Everything You Need to Know to be a Fiction Writer
Jeff VanderMeer • December 8th, 2010 @ 5:34 pm • Uncategorized
It’s all under the cut…
WORK HARD. PUT IN THE TIME. STOP GRIPING. IGNORE WHAT ANYONE ELSE IS DOING. READ A LOT. USE WHATEVER SCRAP OF TALENT GENETICS AND ENVIRONMENT GAVE YOU. DON’T STIFLE YOUR IMAGINATION. QUIT IF IT’S TOO TOUGH. WHO CARES IF YOU FAIL. THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHERS OUT THERE.
THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS.
THAT IS ALL.
December 8, 2010 at 5:39 pm
Truthier words have ne’er been spoken. Those who do not heed these words shall be consumed by an irate cephalopod.
December 8, 2010 at 5:42 pm
YES
December 8, 2010 at 5:51 pm
THIS. IS. IT. Thank you, Jeff!!
December 8, 2010 at 5:53 pm
Umm… Revise. Write the kind of book you would like to read. Make a second reading rewarding. ;)
December 8, 2010 at 5:54 pm
NO. NO. “WORK HARD. PUT IN THE TIME. STOP GRIPING. IGNORE WHAT ANYONE ELSE IS DOING. READ A LOT. USE WHATEVER SCRAP OF TALENT GENETICS AND ENVIRONMENT GAVE YOU. DON’T STIFLE YOUR IMAGINATION. QUIT IF IT’S TOO TOUGH. WHO CARES IF YOU FAIL. THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHERS OUT THERE. THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS.”
FULL STOP.
December 8, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Truer words were never written.
December 8, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Oh yes.
December 8, 2010 at 7:03 pm
I CARE IF I FAIL.
I WILL NOT FAIL.
THANK YOU FOR THE ALLCAPS. EMPHASIS /WIN/.
December 8, 2010 at 7:56 pm
It’s the last five lines that are the most inspiring.
December 8, 2010 at 8:03 pm
Sensawunda: Kind of you to come here when I think our movie tastes are diametrically opposed. ;)
December 8, 2010 at 8:53 pm
I seem to be missing the bit when you explain why its all worth it.
December 8, 2010 at 8:54 pm
IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHY…QUIT.
December 8, 2010 at 10:20 pm
YOU FORGOT “REPLACE YOUR KEYBOARD BEFORE CAPSLOCK GETS STUCK PERMANENTLY.”
December 8, 2010 at 11:02 pm
Quitting = Death.
Griping = Congenital/Reflex.
Also, I love it when you do capslock. ;)
December 8, 2010 at 11:28 pm
No. Shortcuts. !.
December 8, 2010 at 11:31 pm
NIN.
NICK.
I CAN’T STOP SHOUTING.
FULL STOP.
(CAN’T STOP)
December 8, 2010 at 11:37 pm
You da man, Jeff…
December 9, 2010 at 1:59 am
THIS IS GREAT. IT’S LIKE PRIMAL SCREAM THERAPY, BUT WITH TYPING.
December 9, 2010 at 2:18 am
I would expand that 4th point to:
BE AWARE OF WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING – THEN IGNORE IT.
Because if you don’t know your own genre, you’re going to look like an idiot when the time comes to market your book.
December 9, 2010 at 4:26 am
PROB W/ PITHY *AND* SKIMMING EQUALS MISINTERP. “READ READ READ…*IGNORE* WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING–THEIR PETTY ENTANGLEMENTS, SUCCESS, FAILURE…OH YOU GET THE PICTURE.
GARY: AIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!
December 9, 2010 at 8:05 am
Quitting is my business (and business is good).
December 9, 2010 at 9:27 am
ED is one of the only blogs I get excited about when I see a new post is up. I’d never quit reading over something as petty as movie tastes.
December 9, 2010 at 9:30 am
That’s cool. It’d probably be pretty funny to do a conversation about movies, though: “Ecstatic Days and Sensawunda Go to the Movies: Bloodshed.”
December 9, 2010 at 11:20 am
John Lennon’s zombie corpse would write an album about the aftermath.
December 9, 2010 at 12:48 pm
I’ve given up trying to be a writer. I’m trying my hand at trapeze artist, instead.
December 9, 2010 at 3:33 pm
“WHO CARES IF YOU FAIL.”
And then there’s the corrolary “THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH WRITING NONFICTION IF YOU CAN’T HACK FICTION. OR NOT WRITING AT ALL.”
December 9, 2010 at 4:54 pm
KEEYAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!
(yeah)
Wait, what are we yelling about?
No shortcuts? Sh@#t.
December 9, 2010 at 5:10 pm
I think you’re probably right, because I’m managing without the ability to spellcheck myself or have more than a vague understanding of what commas are for.
December 9, 2010 at 5:30 pm
YOU WILL BE SPELLCHECKED AND COMMAS INSERTED. SINCERELY, THE TSA.
December 10, 2010 at 12:05 pm
[...] Everything you Need to Know to Be a Fiction Writer, by Jeff VanderMeer [...]
December 10, 2010 at 3:05 pm
I agree with you except for the, QUIT IF IT’S TOO TOUGH. To be successful you need the challeneges…
Take it from a writer with a learning disability that cause it to be Tougher than for the average Joe…
Keep on you can succeed if you believe… Thanks for sharing. Michelle
December 10, 2010 at 3:31 pm
Yes, my point exactly. Too literal a reading.
December 12, 2010 at 4:15 pm
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December 13, 2010 at 6:56 am
[...] He encapsulates much of the received wisdom shared by other authors:Â Everything you need to know to be a fiction writer… [...]
December 24, 2010 at 8:39 am
Got up at 4.30 AM today because I couldn’t stop thinking about the epic fail that has me in its clutches re: my latest project. Saw this while catching up on my reading, and feel much . . . more confident . . . about bludgeoning said project.
Happy Holidays, sir. Thank you, as always.
January 20, 2011 at 6:32 pm
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