WhOOPs! If you're wondering why today's post didn't show up, it's because I hit the PM button instead of the AM one when I scheduled it. I don't have a good excuse except for the fact that I have Holiday Brain--there's too much info fighting for space in my head.
Onward...
Drum roll please...
bumdedrumbumdedrumbumdedrrrrum!
We are in the presence of a few superstars.
First up, is R.L. Stine.
You probably know this dude best from his GOOSEBUMPs stories.
R. L. says,
"Never sit down and start writing...Always have a complete plan for what you are going to write before you start."
So, R.L. Stein is not a
pantster, an importantly writerly term for "writes by the seat of his/her pants." That basically means he is not the type of writer who puts his pencil on the page and writes whatever comes into his brain.
Personally, I agree with Mr. Stine, to an extent. I am a
pantster only in the very beginning, but then I backtrack and start planning. Guess I'm a
planster.
Second up, is another author who enjoys bringing out the goosebumps in us, Stephen King. You may be allowed to watch a Stephen King movie that's based on his books, but I would recommend waiting. They will scare the pants off of you!
Stephen King says,
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”
Agreed! And vacation is coming up, so we will all have time to do at least one of those two things.
And finally, James Patterson, author of many thrillers for grown-ups, but also MIDDLE SCHOOL, THE WORST YEARS OF MY LIFE, and MIDDLE SCHOOL, GET ME OUT OF HERE (for kids 8-12).
“I’m always pretending that I’m sitting across from somebody. I’m telling them a story, and I don’t want them to get up until it’s finished.”
I like this advice best of all. To write a good story, make it a story someone will want to hear over and over again.
Look at the advice above. Which author's advice speaks to you?
