When I was a shy, awkward teenager, I used to hide in the library of my small town (Sisseton, South Dakota, population around 3,000). (And no, the photo above isn’t actually me.) The librarian was one of those kindly women who knew not to hover over me or ask me too many questions.
It was in the library I discovered two magazines that I buried my nose in regularly: The Writer and Writer’s Digest. They contained articles on the craft of writing. I liked to imagine they were speaking to me, a dreamy teenager, not to older, more promising, more confident and experienced writers.
I drank in everything they said, storing it away. And guess what? They gradually gave me knowledge, confidence and practical information I could apply even to my lowly school projects or hidden-in-a-drawer short stories.
It feels odd to have people ask me for advice now. No matter how many words or books I’ve published, there’s still a part of me that is a shy 16-year-old hiding in the library.
But now and again someone does, and the best part is reading the answers that others provide at the same time.
Here’s a roundup of advice of which I happen to be a small part. Useful stuff for writers of any experience level. Thank you, Shaun Smith, for gathering it: http://www.openbookontario.com/news/fiction_craft_shaun_smith_et_al_5
