What are the 3 most important skills any writer must have?

[eyez0nme]

Also, name three generally sound advice you oppose and explain why.

 

[SevenWritez]

Three Most Important things:

-The will to write, to sacrifice your social life and your friendships (or put them on halt), in order to take a risk for something you are nto sure will turn out in your favor but know you want to seek it just the same. So...perserverence.

-Whatever the indivdual writer feels they need

-Etc.


I think the worst advice to give is on how to write, or what you need to write, even though I'm contradicting myself by already putting up three examples.

The worst load of bulshit I see is people who talk of "escaping reality," or something along the lines of that. I tell it to the people at my school who read my work, and when they see things that I have actually put effort into, they believe the whole "zoning out to write," thing that a lot of writers seem to say they have. Stephen King claims it too, but I think he was warning people in On Writing with the dual-quote at the begining, "Honesty is the best policy," followed by "Liar's Prosper."

I do go into a semi-trance, but I never have the whole ...reality falters, I escape and write, and then a sound breaks me out of my trance. I'm only saying it's dumb because I'm sure a lot of people are intimidated by that line, people who want to write but are jumping in for the first time. Writing is what YOU make of it, what YOU want it to be. There are general guidelines you need, yeah, but you don't need a manual guide. You need a heart, an ambition, and the will to try and improve in all areas you feel you lack.

That post was filled with contradictions (I feel it was, anyway), but the opening question has too many dual-answers, I think. So yeah, I'll re-say what I've already blabbed on about. Do what you feel you need to and write. The end.

 

[novella]

Three Most Important things:

-The will to write, to sacrifice your social life and your friendships (or put them on halt), in order to take a risk for something you are nto sure will turn out in your favor but know you want to seek it just the same. So...perserverence.

-Whatever the indivdual writer feels they need

-Etc.


I think the worst advice to give is on how to write, or what you need to write, even though I'm contradicting myself by already putting up three examples.

The worst load of bulshit I see is people who talk of "escaping reality," or something along the lines of that. I tell it to the people at my school who read my work, and when they see things that I have actually put effort into, they believe the whole "zoning out to write," thing that a lot of writers seem to say they have. Stephen King claims it too, but I think he was warning people in On Writing with the dual-quote at the begining, "Honesty is the best policy," followed by "Liar's Prosper."

I do go into a semi-trance, but I never have the whole ...reality falters, I escape and write, and then a sound breaks me out of my trance. I'm only saying it's dumb because I'm sure a lot of people are intimidated by that line, people who want to write but are jumping in for the first time. Writing is what YOU make of it, what YOU want it to be. There are general guidelines you need, yeah, but you don't need a manual guide. You need a heart, an ambition, and the will to try and improve in all areas you feel you lack.

That post was filled with contradictions (I feel it was, anyway), but the opening question has too many dual-answers, I think. So yeah, I'll re-say what I've already blabbed on about. Do what you feel you need to and write. The end.

See Harper Lee thread. That kind of day, innit?

 

[GreenKnight]

1. Fascination with people.
2. Love of language.
3. A built-in, shockproof sh*t-detector. (E. Hemingway).

Qualities rather than skills, perhaps...