Wanna be a writer? Author Anne Rice has one primary piece of advice for you.
WRITE.
Before you go off in a huff, hear Anne out. The video is a little over twelve minutes, but well worth it. I agree with a great deal of what she says here. There are two pieces of advice Anne gives that I absolutely love and will try to incorporate in my writing from this point on. There are a couple of ideas I don’t fully agree with. But, as she states more than once, “If what I say isn’t useful to you, then forget it.”
Trust me, you’ll find Anne’s advice useful. Watch and tell us what you think. What is your favorite piece of advice she gives? Is there something you disagree with?
Roxanne Ravenel (263 Posts)Roxanne is a freelance journalist and novelist living in North Carolina. Her alter ego, Reese Ryan, writes smart, spicy fiction populated by deliciously flawed, multicultural characters living in the Midwest and Southeast. Her debut novel, TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, will be published by Carina Press July 22, 2013. She is Managing Editor of the long-running e-zine, All Things Girl.
Roxanne Ravenel (263 Posts)Roxanne is a freelance journalist and novelist living in North Carolina. Her alter ego, Reese Ryan, writes smart, spicy fiction populated by deliciously flawed, multicultural characters living in the Midwest and Southeast. Her debut novel, TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, will be published by Carina Press July 22, 2013. She is Managing Editor of the long-running e-zine, All Things Girl.
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Rox – This was a FANTASTIC Storyteller Saturday! How inspirational! I’m going to borrow this same clip and talk about it on one of my Sunday Inspirations.
So many GREAT things…”go where the pain is…don’t be afraid of it – and go where the pleasure is!”
Man (woman), I’m gonna bookmark this.
Oh…btw…Monty’s waiting for you…
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Those were my favorite two pieces of advice, too. I love that you took Anne’s video and broke it down, reviewing the several tips she offered. Great job!
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I love that she encourages anyone who wants to write to DO IT! Ooo and never give up– don’t let rejections make you quit. So many writers give the doom n’ gloom “many try, few succeed” type of stuff. She’s refreshing!
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I found Anne’s advice very refreshing, too. She didn’t have that elitist attitude that some authors have about writing. Rather than trying to knock aspiring writers off the mountain she reaches down to give us a helping hand. I love it.
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Anne Rice is keeping it real in this video. Telling it like it is. And like you, Roxanne, I don’t agree with everything she says but her delivery in which she says it and her emphasis on “if it isn’t useful then don’t use,” is a powerful testament to her ability to tell writers that sometimes we have to look inside ourselves for the advice we seek, and stop relying on only other people’s advice.
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I love it when she says that writing to people like her for advice is sort of a waste of time. Her point: JUST WRITE.
I don’t agree that you should never listen to people who reject a manuscript, even if they offer detailed notes. I don’t think a manuscript should necessarily be edited b/c of advice from a single non-acquiring agent or editor. However, I believe you can learn a lot from those notes.
I know that a lot of writers will probably object to her saying there are no rules. I doubt that she’s advocating poor craft. Instead, she seems to be advocating that we don’t allow our stories to be bound by genre and other rules. As a genre-bending rulebreaker, that totally appeals to me.
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Encouraging words from Anne Rice and just what I need at the moment. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Welcome and thanks for your comment, Fi! I found Anne’s words very encouraging and motivating. So glad you did, too. She hit on many points I found applicable. I really want to work on going where the pain is. I think exploring those topics will add emotional weight to my stories and characters.
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