On Writing, Editing, and Telling the Truth

There is a lot of advice out there both new and experienced writers. But here are a few from the vantage point of someone who both writes and edits:

“Writing takes discipline and cutting things I want to write about makes me angry and sad.”

“Don’t try to do too much with a character… Rather than strain your readers’ credibility, you can work in interests and demonstrate caring by using short phrases and sentences that don’t take up a lot of time and don’t make your story sound unreal.”

“Don’t be afraid to go big… The author should have either dropped the reference or expanded it, and who wouldn’t enjoy a section on the woman’s wayward youth?”

“Writers quickly learn that writing is the easy part of what we do. Publishing and all that entails is the hard part.”

“A writer’s job is to push limits and challenge norms. Editors have to be the adult in the room.”

“Stereotypes are lies, they are libels against people. Because they gray out reality, they are boring and predictable. So yes, it is important to push back against stereotypes. I do that by telling the truth.”

“Don’t get discouraged… Write for yourself. Write the story you want to read. Write as if the fate of the world depends on it, yet remember that if you can’t laugh at the world, you’ll go insane.”

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