Advice

"Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterward."--Robert Heinlein

My sister once called the analogous section of her site "The Blind Leading the Blind," and it's not inappropriate here. I am a neopro writer, and there are many wiser than I. Since I've been working toward writing since 3rd grade (which is a lousy time to decide what the goal of your life will be), someone else might as well benefit from my mistakes. As you probably know if you've been poking around this site, my "field of not-so-expertise" is sf/f, with a minor in freshman papers from a former job.

First and most importantly, write. Doing many of the things below will help hone your sense of writing, but if you're not writing, they won't get you anywhere.

Read others' advice. There are many sites on the web. Three good places to start are The Science Fiction Writers' Association, C.J. Cherryh's website and Holly Lisle's Forward Motion for Writers. See my writing links for others.

Read. I can't emphasize this enough. Read fiction you like and study the techniques your favorite authors use. Metaphor, long descriptive passages, short punchy prose, action, what-have-you. You lose innocence in this process; I find myself analyzing books as I (re)read them. Analyzing the magic of writing/reading does not make it less magical. It makes you more knowledgable. These are tools you want to develop.

My best example: David Feintuch's SEAFORT SAGA. Feintuch excels at planting information. I only noticed this on the second reading (and if you don't reread books, consider it; you can learn a lot). He slips in information naturally that becomes crucial later. It's artifice, but such nicely done artifice that I didn't realize it until later.

If you consider yourself a stylist or would like to nurture leanings in that direction, read poetry. My poetry interests are eclectic, ranging from T.S. Eliot to haiku (in translation), Scottish ballads to Sarah Teasdale...you get the picture. What should you read? That is, as ever, up to you. One suggestion: read poetry aloud if you can bring yourself to do it.

Read nonfiction. This also can't be emphasized enough. I don't mean just "how to write" books, though they can help. Caveat: Books on "mainstream" writing don't address some of the pitfalls peculiar to speculative fiction, and writers are such individual creatures, your mileage may vary greatly (that includes this site, of course).

I've read many sf/f novels that lost credibility because their linguistics (or insert field of knowledge X) was nonexistent. Sf/f readers tend to be well-educated; don't assume no one cares, or will notice. Chances are someone will. While you can't become an expert on every field, you can consult those who are, and try your best. I have some recommended books on nonfiction (arranged by category) if you're curious. Magazines include some fascinating stuff: Scientific Amercian and the ">MIT Technology Review have convinced me that much science fiction, including my own, is too conservative about technological breakthroughs from a plausibility-extrapolation standpoint.

Do your homework. Related to the above. Research may not help, but it rarely hurts. Some common pitfalls I've seen in sf/f include stories where...

...the author brandishes Cool New Technology without knowing jack about physics/chemistry/[insert relevant field] and didn't do enough research to fake it. (You are allowed one or two Big Premises, but they should be thoughtfully worked out, unless you're writing satire/parody/humor.)
...the author has taken knowledge of swordsmanship or other medieval weapons from Zorro movies and fantasy role-playing games (fun, but rarely accurate). I read one unpublished story in which human archers in a wood ran up to warhammer-wielding orcs (you can probably guess what computer game this was based on) and got butchered. Common sense should tell you that an archer would rather shoot/ambush people from a distance, not walk up to hulking warriors with melee weapons.
...horses run as smoothly as automobiles. I realize not everyone has the opportunity to take equitation, and I'm a lousy rider myself (I never learned to post at the trot). But you can read about horses or talk to "horsey" people. (This holds true for any human endeavor.)
...aliens are humans in funny suits. (I'm tempted to blame Star Trek, but television has limitations that writing doesn't.) Human cultures can be plenty "alien" to outsiders; talk to any anthropologist.
...characters regularly dodge lasers or anything that moves at/near the speed of light. The arcade game Virtual On features a mech/virtuaroid (Raiden) whose "lasers" have shadows and whose beams move at less than the speed of sound. What's acceptable in an arcade game is ludicrous in (serious) sf/f.
...any rip-off from Star Trek, Dungeons & Dragons, or any other copyrighted/trademarked world/story is included. (If you write fanfiction for a non-fanfiction-tolerant setting, for God's sake don't try to make money from it--the worst offense--and don't tell me about it.)

Do your other homework. You don't need to know the entire history of every market you submit to, but you should hit the web (Ralan.com is one good starting point for sf/f) or Writer's Market for guidelines, at minimum. Acquire and read a sample copy of potential markets; read them semi-regularly, if you can. If you find that one editor never seems to buy humor (and rails against it in their editorials), maybe that insane parody crossing Lord of the Rings with Play-doh and beanie-toys wants to go somewhere else. (No, I haven't written this one. I hate Play-doh. You're welcome to, though.)

Be persistent. Perseverance pays. If you're submitting professionally, don't expect a sale on the first try. I didn't make a sale until after a dozen rejections. After that, it took me another half dozen rejections to make the second sale. I made my third after a similar number of rejections. The fourth came after few rejections, but that's because I wasn't sending anything out, either. As for fanzines and semiprofessional markets, ~~I can't help you. I've never submitted to them~~. [Update: I finally checked my records and I lied. Which belongs to the next point--] A good policy is to aim high and work your way down. A good rule of thumb is only to submit to magazines that you read semi-regularly and enjoy. If you don't like the market, do you want your work appearing there?

Some writers will tell you that if you want to write, you have to make time. I'd like to amend that that's only partly true if you're a student, because what you learn as a student will probably allow you to make money (i.e. get a job other than at McDonald's) and keep writing. You want to support your habit/hobby/calling in the long-term.

As Holly Lisle says in Forward Motion, you don't need a college degree to write. What you need is a job or alternate means of support. College may help with the job part but not with the writing part. I've had some great ideas while at Cornell and Stanford, but you can have great ideas anywhere--while doing the dishes or trying to keep your eight-month-old from eating your knee, for example.

Keep records. As the above point demonstrates, poor recordkeeping can be embarrassing; it may also result in you resubmitting stories to markets they've already visited, which is generally a no-no. I've used a notebook and a text-file in the past; I'm now using index cards. Use whatever you like; update it assiduously.

Learn discipline, especially if you want someday to write for a living. This is the hardest part, and it's related to, though not the same as, persistence. Can you face getting up in the morning and writing an average of 1000-2000 words every day? Writing freelance is difficult in that you have to resist the siren call of computer games, weblogging, football and your favorite soap operas long enough to get the writing done. Don't expect to have much intellectual capacity left after 2000 words or a major scene every day (different writers structure their goals differently); writing is work. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

You might say, "But I can only write when I'm inspired." Wrong. You only think you can write when you're inspired. If you're lucky, you're "inspired" often enough that you can produce stories/novels at a decent clip. Chances are you're not. If you were learning to play basketball or solve differential equations (the ones that have simple solutions, anyway), would you expect a day's practice every month to get you far? Writing, too, requires practice. The story you think is brilliant now may look awful in a year...but if you keep at it, the story you write next year may be something to be proud of.

A common fallacy is thinking that good ideas are hard to come by. Actually, ideas qua ideas may be the easiest part. It's knowing which ones you can develop interestingly, and knuckling down to do the writing, that's difficult.

I don't subscribe to the notion that writing is a matter of having talent or not, although I do think there's some innate ability involved, and that more of it makes it easier to improve. My suspicion is that most people can learn to write pretty good stories if they keep at it. Whether the returns are worth the effort is an individual decision.

On the flip side, don't be afraid to let something rest. If the darn novel isn't going anywhere, let it rest and work on something else. Better yet, have several projects going at the same time. (Preferably not to excess. Unlike me.) Coming back to a work-in-progress with a fresh perspective often lets you see what's going wrong.

This is the cure for "writer's block" that has works for me; this may not work for you. My problem is almost never writer's block. My problem is finding the energy to write after a week with inadequate sleep, a prelim next week, a paper due after that, and health problems. Or after a day up with the baby. Do you follow your Muse or your other obligations? That's something you'll have to decide. Please don't think it's an absolute either-or, though. Our child isn't even a year old yet and I've completed half a dozen short stories, with more in the works. Make time--scrimp from the housework, or write during lunch, or get up earlier (I refuse to do that last, but I manage). Be kind to yourself as you find ways that work for you.

As for Significant Others, I lucked out. My husband is not only supportive of my writing, but has strong gaming tendencies. On nights that he wants to go wargaming and I am not so inclined, I have some writing time. I did let him know early in the relationship that the fact of my writing was not negotiable. If you're serious about writing, be up-front about it. After that, I don't know what to tell you.

Have realistic expectations. You can't learn everything at once. It's rare for someone to sell a story with his/her first try, and for most writers, just as rare for a story to be "ready" after one draft. If it is, chances are it's the result of hours of hindbrain thinking. Others have said this, but it bears repeating: a rejection slip from your favorite magazine isn't rejecting you, it's rejecting the story. No, you're not worthless. Keep working. If you have any latent brilliance, it'll never emerge if you give up. At the same time, don't expect anyone to recognize that latent brilliance until you've done a lot of work.

Before anyone asks, no, your mom or your best friend isn't an objective judge of your work, unless they happen to be editors or both literary and fair-minded. I can't judge my sister's writing objectively, though I can comment on it to some extent. If you look at someone else's story and wonder why his crap made it into print instead of yours, well, life isn't fair. Live with it. Opinions differ. (To this day I despise Tess of the d'Urbervilles.) Besides, would you want to have crappy writing in print under your name?

Find willing and knowledgable readers, and listen to them. Both adjectives are significant. Readers who don't know the conventions of your chosen genre and aren't willing to learn are more detrimental than helpful. Even if the reader is willing to learn, be aware that they may not have enough background to realize whether or not something is appropriate or hackneyed within the genre. However, they may be able to help with other aspects of your writing. As to willing--believe me, being an unwilling reader is no fun. Other people have lives. Be considerate of those who help you.

A good reader can save you from making an idiot of yourself. Try to find out what a particular reader is good at. Some people are hawks on characterization, others on plot. Some people are no help telling you what they think about an existing draft (probably a tolerant reader), but might be good at helping you brainstorm on plot. (My husband falls into this category.) Some people only read fantasy, and so on. I've gotten a lot of help from a private critique group myself. If you're just starting out, one friendly online sf/f/h critique group is Critters.

Critique others' writing. I am convinced that this does more for your writing in the long run than receiving critiques. As you learn to recognize and (tactfully!) point out what other people are doing well or poorly, you will become able to see the strengths and flaws of your own writing more clearly. You'll also be exposed to techniques or experiments that you might never have thought of, thus expanding your own toolbox.

Learning to critique well takes time, but you'll move from "This was a really good story and the ending was perfect!" to "I found the pacing worked well, with the exception of the unnecessary scene from the villain's viewpoint, and the ending tied the redemption theme with the blood imagery satisfyingly." You start by recognizing what works and what doesn't, for you; eventually you will be able to explain why (or speculate on it) in increasing detail, and suggest possibilities for revision. If you have the opportunity to view others' critiques of the same work, you may find it valuable to see how their critiques compare to yours. Different readers focus on different aspects of a story, and see different things, so you can learn from parallel critiques.

I've written some notes on critiquing, if you're curious.

Re-assess your writing as often as your ego can take it. Don't be afraid of acknowledging your strengths (and playing to them), but be aware of weaknesses and work on them. (Characterization annoys the heck out of me.) Go back over past writing--yes, it can be embarrassing once the "I did it!" glow wears off, but it's instructive, too.

Don't sell your soul. I'm starting to think that this is tied for the most important one of all. I don't mean in a Paganini "selling your soul to the devil" sense. What I mean is your conscience.

In How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, Orson Scott Card notes that moral decay will show in your writing. (If I had my copy ready to hand, I'd give you the quote.) It's something I've thought about a lot, and I agree with the sentiment. In Writing, War...and Crayons I address some of the particular ethical concerns that I grapple with; yours will probably be different.

The idea is not that you feel guilty for writing, say, entertainment fiction. If the only thing you write is slapstick fantasy comedy, then do it, do it well, and do it in good conscience. (For the record, I'd give a lot to be able to write comic fiction. Yes, I've tried. Not to mention romantic plotlines.) Works by Pratchett, such as Mort and Jingo, touch on larger issues than the endless hilarity of his prose. And entertainment is itself valuable. Whatever you write, realize why you're writing, what you're writing about, and what your attempted message is (the reader may see something different from what you intended; that's part of the fun). You'll have to figure out your own goals and boundaries. I can't put it any more plainly than that.

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