who speaks them is based
on Dylan Thomas, not Hem.
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• Reply •
Sunny • 5 years ago> BenjReed
The quote “Write drunk, edit sober”, is not to be taken literally.
1 △ ▽
• Reply •
Robert Misner • 5 years ago
You have to take Hemingway's advice with a grain of salt. He regularly
screwed with young writers. He was sick of being asked what the
secret to writing was and started making stuff up. He convinced a lot of
people that they needed to stand up to write effectively.
People were putting their typewriters on shelves, man. On shelves.
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• Reply •
DJ CC • 5 years ago
This is so on point, especially #5. Thanks for this, Cody! :)
△ ▽
Ann Hite Kemp • 5 years ago
After my 20th book I agree to every word A writer must know his or
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15. • Reply •
After my 20th book, I agree to every word. A writer must know his or
her ABC. Apply Bottom to Chair! Hard work with little compensation.
6 △ ▽
• Reply •
Daniel Figueroa • 6 years ago
#22 Check your sources before you embarrass yourself on the internet
by attributing quotes to people who never said them.
8 △ ▽
• Reply •
Joshua_Bodwell • 6 years ago
Cody: Could you please provide the source for the quote "Write drunk,
edit sober," which you attribute to Hemingway?
△ ▽
• Reply •
Matt West • 5 years ago> Joshua_Bodwell
I thought that was a Twain quote, but regardless, I'm sure its
something Hemingway would have agreed with.
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• Reply •
Hammer • 6 years ago
If you think those are "harsh" writing tips, I'd recommend revisiting #5.
While I've always found much common ground with Vonnegut, our
views on the semicolon might just be the most agreement I've found
with him to date.
1 △ ▽
• Reply •
nox13 • 6 years ago
Semicolons are like my security blanket. Hands down that will be the
hardest habit to break.
2 △ ▽
• Reply •
Jayson Flores • 6 years ago
I know I'm WAY late, but this is amazing. Great advice! Exactly what I
needed. :)
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• Reply •
Jae Awkins • 6 years ago
#17 - gotta love Mark Twain! ;o]
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• Reply •
Lee Rowan • 6 years ago
The last is the most important, of course.
1 △ ▽
• Reply •
Kevin Andrew Woolsey • 6 years ago
Great writing talks about real people, real places and real things.
⛺
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• Reply •
A • 6 years ago
I was online for about an two hours today, reading and bathing in these
and other quotes. Eventually, I said "Screw it!" and bought TFIOS,
because I know how profound John Green's writing style is.
I can't stop writing anymore...
2 △ ▽
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• Reply •
G • 6 years ago
Ooh, but 15, I've been informed, wasn't actually Hemingway, just
commonly mis-attributed!
4 △ ▽
essay writing forum • 6 years ago
All of the writing tips you gave are good. There are many important
features especially in implementing some strategies to help writers in
delivering their thoughts through writing.
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