I read recently that two million books were published last year. And more will be published this year, and more next year. Knowing how hard it is for me to write one book, I think that’s amazing.
Yet in all that literary cacophony, how is a writer to break through? I have no idea. We can try if we like. But I suspect that 1, 999,000 of us will be disappointed.
I have seen writing rules and suggestions from famous writers (for example, see this article from the wonderful Brain Pickings site). But here are my writing rules for the rest of us:
- Take your time.
- Ignore trends.
- Work hard, but not every day.
- Don’t write what you know.
- Don’t write what anyone else knows either.
- Try for greatness.
- Don’t settle.
- Listen to criticism but trust yourself.
- Publish carefully sometime.
- Write the book only you can write.
I have a quote from Marcus Aurelius over my desk. It is my 11th rule:
“If you work at that which is before you, following right reason seriously, vigorously, calmly, without allowing anything else to distract you, but keeping your divine part pure, as if you should be bound to give it back immediately; if you hold to this, expecting nothing, fearing nothing, but satisfied with your present activity according to nature, and with heroic truth in every word and sound which you utter, you will live happy. And there is no man who is able to prevent this.”
Good Stoic advice for emperors and writers.
