Advice from Author of The Book Thief

It's easy to hand out advice, to play cheerleader, to pretend I know something about the craft of writing. But what if it came from someone who had actually published a best-seller, a book made into a movie? Enter, Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, in an interview by Sarah Kinson.

His advice? 

"Don't be afraid to fail. I fail every day. I failed thousands of times writing The Book Thief, and that book now means everything to me. Of course, I have many doubts and fears about that book, too, but some of what I feel are the best ideas in it came to me when I was working away for apparently no result. Failure has been my best friend as a writer. It tests you, to see if you have what it takes to see it through."

The secret to writing according to Mr. Zusak?

"The best ideas come to you when you're sitting down, working. That's when most of the breakthroughs occur--simply by doing the work. If someone wanted to be a runner, you don't tell them to think about running, you tell them to run."

So if you're gearing up for National Novel Writing Month (affectionately referred to as NaNo or NaNoWriMo), get your outline (even if it's a very rough sketch), your meal plans, and your calendar ready. If you're not, set a goal to write every day, even if it's just 100 words. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and you have to get moving if you want to reach the finish line. 

Write On, my friends!