As Ive mentioned earlier, one of my favourite parts of a school visit is the Q&A session with students. In addition to being asked about pinball machines in my office, Im often asked to give advice to young writers.
My answer involves the usual tips: write everyday, always carry a notebook and pen and dont listen to the internal editor. This morning, via Inkygirl, I found some more great writing tips for teens over at John Scalzis blog Whatever.
The post, 10 Things Teenage Writers Should Know About Writing, digs deeper than Im able to during a school visit, allowing it to explore more deeply the dilemmas faced by all teen writers (possibly all writers) at one time.
Tips 1 & 2 are my favourites:
1. The Bad News: Right Now, Your Writing Sucks.
2. The Good News: Its Okay That Your Writing Sucks Right Now.
If youre a teen writer or just a writer looking for some handy tips, check it out, because as Scalzi points out, we all write crap from time to time. Unlike Scalzi, Im not brave enough to post my bad writing online. Sorry.
