1. The word “that” can often be left out without changing the meaning of the sentence.
2. Don’t obsess over your word count. Write every day and your word count will take care of itself.
3. Writing is easy if you don’t put too much thought into it. Just get the words down and worry about editing later.
4. A rejection letter never killed anyone. It won’t kill you either. Neither will a thousand. Keep trying. It will make you a better writer.
5. Be very careful about killing your protagonist at the end. If you have no reason to do it other than you didn’t know how else to end the story, it will show.
6. Never open with a dream, a flashback, or a slice of life.
7. Don’t try to impress an editor with your vocabulary. They’ve seen it all and nine times out of ten, simpler is better.
8. Don’t get jealous of other writers’ achievements. You’re all on the same journey. They might be a few steps ahead of you, but you’ll catch up if you never give up.
9. There is no such thing as an overnight success. Every “overnight success” you can name had been writing for a decade before striking a hit.
10. Ignore advice you get on sites like these if you have a better way 🙂
Have more to add? Leave a comment!
