Barry Eisler's advice for aspiring writers

We've been talking a lot recently about writing (and how to write better), so I dug through the archives to retrieve some material to share.

Back when I used to do a lot of author interviews, I'd always ask the interviewee if they had any advice for aspiring writers. The following is one of the best responses I received, from bestselling author Barry Eisler. This is from July 2005. -DJM

• Keep writing. Can't emphasize this one enough. Every day is ideal, but the goal is to just be as regular as you can. Same as learning a language, or a martial art, etc.
• Reread passages from books you love and ask yourself, what is the author doing here that's working so well? And if you see something that you think is bad, ask yourself, why is this bad? What could the author have done differently to make it work?
• Read books on writing. Stephen King's On Writing helped me a lot. David Morrell's Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing is also terrific. There are many others. But don't read the how-to books at the expense of your own writing. Whenever you have to choose, practice your writing instead.
• If you've got time and you're serious, a writer's workshop can be a huge help with motivation, feedback, and discipline. Google "Writer's workshops" and the name of your city and you'll probably be able to find a bunch.
• When you think your book is as good as you can possibly get it, it's time to try to find an agent. The way to do this is to go a library or bookstore and get a book like The Writer's Digest Guide to Literary Agents. Identify the ones that handle your kind of book and contact them in exactly the manner they request.
• One of your best friends as a writer is what I think of as the "what if" question. "What if someone cloned dinosaurs and planned to open a dinosaur theme park on a remote island?" (Jurassic Park) "What if a semi-yuppie drug dealer were about to do a seven year prison stretch?" (The 25th Hour) Etc. If the what-if question interests you enough, it'll lead you to other questions, all of the who, what, where, when, why, how variety. Follow those questions and you'll start to find your story.

A lot of people think that, in the writing business, it's not what you know, but who. This has not been my experience. Who you know might get an agent to take a look at something you've written, but after that you will stand or fall entirely on the quality of your writing and other business calculations.

In other words, the best a mutual acquaintance can do is possibly get your work moved closer to the top of the agent's pile. But this is a minimal benefit, because agents read everything that's submitted to them anyway. That's their business. It may take the agent a while, but eventually he or she will read what you've sent.

Comments

[Doug Riddle]

Great advice from a great writer. I am big fan of Barry's books and his website, especially the "For Writers" section.

I think it is interesting that the first bullet-point on Barry's list is....."Keep writing. Can't emphasize this one enough."

Writers write. That is how we get better.

[Christa]

You know, I've been reading writing and industry blogs for two years to "get to know" the business, but I think what you've provided here in the last week has been the most valuable of all of it. Thanks for taking so much time to cover it.

Incidentally, your "Overnight Success" testimonials have also been very eye-opening.

[Elaine Flinn]

Glad to see this reprised, David. Good advice - such as this - is never outdated.

And I'll join Christa in the chorus - the past few days have created some terrific conversations - and superb advice.

[Carlene]

Great advise, Barry. I go crazy when I tell people to just keep writing and they tell me, they "don't have time." Ugh, neither do I - I make time.

Carlene

[Guyot]

Who's Barry Eisler?

[David Montgomery]

You know.... The fat bald guy.

[Doug Riddle]

you forgot the hunchback

[David Montgomery]

No, that's Guyot.

[Elaine Flinn]

And the hair lip...

[Doug Riddle]

Who's Guyot?

[Elaine Flinn]

"Who's Guyot?"

The hunchback with the hair lip. Oh, and he stutters too, poor darling. So be kind, okay?

p.s. Don't let him hug you. He sometimes drools.

[Mr THomas Alan Thomas]

Noir Nation is looking for writers, stories, and graphic novels in category crime/noir.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0MlSe6zU-k

More info: alan@noirnation.com