18 Writing Lessons to Carry Into 2018
By Natalia Sylvester | January 5, 2018 |
For the past 6 years on my blog, I’ve been writing an end-of-the-year list of life lessons learned. It occurred to me as I wrote 17 Things I Learned in 2017 that so often, many of my “life” lessons end up being writing lessons, and vice-versa. And then it occurred to me that these aren’t just lessons to look back on, but to carry forward. So whether you’re embarking on a new writing project this year, tackling an old one, or simply trying to find direction along this journey, here are 18 bits of advice for 2018.
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- I think I may have seen this on Instagram, but it rang so true I’ve written it on my planner: “Progress, not perfection.”
- When you think of your audience, don’t think about who’ll buy your book. Think of who will read it as if it’s the greatest gift.
- During a poetry reading by Ocean Vuong, someone asked him where the violence in his poetry comes from. He calmly answered, “It’s in me. It’s in you.” Whatever we’re writing about, we cannot expect to fully examine in it unless we’re willing to look inward. If we’re only looking outward, we are taking the role of spectator, not writer.
- From ire’ne lara silva, on writing younger characters and struggling with backstory, with how to weave in history: “Young people don’t have history. They discover it.”
- From Achy Obejas, during Las Dos Brujas Writers’ Workshops: “Don’t write happiness, write the promise of it.”
- Also from Achy Obejas, “Failure is when character is revealed.”
- From Cristina García (also during Las Dos Brujas Writers’ Workshops, where I clearly learned so much!), “Texture and specificity in every detail allow us to enter a story. The generic keeps its distance; the specific invites you in.”
- Also from Cristina García, “Let pleasure and obsessions be your guides to what you write. Be daring, write the stories no one can write but you. Writing should be a constant festivity of questioning.”
- Do not fear flaws. In fact, dive into them. A character’s greatest flaw holds the key to what will be their downfall, what will be the decision or action or mistake that unravels them (and thus, your plot).
- While teaching a class on finding the heart of your story, I discovered the heart has much to show us about writing: When you’re looking at the big picture, look closer. When you’re looking close, step back. Do this over and over—expand, and contract, like a heart.
- From Matthew Salesses, on revision: “Cut the opening paragraph. Cut the last paragraph. Do that for each scene. Now rewrite the ones that have to be there, let the rest die.”
- From Daniel José Older, on deep listening and understanding your position in the realm of power, “Power always has to be a part of your thought process…not just your opinion, but where you are placed? What power do you have, what power don’t you have?”
- I wish I knew where I heard this. It is on a note in my phone, attributed to someone named Charlie: “Art is not getting what you want. Art is getting what art decides to give you.”
- From Lance Rubin, “Look, we’re all figuring it out. Every book, every creative endeavor, is a new challenge, a new education, so be open to the process, open to failing, but also stay focused and stay organized and be kind to yourself.”
- Worth repeating: be kind to yourself.
- But also, be honest. One of the hardest but most important things to learn is the difference between needing to step away from the page and avoiding it out of fear.
- If this post has not made it clear: listen and learn from others. We can never have too many teachers.
- A quote from my new day planner, which is just perfect: “And suddenly you know it’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”
What are some lessons or pieces of advice you’re carrying with you into 2018?
[coffee]
Born in Lima, Peru, Natalia Sylvester came to the U.S. at age four. A former magazine editor, Natalia now works as a freelance writer in Austin, Texas and is a faculty member of the low-res MFA program at Regis University. Her articles have appeared in Latina Magazine, Writer’s Digest, The Writer, and NBCLatino.com. She is the author of Chasing the Sun, named the Best Debut Book of 2014 by Latinidad and chosen as a Book of the Month by the National Latino Book Club. Her second novel, Everyone Knows You Go Home, is forthcoming from Little A in 2018.
Of your list, 5. is my favorite. Happiness is the earned result of my writing.
I would add: When someone tells you how to write, what she really means is how she writes.
But ‘How to do X’ posts and books get read at a much higher rate than ‘How I do X’ ones.
Writers, especially new ones, want to be told what to do. They want certainty. There isn’t any.
It’s also helpful to find out which end of the plotter/pantser spectrum you are on (or near), and to figure out where the writing books you read are on this spectrum. I spent many confused years trying to write like Lawrence Block (Telling Lies for Fun and Profit), a dedicated pantser, before I figured out that his advice was some of the worst possible – for me. Me, I’m as far toward the plotter end as you can be. Usable stuff does not spring from my forehead fully formed.
In the world of dance, I don’t want spontaneous; I want the near-perfection that only comes from years of practice. In what I read, I don’t want what someone tossed off, but what they made look effortless only by huge effort. I can tell. The way I write is a lot of work. So? I figure that’s my job.
Absolutely! That’s a great point and one of my favorite pieces of writing advice: advice is just that, not a rule.
Hey Natalia – Thanks for the boatload of wisdom. I’m particularly struck by the gem from the mysterious Charlie (lucky #13). I think it strikes me more this year than any other. I could never have imagined the gifts an artistic life has bestowed, and those I had forecasted beforehand were misguided. (An example: I never would’ve predicted the friendships – the bonds forged with other artists. So thanks for being such a big part of that, WU.)
As for my advice for myself for ’18, I had a dream the other night that I’d been told I only had four years to live. In the dream, my first immediate issue with that? Getting my work done (two more editions of my series-in-progress, and rewriting a previous trilogy).
I woke feeling a renewed urgency that’s stayed with me even since I realized it was only a dream. There was nothing in there about finding the right publisher, finding readers, promoting, or any other aspect of this gig. So, for me, a big part of the dream’s lesson is that nothing is more important than the work itself.
Thanks again. Happy new writing year.
Vaughn, this is so true! I also could not have imagined the gifts that creativity would bring to me, friendships, and I’ll add a sense of curiosity about how people work, a fascination with moments, and whence they came. –I’m really struck by your dream. Wow!
Vaughn,
Your dream reminded me of a quote I used to have posted in my bookstore (I had framed quotes all over the store). It seems someone once asked Isaac Asimov what he would do if he was told he had only a month to live. He answered, “Type faster.”
Vaughn, your dream sounds like a revelation. I’m so glad it’s helped renew your clarity on writing and the work.
No. 2 strikes me straight and goes deep: “Think of who will read [my book] as if it’s the greatest gift.” That immediately fires up my inspiration to make a splendid wonderful book. Natalia, thanks for this excellent list!
That makes me so happy that it fired you up, Anna! Happy writing!
Hi Natalia! Today, 9 & 10 are really speaking to me. That heart analogy is priceless, and oh so true, and leads to my protagonist’s flaw in my WIP in a way I haven’t previously been able to articulate: she stands too close, and her inability to step back and see a bigger picture is her weak spot. THANK YOU!!! Gotta go hone this in my WIP. Bye!
Oh, nothing makes me happier! So happy this list helped you understand your protagonist better. Those moment are so energizing!
Thanks for sharing your writing/life lessons. Last year was such a year of growth for me, I’m going to continue being open to learning from unexpected teachers. Happy New Year, Natalia!
Happy New Year to you as well, Vijaya!
Number 10 resonates with me. To move in or step back the beat of a heart.
This year I’m going to trust my heart and gut way more than I ever have. It’s time for their objectivity.
Thank you.
So important to trust your instincts in this process, Bernadette. Best of luck with your writing this year!
What a lovely list!
Thank you, Jennie!
I love lists (yes, I’m one of those people), and this one is a keeper.
As I just started a new mg story, number 4 was very helpful. Trying to sketch the backstories for my young protagonists has been a struggle–they’re either unrealistic or boring. Now I see why (forehead slap)–I’ve been trying to write something that barely exists for children. Thanks! I’m looking forward to writing about what they discover.
I’m huge into lists, too (obviously, ha!). I’m so glad #4 helped you. The writer who gave me this advice did so because I was telling her how I was struggling with the same exact thing you’re struggling with!
I’ve been at this writing dodge for twenty-plus years, and every so often I’m blessed to find something — like this list — that makes it all feel fresh and exciting. More than a few of these will find their way to my own list of inspiring quotes. Thanks for sharing them, Natalia.
Thank you, Christine. To make the writing fresh and exciting…I’m so happy to have helped in some small way!
Some of those quotes are very poignant to me. I’m a beginning novel storyteller. I’m going to put them on my wall at my desk. Thank you so much.
Great list. The two that resonated the most:
“Progress, not perfection.” Something I’m specifically tackling in 2018, not only in writing but drawing and painting. It’s ridiculous to stop myself before I start for fear the work won’t be perfect. Yet its an insane ongoing battle.
“Texture and specificity in every detail allow us to enter a story. The generic keeps its distance” — this is an area I need to work on.
I’ve been struggling with number one as well, thinking so often in terms of word count, but not progress. It’s been helpful to reframe this.
These are all lovely notes to live by as a writer. They make me want to get to writing…once the other work is done.
I love these, Natalia! These two back to back are things I need to remember: “Don’t write happiness, write the promise of it.”
Also from Achy Obejas, “Failure is when character is revealed.”
Thank you!! Happy New Year!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this post, Natalia!
I love #2 so deeply, and I am working hard to embrace #1, always.
I don’t know if this is a lesson, per se, but my goal for 2018 is to develop a habit of finishing.