Last week, I hosted a fun and engaging discussion about writing and publishing SF/F with about a dozen Harper Voyager authors under the hashtag #SFFchat. It was an absolute blast, and my fellow authors a lot to offer.
Some of the best remarks came when we were asked to share one piece of advice for aspiring SF/F authors. The responses were all diverse and informative, but I think it boiled down to four things. And I’m sharing them here, because this stuff is just too good to disappear into the ether of Twitter:
1. Above all things, write.
The first and most obvious piece of advice? A writer writes. If you want to do this, you have to put words on paper.
@DanKoboldt Write what you love, and keep doing it. The only way to fail is to stop. #SFFchat
— Auston Habershaw (@AustonHab) December 9, 2015
.@DanKoboldt There is no single correct way to write. Find what works for you. #SFFchat — John Ayliff (@johnayliff) December 9, 2015
keep writing. be weird. write what you want and damn the consequences. challenge yourself. be fearless. #sffchat https://t.co/NOr6acIv33
— Brooke Johnson (@brookenomicon) December 9, 2015
.@DanKoboldt Keep reading. Keep writing. Never think you can’t improve, because you always can. Be tenacious. Be brave. Have fun. #SFFchat — A.F.E. Smith (@afesmith) December 9, 2015
2. Finish what you write and keep going
Next up: stubborn persistence to keep writing, keep reading, and keep pushing to make your stamp on the publishing world.
.@DanKoboldt My advice: Stay stubborn. Writing & publishing’s hard at every stage. Doesn’t get easier, just changes. Fight on. #SFFchat
— Beth Cato (@BethCato) December 9, 2015
finishing that 1st novel. after that, working w/ a professional editor for the 1st time. i learned SO MUCH #SFFchat https://t.co/LKtubMUrVe
— Brooke Johnson (@brookenomicon) December 10, 2015
@DanKoboldt Be tenacious. With your own work and getting it out there. #SFFchat — Laura Bickle (@Laura_Bickle) December 9, 2015
3. Find Your Tribe
I’m biased here, but I think this one has been key to my own sanity: writers should find other like-minded creators, both to improve their craft and to have confidantes who get it.
.@DanKoboldt Finding other writers who could critique my work. #SFFchat
— John Ayliff (@johnayliff) December 10, 2015
.@Michelle4Laughs Yes, mine was landing great critique partners with strengths different than mine. #SFFchat — Dan Koboldt (@DanKoboldt) December 10, 2015
@mmhoffman14 Learn some basic marketing skills & follow people authors who are successful at it. #SFFchat — T. Frohock (@T_Frohock) December 10, 2015
@CasieBazay Plug into the writer community and learn all you can about querying, agents, publishers, etc. #SFFchat https://t.co/Y2bHdyWZWO
— Ingrid Seymour (@Ingrid_Seymour) December 10, 2015
@Michelle4Laughs @BethCato And my related advice: find friends & confidantes who are writers, get it, & will commiserate with you #SFFchat
— Dan Koboldt (@DanKoboldt) December 9, 2015
4. Believe in yourself and your words
Last but not least, writers need to have confidence and beliee in
You always have to believe in what you write – cliche but true #sffchat https://t.co/hYElNh7frU — Terry Newman (@adeadelf) December 9, 2015
Your writing has value. Don’t let people tell you otherwise. And yes, I’m including yourself in this. #SFFChat https://t.co/zYn66POlX7 — Lexie Dunne (@DunneWriting) December 9, 2015
@DanKoboldt Have more confidence in yourself. Rejection is not the end of the world. Keep writing and don’t give up! #SFFchat
— Kelley Grant (@kgrantwrites) December 10, 2015
In Summary
I think we can all agree that #SFFchat was an absolute blast. Thank you so much for everyone who came out! We’ll have to do this again sometime.
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