Writer’s Digest – Ask Our Authors

We’re starting a new feature at We Write Fantasy for our fellow authors & bloggers! Every other week we will ask our authors questions about the writing process. Today our writers share their favorite piece of writing advice below.

“To step back from the computer and pull out a pen and notebook when you get stuck.” -Sara C. Roethle, Author of The Tree of Ages Series

“Read as many books as you can, in every genre. You can learn from the bad books just as well as you can the good ones.” -Belle Malory, Author of The Twelfth Keeper

“Give yourself permission to suck when drafting. Writing is rewriting.” -Kate Avery Ellison, Author of The Frost Chronicles

“Something I learned from Dean Wesley Smith’s Writing Into the Dark book–the concept of “cycling.” I still outline some before writing, but I edit in chunks as I write. For example, I’ll write 2k, let it cool, come back to it the next day with a fresh mind, reread that section/tweak my words as needed, adjust my outline if needed, and keep writing the next section. This way, when I’m done writing, I’m DONE. I don’t have to go back and fix anything, because I’ve already fixed it.” -K.D. Jones, Author of A White So Red

“To let the process be fun. I think we all stress ourselves out over things that are not, in fact, the end of the world, and that can easily be corrected later. My first books were my favorite to write because I wasn’t worried about doing anything (everything) right. It was just telling the story, and there was so much enjoyment in it.” -Melissa Wright, Author of The Frey Saga

“There is no perfect formula for the perfect book. While you can try to write to market, you also need to write the book that’s true to you. Trends are constantly changing. Write about what you love, whether that’s paranormal alien shifters or medieval epic vampire slayers.” -Jennifer Silverwood, Author of Silver Hollow