On writing

i don’t think that we artists are capable of conjuring up work that is wholly original. we are a mirage of references. our work, especially as young writers, is often a mimicry of those who came before. the difference here though is when we consume work, we digest it until it mixes with everything else we’ve eaten, all of our own memories and fears... See more

it should feel like work rather than labor

— how I already feel about the matter;

— exactly the thought that popped into mind while the cursor was blinking;

— why I suddenly paused to think during writing;

— how I would say it to a friend;

— every doubt, emotion or personal opinion;

— and so on.

, we were supposed to make sure it had two things: an argument (“thesis”) and a reason to make that argument (“motive”). Everybody understood what a “thesis” is, whether or not they actually had one. But nobody understood “motive”. If I asked a student why they wrote the essay in front of them, they’d look at me funny. “Because I had to,” they’d... See more

What I really want to know is: why do you care? You could have spent your time knitting a pair of mittens or petting your cat or eating a whole tube of Pringles. Why did you do this instead? What kind of sicko closes the YouTube tab and types 10,000 words into a Google doc? What’s wrong with you? If you show me that—implicitly, explicitly, I don’t... See more

The more you incorporate everything that you love and that comes easily for you, your interests, your sense of humor, your grammatical tics, etc, the more your style emerges.

What is true, though, is that you should only write (or paint or photograph or act, etc.) if you love it. If you enjoy the act of creation. If you get satisfaction from wrestling with words and shaping sentences and producing paragraphs. If you do not enjoy it, don’t bother. There are many other things to do in life. And many easier ways to make a... See more

I think a lot of people are dismissive of their best thoughts. They can’t put their observations on paper because they’ve already censored them in their mind. They don’t have confidence that what they see is real, because to believe that it’s real requires them to believe that their understanding of the world is as valid as anyone else’s. Most... See more

A storyboard is like a map of your novel. It will document the beginning, middle, and ending of your novel. You can use this map to stay on course throughout your writing process.