When Writing The Next Great American Novel....

I stumbled across a NeuroTribes article written by Steve Siberman and thought I'd post it here. As anyone who's been following my blog for the last few months or so knows I'm in the process of writing two novels/novellas/short stories/whatevers, one of which is a fantasy-based story and the a story about three college friends and their romantic, religious and familial dramas.

Anywho, in this article 23 different authors offer practical tips for aspiring writers. Some of the tips only apply for those writing research-driven non-fiction books, but most of them can be applied no matter what type of book you're writing. The five pointers given by Cory Doctorow, author of With a Little Help, For the Win, Makers, and Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, was particularly helpful to me.

1. Write every day. Anything you do every day gets easier. If you’re insanely busy, make the amount that you write every day small (100 words? 250 words?) but do it every day.
2. Write even when the mood isn’t right. You can’t tell if what you’re writing is good or bad while you’re writing it.
3. Write when the book sucks and it isn’t going anywhere. Just keep writing. It doesn’t suck. Your conscious is having a panic attack because it doesn’t believe your subconscious knows what it’s doing.
4. Stop in the middle of a sentence, leaving a rough edge for you to start from the next day — that way, you can write three or five words without being “creative” and before you know it, you’re writing.
5. Write even when the world is chaotic. You don’t need a cigarette, silence, music, a comfortable chair, or inner peace to write. You just need ten minutes and a writing implement.