What He Said: Advice To Young Writers
This summer I’ve spent a lot of time working with young writers, so when this interview with John Updike (brilliant short story writer and also author of Rabbit, Run et al) came across my desk, it felt timely and poignant in a way that made me want to share it here.
There’s a lot packed into this one little bit, but to me the two most important things Updike says here is “Try to develop actual work habits, and even though you have a busy life, try to reserve an hour, say — or more — a day to write,” and “Other than that, don’t try to get rich . . .”
The first part is important because it underscores that writing is a thing that you must work at and practice. Most people know this, but even I don’t always do it. However, when I do practice–when I just make it a habit to write every day–I’m always surprised by what good stuff comes out, even if I don’t have an idea of what I’m going to do that day. And the more I do it the more excited I get about doing it. Getting into the habit of an hour a day–or 500 words a day, even–may be difficult at first, but remember that even if you’re writing nonsense, or something you never end up using, the doing of it is the important thing, and it will eventually get you to something brilliant.
The get rich part I also wanted to briefly mention, because so many times, when I speak to young people, they have this inflated idea of what an author’s salary is like. There are several mega-successful authors in the limelight these days, but the reality of being published for most people is much less glamorous, money-wise. One or two people will, yes, make it to that level, but book deals and movie deals of that size and success aren’t a thing you can necessarily (ha ha) bank on, and it often takes a lot of hard work, rejection, and pennilessness before you get there.Very many authors I know (including myself) supplement their book income with teaching jobs, or other “real life” jobs. In my life, my work at Little Shop of Stories is awesome, but it’s also necessary. It’s not to say that you can’t make a living that includes being published, or that you’re either super-rich or not making money at all (that’s not true either, and I also know several authors who have a perfectly comfortable life thanks to their book income)–it’s just that it might take a lot of patience and a little creativity on your part to get there.
Mainly, I like this interview because it is also a good reminder, for me, that what this is all about, really, is words and language, emotions and relationships, good storytelling . . . all the things that make a remarkable book, story, or poem a thing that causes our hearts and brains vibrate with “YES!” For me, that’s the ideal–to endeavor to write in the same way that my most favorite authors have written. I don’t think I’ve reached it yet, personally, but that goal –rather than money or fame– is what drives me to my own keyboard (almost) every day.