Ten essential writing tips that will elevate your practice and craft

Writing quotes and tips to support your creative voice

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Hi y’all,

If you’re anything like me, you love gathering writing tips to further your craft. I have pages upon pages of underlined quotes, documents filled with excerpts, and annotated books by authors who share writing tips to support your journey. I wanted to share my top ten favorites with you. I hope they speak to you today and encourage you where you are in your writing journey. Feel free to write them down somewhere you can see them often when putting pen to page.

1. Write regularly to develop your writing muscles.

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” — Louis L’ Amour

2. Write from emotional and sensory expression.

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” —Robert Frost

3. Write with risk and vulnerability.

“If something inside of you is real, we will probably find it interesting, and it will probably be universal. So, you must risk placing real emotion at the center of your work. Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write toward vulnerability. Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you’re a writer, you have a moral obligation to do this. And it is a revolutionary act—truth is always subversive.” ― Anne Lamott



4. Write what you want to read.

“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison



5. Write one word, paragraph, and page at a time.

“When asked, "How do you write?" I invariably answer, "One word at a time," and the answer is invariably dismissed. But that is all it is. It sounds too simple to be true, but consider the Great Wall of China, if you will: one stone at a time, man. That's all. One stone at a time. But I've read you can see that motherfucker from space without a telescope.” ― Stephen King

6. Read to awaken inspiration.

“You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.” ― Annie Proulx

7. If you don’t know where to start, begin with your childhood.

“Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days.”
― Flannery O'Connor

8. Show, don’t tell/paint with words.

“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” - Anton Chekov



9. Act like you are a writer.

“There’s a great expression in Twelve Step programs: Act as if. Act as if you’re a writer. Sit down and begin. Act as if you might just create something beautiful, and by beautiful I mean something authentic and universal. Don’t wait for anybody to tell you it’s okay. Take that shimmer and show us our humanity. That’s your job.” ― Dani Shapiro

10. Embrace your inner poet.

 “Always be a poet, even in prose.” - Charles Baudelaire

I hope these quotes and writing tips served you today. Let me know in the comments which were your favorite, and feel free to share your other favorite writing tips! Sending you lots of love as you create today.

Love, Megan

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