Have as Many Experiences as Possible

29th June 2016 | for Creatives | novel writing, writing, Garth Stein, artists must EXPERIENCE, the creative life  |       

"I'm a big fan of telling young writers to take all the detours they possibly can, both in life and in writing.  Those detours are going to lead you to where you need to be.  If someone says, 'How would you like to spend two years working in the Czech Republic for the state department?,' you should do that.  You can always get back to your novel.  You need to have as many experiences as possible."

— Garth Stein

Similar for Creatives

Fight for Your Dreams

"You've got to go, 'No, I can't come into work on the weekends—[that's] when I work on my novel.' ... People deserve those dreams, and they have to fight for them.  You don't want to be at the end of your life and go, 'I met all the obligations people had for me.'"

Write What You Want

"The biggest for me [by self-publishing] is the freedom to write what I want when I want.  I can jump genres and write several novels a year. Traditional publishing is much too restrictive. I don't want to pump out the same book over and over. I want to challenge myself and produce the work that I feel is missing from the marketplace."

How to Live

"It is impossible for me to separate this question [of the most important thing I've learned about writing] from the bigger ones about how to live."

That's Who You Are

"No matter where you are in your career, whether you're published, unpublished or just starting out, walk through the world as a writer.  That's who you are, and that's what you want to be, and don't take any guff off anybody."

Join my mailing list!

Don't miss a single, riveting word! Be the first to hear of new releases, special promotions, and other news and nifty things...