Sadly the wonderful writer and wonderful human being Ray Bradbury is no longer with us, but recently I came across a video of “An Evening With Ray Bradbury” recorded in 2001 when he was 81. A few of his tips for writers:
- A good way to start is writing a short story per week. That will give you the experience you need in order to write a novel.
- Read one short story per night, one poem per night, one essay a night for the next 1000 nights. He recommends the short stories of John Collier, Edith Wharton, Eudora Welty, Melville, Hawthorne, and many others.
- Writing is not a serious business. It’s a joy and a celebration.
- Anyone who doesn’t believe in your and your future, to hell with them.
There’s a lot of good advice, but I think it’s his spirit and his obvious love of his craft that makes this enjoyable. Here’s the link:
PS: If you encounter writer's block, as well as following the advice he gives here, consider taking a few days to watch inspirational videos like this and read some good books in your genre. You'll be feeding your brain so you won't need to feel guilty about not writing for a few days. You may find that's enough to get you back on track.