Andrew Cattanach
Booktopia
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John Purcell, The Booktopia Book Guru
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Haylee Nash
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Toni Whitmont
I had promised to post a new set of three authors offering writing tips every Friday evening but this is the second time in a row I have forgotten to do so. Hmmm… Maybe I should just promise to post every Saturday? Or even better, forgo the promise… I know what I’ll do.
New announcement: I have long thought the advice offered to aspiring writers in answer to question ten of my Ten Terrifying Questions deserved a vehicle of its own. Well, here it is. I shall post the advice of three very different writers every [mumble mumble]. Is that clear? Every [mumble mumble].
Bit of history: On March 1, 2010 I posted the first of the Ten Terrifying Questions author interviews. Since that date I have posted over 200 interviews with authors ranging from mega selling global stars like Jackie Collins and Lee Child to brilliant, relatively unknown debut authors such as Favel Parret and Rebecca James.
Q. What advice do you give aspiring writers?
MATTHEW REILLY
“Write what you yourself love to read. If you love poetry, don’t try to write a thriller because you think you’ll make money. Or if you like more cerebral works of fiction, don’t try to write a romance. Fans of those kinds of books can spot a fake in ten seconds flat (and writing the wrong kind of book will quickly become a chore, not a labour of love).
If you write what you enjoy reading yourself, not only will every writing session be a joy (I love sitting down at my computer and writing the biggest, baddest, most outrageous action stories I can think of), but readers will detect your enthusiasm and warm to your work. Money and glory are not the end goals of writing—appealing to those who like your kind of book is.”
Click here to buy Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves from Booktopia Australia’s No.1 Online Bookshop
SANDY THORNE
“To always carry a pad and biro, everywhere, plus keep a diary. To always put anything they write away in a drawer for at least a month, then read and edit it. To assess the time-wasting factors in your life, e.g. watching crap on t.v., verbal diarrhoea on the ‘phone, cut them out, and use that time to write. To only write about what you know about.”
Click here to buy Great Australian Old-Timers from Booktopia Australia’s No.1 Online Book Shop
LEAH GIARRATANO
“The inner critic is your worst enemy. Find the mute button, or you’ll always be thinking, ‘One day…’
One day is today.“
Click here to buy Watch The World Burn from Booktopia Australia’s No.1 Online Book Shop
For more advice from published writers go here
Filed under: Author Interview, Writing tips Tagged: | Advice for Writers, Authors, Books, Leah Giarratano, Matthew Reilly, Sandy Thorne, writing
