Writing is a tedious task that is often more mentally demanding. It is a complex form of thinking where language is mobilized to give shape to ideas. Those who are proficient enough to comfortably communicate their ideas and insights through the written code are those who have been doing it for a long time. In this sense, writing is a skill whose development requires constant practice. It is through doing writing that we learn how to write effectively.
If you are stuck in the midst of a writing project or you find yourself always in search for excuses to avoid writing, Gainman’s tips will definitely help you out. These are practical tips from someone whose craft is writing. Stephen King also offers helpful writing tips which he included in his popular memoir : On Writing.
Gaiman’s 8 rules of writing as quoted in The Marginalian:
1. “Write
2. Put one word after another. Find the right word, put it down.
3. Finish what you’re writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.
4. Put it aside. Read it pretending you’ve never read it before. Show it to friends whose opinion you respect and who like the kind of thing that this is.
5. Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.
6. Fix it. Remember that, sooner or later, before it ever reaches perfection, you will have to let it go and move on and start to write the next thing. Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving.
7. Laugh at your own jokes.
8. The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you’re allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it’s definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I’m not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.”
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