14th July 2016 | for Creatives | artist integrity, writing, reaching your audience, Gordon Lish |
"Wear your heart on the page, and people will read to find out how you solved being alive."
"Just write the stories you want to write. If you are writing about authentic characters, we (agents, then editors, then readers) will care."
"Even my publisher will say they just want more thrillers. That's what feeds my family. But I feel like if I did that, I wouldn't be being true to myself."
"Writers seeking to break in are often so concerned with sounding salable that they put it before craft. It's off-putting. The more the writer seems focused on selling, the less genuine the craft tends to be. Talk to me about your ideas, your characters, your worlds: That's how to excite me."
"There are too many people trying to sound like someone else. Be uniquely you, and your work will always find a home."
"Act like a pro and charge money for your words or build your audience on social media where the only one profiting from your awesomeness is you, not some super-wealthy media mogul that's too cheap to pay writers."
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