By Bernard Schaffer
Writers write.
Writers read.
Writers find inspiration in
the work of others and
remain vigilant not to ape
anyone else.
Writers seek out criticism
from those that
deserve to give it
and they listen.
(Most of the time.)
Writers work alone
without seeking approval from
others
and finish with something
before showing it to anyone
because a writer is like a
lonesome captain
on a sailboat steering through
uncharted waters
expecting to arrive at a lost
city of ancient riches.
But nobody wants to hear what
you intend to find
expect to find
or say you'll find.
They just want to see it.
When I write, I think about
those that came before me
who sat in a chair plinking
away at the keys
or loading fresh paper into
the typewriter
or putting quill to fresh ink
and I go at every single one
of them
like their ghosts were sitting
across from me
saying, "Come on, kid,
you can hit harder than that."
Not because I don't love them
and not because I don't admire
them
and not because I don't appreciate
them
but because when I am writing
they are my competition
and if you aren't trying to
outdo everyone else
then you're just taking up
space.
People often ask me for advice
and I suppose that's the
purpose of this column
that I was so graciously asked
to contribute to.
Well, here it is.
Write hard.
Read hard.
Find an editor who will
critique you hard.
And when you find some level
of success, repeat those same steps
but on an even greater scale.
Now go get to it.
Bernard Schaffer is the author of February 2012 Kindle Top
100 Book Superbia, international best-seller Whitechapel: The Final Stand of Sherlock Holmes, and the Guns of Seneca 6 series.Philadelphia .National Center
