Creative Writing Lessons from the bestselling author of "Show Your Work!" Austin Kleon

The third book Austin Kleon "Show your work!"Published a year ago. While working on this creation Austin kept a diary, and on the basis of their records shared 10 lessons that are useful for novice owners.

1. Do not try to write a book, as long as you take care of a newborn baby

I underestimated how much time and effort required child. The first two months will be the most difficult. So carry a pocket notebook and take notes for the future.

2. Write out

Rent an office or go to the cafe. Well, or in extreme cases, work at home, but in a room where the door is closed. Find a place where you can just createWithout the distraction of everything extraneous.

"Show me my job!" I wrote, sitting in the headphones, which were to help me drown a child crying. Let me give you a piece of advice: never replace the headphones you closed the door.

3. Stop to explore, start writing

There is a terrible temptation - stuck in the research. But you have to force yourself to stop and just start writing. When I took this job, I thought that the only way - is to carry out all necessary studies and only then start to work on the book. Over time I began to realize that only when you start to write, you actually figure out what you do not know and what you should know.

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David McCullough

4. After you write half of the book, try to talk about it as little as possible

I'm an incurable extrovert. Even more, I began to communicate with people after wrote a book: it became necessary to go out and talk to the readers, and it's really cool. Not so great when I have to isolate themselves from society long enough to come to grips with the book.

I said, thinking out loud, which means that ideas do not come to me as long as I am not expressing them. If I dropped those thoughts during the conversation, it is already less likely that I will be able to present them in writing.

5. Stick to the plan, while making a rough version of the book

When you start working on a book, doing the first sketch, you are sure a lot has changed, and, quite possibly, it will. But, in spite of everything, starting to write, try to stick to the original plan. If you are constantly jumping from one idea to another, then you will never finish writing.

6. The book can be your aching pain while you are writing it. The main thing is that it does not become your pain when it will be read

People are surprised when they learn what a terrible time for me was during the writing of the book. But that means I did my job!

7. Your loved one is tired of the constant talk about your book

Seriously. Do something nice for him / her, or at least do not talk about your book. This is very important - spending time together and not talk about work.

8. Do not use the phrase "I gave the book of life" as a metaphor

There is only one way to understand what you wrote the book as if gave her life: when she will be released, the main pain will pass, but the work just begins.

9. Do not stop

Once you've finished a book, start writing something else as soon as you can. Feel smokerWho can not give up.

If you feel that "burned out", give yourself a break. Read. Embark on a journey. Talk to people. Go away, but be sure to come back.

10. Know what you are subscribed

The best scenario: you have written a good book, which became a bestseller. Then everyone will want you to write another one. "What next?" - the eternal question that haunts the writer... So be careful!