Advice for Writers in Many Fields
Thursday, February 10, 2011 
Guest Post by Danica Davidson
Like many writers, I’ve often been asked to give advice, and sometimes the advice I give is what I’m still learning myself. As writers we are always learning: we learn about the craft, we learn about the business side of it if we choose, and we can learn about the lifestyle if we really want to be full-time writers.
There are some widely repeated pieces of general advice (like being told to read all the time) and very specific advice (like, perhaps, how to break into a certain market). The Guide to Literary Agents recently asked me to give seven pieces of writing advice, and left it about as open as that. Instead of getting bogged down with specific, I decided to give more general writing advice, because I thought it would be helpful to the most people.
The first bit of writing advice I gave, and I now give here, is to watch your thoughts. You have control over them, and you can also control how to react to what happens. Lots of writers get rejections and give up. Having control over your thoughts can help you overcome this. I’m not saying it’s easy, and I’m not saying I expect people to be able to do it 100% of the time, but it makes a difference.
I also stressed the importance of hard work. Writing doesn’t just happen. It takes commitment to get it all down on paper, especially if it’s a long book you’re working on. It also takes commitment to edit. Finishing a first draft doesn’t mean you’re done. Likewise, if you want to be a professional writer, writing needs to be more than a hobby. If you want it to be a hobby, that’s perfectly okay. But if you really want to go far professionally with it, you have to go above and beyond.
And if you really want to make it work, giving up is not an option. You have to pick yourself up and keep going. Another piece of advice for writers is to love writing. It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Even though writing can be hard, would you really be doing it if you didn’t love it? Sometimes we have to do other things too, like other jobs, and that happens. For instance, I’ve worked in the translation business by adapting Japanese books into English. But if we love writing, we go back to it.
Oftentimes the most useful advice can sound the simplest. Have good thoughts. Work hard. Don’t give up. Love the act of writing. Sometimes we keep seeking out other people’s advice when the answers are right here.
Danica Davidson is a professional freelance writer who is now actively seeking to publish a YA novel. She was interested in novels before freelance, and has been interviewed by the Los Angeles Times and featured on the Guide to Literary Agents about her novel-writing. She has also adapted Japanese books into English. Please check out her website www.danicadavidson.com or follow her on Twitter @DanicaDavidson.
Reader Comments (2)
"Watch your thoughts." I couldn't agree more, Danica. As they say, all things happen twice: first in your mind, the second in reality. Great post.
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