Advice to Myself

The other day I went through my filing cabinet, searching for an old plot map of a back project that I'm getting ready to pull back out. While I was rooting around, I came across something rather embarrassing--my "dead story" file.

In the dead story file, there are random outlines and ideas, bits of stories that I fooled around with when I was younger, and the most dreaded bit of fiction of all--the kind that's written by an angsty middle schooler who is picked on by everybody in the land. Bonus points--it was based on a dream that I had. Oh yeah. Tragic.

But, while going through those stories and shaking my head at how godawful they were (and they were), I realized something:

Back then, when I was writing them, I didn't care. I wrote them for the fun of it. I wrote them because it helped me get around the crappy parts of life.

It was then that I started thinking--if I could go back in time and give myself advice, or come up with advice for other young aspiring writers (both my age and younger), what would it be? I'm not all that high and mighty. It's not like I'm published yet, or really all that close. But still, the advice I want to give to younger writers doesn't have to do with getting published or being that famous writer with books that sell like hotcakes. The advice I have is what I want myself to remember when things get difficult or I feel like I can't write. The advice I want to give is advice that gets down to what it's really about--the writing.

Here's the list:

1. Never give up.

You might not ever get published, but you don't know unless you try. And if you think you're writing is crappy...well, you can't learn without doing. Just keep writing.

2. Dream.

Allow yourself that fantasy. It's fun, it doesn't hurt anybody, and it gives you something to work toward.

3. Write it all down.

Got a random idea? Even if it seems stupid, write it down. It fosters your creativity and keeps you moving. Every step, no matter how tiny, is still a step forward. You won't know the good ideas until you know the duds, too. And who knows--something that sounds silly in your head might sound fan-freaking-tastic on paper.

4. Nobody said it had to be fancy.

I know why I started writing--it made me feel good about myself. My first stories were silly little kid tales--certainly nothing that would ever sell. Probably something that most would even want to read. But nobody ever said your writing had to be fancy. Write for you when all else fails and remember that your art is your art. Sure, publication requires a clean-up, but if you don't enjoy getting down to it and making that mess of a first draft, there really isn't a point.

5. Live.

Your fiction is great, maybe even sanity-saving. But you can't shut yourself off. Hold your head up, face the world, and let any bad experiences fuel the unhappy scenes in your stories.

This advice may work for you, it may not. All I know is that this is what I feel I need to remember when I get so sucked into the "my-writing-sucks-nobody-wants-to-read-it-I-need-to-lock-myself-in-my-office-and-work-but-even-then-nobody-will-ever-want-it-and-I-suck-at-life" blues.

What writing advice would you give yourself if you could go back to when you first started out?