Week 6 Story Lab: Advice to Writers
For my story lab this week, I decided to look at Jon Winokur's "Advice to Writers" website.
The most fascinating advice I took from this website is Ken Kalfus' suggestion to simply, "turn off the f***ing router." I love his thoughts on the distractions of the internet and the level of originality it can take away from our own writing, and would agree that if you truly want to write something that is personal to you and that you're passionate about, the best place to start is within you and to avoid as many distractions as possible. I personally don't care much for the use of electronics, so I think that if I ever do commit myself to writing, ignoring the internet won't be a problem. Still great advice regardless, and I like the level of dedication he goes to, as he says to actually just turn off your router instead of just "don't use the internet".
I also liked Nina Sadowsky's thoughts on writer's block. She doesn't think it exists, which I found interesting. She acknowledges that sometimes the writing comes more slowly, but the idea of sitting around waiting for inspiration is a myth. She things the key to this is simply picking subjects which you are passionate about, and then the words flow much easier. Other interviewees stated that they often encountered this problem either when they were trying to force characters to do things they didn't want to do, or were thinking too much about a story. I like this idea of just letting things flow naturally and not trying to force a story, and I think I'll try this in my next portfolio entry.
Lastly, I liked Karma Brown's advice on the best thing she does to improve her writing, which is simply to read. I've heard other authors say this before, and it certainly makes sense that the more you read, the more of an affinity you'll have for doing what those authors do.
The most fascinating advice I took from this website is Ken Kalfus' suggestion to simply, "turn off the f***ing router." I love his thoughts on the distractions of the internet and the level of originality it can take away from our own writing, and would agree that if you truly want to write something that is personal to you and that you're passionate about, the best place to start is within you and to avoid as many distractions as possible. I personally don't care much for the use of electronics, so I think that if I ever do commit myself to writing, ignoring the internet won't be a problem. Still great advice regardless, and I like the level of dedication he goes to, as he says to actually just turn off your router instead of just "don't use the internet".
I also liked Nina Sadowsky's thoughts on writer's block. She doesn't think it exists, which I found interesting. She acknowledges that sometimes the writing comes more slowly, but the idea of sitting around waiting for inspiration is a myth. She things the key to this is simply picking subjects which you are passionate about, and then the words flow much easier. Other interviewees stated that they often encountered this problem either when they were trying to force characters to do things they didn't want to do, or were thinking too much about a story. I like this idea of just letting things flow naturally and not trying to force a story, and I think I'll try this in my next portfolio entry.
Lastly, I liked Karma Brown's advice on the best thing she does to improve her writing, which is simply to read. I've heard other authors say this before, and it certainly makes sense that the more you read, the more of an affinity you'll have for doing what those authors do.
Writing Advice from Charlie Brown
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