I refuse to kill my darlings. I might give them a makeover, or maybe a time-out, but I'll never kill them! I love Stephen King's book on writing but I don't have to buy every little thing he's selling there.
That said, it takes a lot of practice to know what to keep and what to trash. I worry that new writers will take that kind of advice literally and won't know what the heck they're supposed to do with that thing they've just written and have grown to love.
He is at the more abrupt end of advice! I lent a friend 'Bird by Bird' and 'On Writing' and suggested reading Anne Lamott first ... I really like her mentoring style. It is not a recipe (King is so "2000 words a day or you're dead to me"). Mind you, without King's phrase I don't have an 'all to clever for its own good' 100-word tale!
Yes, 'Bird by Bird' is a much better choice for new writers. It's affirmation and confirmation and big hugs when needed. She stops just short of 'anyone can do it', which is a good and honorable thing.
I refuse to kill my darlings. I might give them a makeover, or maybe a time-out, but I'll never kill them! I love Stephen King's book on writing but I don't have to buy every little thing he's selling there.
That said, it takes a lot of practice to know what to keep and what to trash. I worry that new writers will take that kind of advice literally and won't know what the heck they're supposed to do with that thing they've just written and have grown to love.
Throw it all out?? Really??
Well, no...not really.
He is at the more abrupt end of advice! I lent a friend 'Bird by Bird' and 'On Writing' and suggested reading Anne Lamott first ... I really like her mentoring style. It is not a recipe (King is so "2000 words a day or you're dead to me"). Mind you, without King's phrase I don't have an 'all to clever for its own good' 100-word tale!
Yes, 'Bird by Bird' is a much better choice for new writers. It's affirmation and confirmation and big hugs when needed. She stops just short of 'anyone can do it', which is a good and honorable thing.
And I love that she is all about writing for the pleasure of doing it, not for the aim of publication.
Yes! That may be her most important message.