Lisa See
Write 1,000 words a day, five days a week, before you do anything else. At the end of a week, you’ll have twenty pages—a chapter. If you do it first thing in the morning, then you won’t get distracted by all the things that tempt you not to write.
So much of writing happens, I think, in the editing process. I tell aspiring writers that they should listen to criticism—whether it’s from a teacher or an editor—and then look at it three ways. About a third of all editing suggestions are right, a third are absolutely wrong, and a third are things you have to look at, consider, and play around with.
So much of writing happens, I think, in the editing process. I tell aspiring writers that they should listen to criticism—whether it’s from a teacher or an editor—and then look at it three ways. About a third of all editing suggestions are right, a third are absolutely wrong, and a third are things you have to look at, consider, and play around with.
More Answered Questions
Dorothy Caimano
asked
Lisa See:
Months ago I asked about historic novels about Finland and you said you didn't know any, but asked for recommendations. I have now read three: The Burnt Out Town of Miracles (Jacobson,) New Finnish Grammar (Marani,) and The Unknown Soldier (Linna.) Only the last was written by a Finn and is presumably realistic. But the other two, however unlikely, did have a good sense of time and place. Have you found any?
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