At the 2013 Brooklyn Book Festival, On Such a Full Sea author Chang-Rae Lee, Stone Arabia author Dana Spiotta, and The Son author Philipp Meyer all joined a panel about writing.
New York Times journalist Julie Bosman moderated the conversation, collecting some advice for aspiring writers in the audience.
Below, we’ve rounded up five pieces of advice from the discussion…
Lessons Learned at the Brooklyn Book Festival Writing Panel
(1) Ask yourself questions while you’re developing the story.
(2) All long-form writing is re-writing; don’t keep track of how many drafts you go through.
(3) Spend time away from the writing desk; new environments and letting go helps to clear your head. This helps to foster a better frame of mind when you’re stuck on a plot point.
(4) Don’t be afraid to throw away a draft completely and re-write the whole manuscript.
(5) It’s healthy to avoid reading reviews regardless if it’s good and bad; too much noise might creep into your head.