20 Writing Tips from Jane Yolen

  

Twenty Writing Tips From Jane Yolen

The amazing Jane Yolen ended the SCBWI Winters Conference in New York City this past weekend and shared 20 Writing Tips with us.  She felt they could also be used by the illustrators in the audience.

 

 Here’s the list: 

1. No exclamation points.
2. Easy on the adverbs.
3. Don’t let your characters float by giving them endless dialogue.
4. Have fun.
5. BIC – Butt in chair.  HOP – Heart on Page.
6. P not F – Passion not fashion.  Write what you like.
7. Remember your story does not have to have a happy ending – just a meaningful ending.
8. Fall through your story.  Bury yourself in your work.
9. You don’t have to be the best, just be the best you can be,
10. Find the right word.
11. First lines should portend what is going to happen.
12. Exercise your creative muscle everyday.  If you write one page everyday, you will have written 365 pages, more than you need for a novel or 73 picture books.
13. Every artist nurtures and nurtures create.
14. Truth – we all need an editor. Love the process. Don’t get caught up letting rejection get you down.
15. Money flows towards the author, not the other way around.  Don’t pay for book reviews, agent readings, etc.
16. Don’t miss the small things in your writing.  Don’t ignore the landscape.
17. Read what you have written out loud.
18. Writers block is all in your mind.  Read newspapers, magazines – watch a movie, go shopping, don’t read someone elses book, because you can get stuck in their voice or characters.
19. Realize there are going to be projects you never complete.
20. Even while you are working on a project, write little things, doodle on artwork on paper.  These can work like the sorbet between meal courses to cleanse your palette.

I must point out I did my best trying to write it down as Jane talked, but she had a lot of extra things to say about each one.  Hope what I did get helps you.

Kathy