The Best Writing Advice I’ve Read Since the 1990s

In high school, I discovered Ray Bradbury through his book Zen in the Art of Writing.

Lines such as “You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you” and “What are the best things and the worst things in your life, and when are you going to get around to whispering or shouting them?” lit a fire under me. I had written since I was in elementary school, but I suddenly took the craft a lot more seriously.

I began giving the book to all my friends who wrote or even considered writing.

Since then, I’ve read a lot of writing advice. It’s often my preferred form of procrastinating actually writing.

But I haven’t been stirred by any of it like I was by Bradbury until my best friend turned me onto Chuck Wendig.

If I were marooned on a desert island with my Macbook, no Internet access, and only one article or blog post about writing, it would have to be this one: 50 Rantypants Snidbits of Random Writing and Storytelling Advice. (Fair warning if you’re offended by colorful language and in-your-face opinions).

Wendig has quickly become my new favorite writing guru. I desperately need the kick in the you-know-what that he provides. For instance:

The secret to writing: Write as much as you can. As fast as you can. Finish your shit. Hit your deadlines. Try very hard not to suck. The end.

Yes, it does get more in-depth than that, with 50 bull’s eye truth missiles. Just go read it, you won’t regret it.

I need to print this out about 50 times and wallpaper my house with it.

ART HARDER.