3 tips for writers from Charlotte Wood

Charlotte Wood has been described as one of the most intelligent and compassionate novelists in Australia.

She writes fiction and non-fiction and has been short-listed and long-listed for several prestigious prizes, winning the People’s Choice Medal in the 2013 New South Wales Premiers Literary Awards for her last novel, Animal People.

She’s currently working on her fifth novel, but took time out in episode 39 of our top-rating So you want to be a writer podcast to chat with Allison Tait.

Among many other things, we asked Charlotte for her top three tips for emerging writers…

“The first thing is to really commit and be serious about it. That means taking time away from other things, it means realising time is never going to open up and suddenly you’re going to be presented with three months uninterrupted — that’s just not going to happen. You have to say ‘no’ to other things.

“Second: Read, read, read, read, read — everyone says that, of course!

“Third: Be prepared to be vulnerable. When you start writing you write things that you think will make people think well of you. They’re not the things that are interesting really, because there’s always some sort of self-protection Just find what is particular to you that you’re fascinated by and go there, and don’t worry about what people are going to think of you for doing it.”

Love this? Share it around: