Neil Gaiman is a literary hero to many. What then, is his advice when you ask him the most important thing he’s learnt when it comes to writing? A man of many words, though in this case few. Nice one.
3 important words from Neil Gaiman
posted on November 17, 2012 by Justin in Wordy advice
5 things not to say to a writer
posted on November 12, 2012 by Justin in Wordy advice
You should write a book about a wizard!
Great idea. Let’s pitch it to J.K Rowling’s publisher Bloomsbury and watch the cheques roll in. They would never have seen anything like it.
What do you do for the rest of the day?
Lazing about on the couch trying to catch thoughts might look like a part time job, but remember what Hemingway said: There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.
A cookbook! Seriously, cook books sell!
I’m pretty sure a recipe for cheese on toast is not in high demand. Thing is, you’ve got to do what you love. In my case, it’s eating, not writing about it.
Why don’t you get into erotic fiction?
Thing is, you’ve got to do what you…wait, let’s leave that one.
You know no-one’s reading books these days, right?
You may have a point, unless it’s a story about a wizard chef who loves nothing more than showing his magic wand to Christian Grey.
Bieber needn’t be worried
posted on November 4, 2012 by Justin in Blatant plugs
Somehow I made it onto the soon-to-be-released music compilation Kiwiana Goes Pop. Anyone who knows me knows this is a complete accident, mainly because I’m a writer first, part-time music hack second. However, because it helps to be honest about the creative process I’ll tell you how the song came about.
I had an AWFUL gig at a rugby club in South Auckland, where I was paid to entertain the crowd for a few hours. For whatever reason (lethargy, disinterest, lacking sense of humour) it was one of those nights where nothing worked. I survived, thanked everyone, slid my fee in my pocket and retreated to the safety of home. Once there, I got the guitar out and wrote Good Keen Metrosexual, a tune that arrived almost fully formed. My angry mood soon became one of jubilation. And now it’s on a CD. Isn’t life utterly, completely stupid sometimes?