CraftTalk #101: 3 tips on creative writing by Cory Doctorow

At the recent Eastercon UK science fiction convention (Olympus 2012), Cory Doctorow – the blogger, journalist, science fiction author and co-editor of the BoingBoing blog – gave some interesting advice on creative writing during an interview session. Among his suggestions were...

* Try to write at least 2000 words a day if you are serious about writing a novel.

* Don't allow your writing to be held up by rituals and substances. Cory cited the examples of writers who say they need cigarettes, coffee, alcohol or even drugs before they can start writing. He said he's also known writers who have to have the right pen or mug or chair before they can get going. His view is don't be precious, just write – and in a worse case scenario, scribble down your ideas on a scrap of paper and transcribe them onto a computer (or whatever) later.

* Finally, he says never revise until you have finished the story.