Ten rules for writing fiction… from authors who know

This fantastic Guardian article came out two years ago and I read it then and loved it. Recently, I took another look at it and wanted to link it from my blog.

After all, what aspiring writer can resist writing advice from the likes of Margaret Atwood (and her brilliant words of wisdom for writing on airplanes), Helen Dunmore, Anne Enright, and Jonathan Franzen?

The oddest advice? Maybe ‘Don’t have children’ from Richard Ford. Ummm, okay – good to know. I’m going to assume this was meant tongue-in-cheek…

I always love reading author interviews and often seek out their words of advice for aspiring authors. But, as these lists make clear, one author’s do is another’s don’t.

I’ve never been much of a believer of ‘ten rules’ (errr… except for the original ones, of course), be it dating rules, career advice, parenting tips (obviously not relevant for aspiring writers who have followed Mr. Ford’s advice),  or how to live your life.  In the end, you simply take from these lists what you want to and probably what you believe anyway.

Still, that doesn’t make them any less amusing to read and hopefully you can take something away from them. I, for one, will be taking two pencils with me on my next flight…

Enjoy!