Consejos para escritores

Foto: Lance Catedral

Meet your deadlines. Be kind. Don’t bitch about writer’s block.

La lista de Jennifer Schaffer está orientada más a quien escribe para medios de comunicación (sean o no periodistas) que para escritores independientes, y por eso hay varios puntos dedicados a fechas de entrega, editores, incluir declaraciones, adaptarse al público o evitar términos como ‘millennial’, ‘hipster’ o ‘listicle’. Aun así, hay varios de los consejos que se pueden aplicar a casi cualquiera que se gane la vida juntando palabras o aspire a hacerlo algún día. La lista completa es muy interesante, pero destacamos estos cinco apartados:

• You need to pitch. Pitch multiple stories at a time and pitch often. If you don’t have any stories in mind, ask yourself why you want to be a writer to begin with.
• Humility will go a long way. This isn’t the same thing as insecurity. Actually, it’s the opposite.
• Complaining about writer’s block is completely uncouth. A quick tip if you are feeling stuck: free-write three pages, longhand, every morning before you touch your phone or your laptop. Do this for two weeks straight and I promise that block will start to loosen.
• Read books. Lots of them. All the time. Everywhere.
• Remember: writing is hard work. It’s also supposed to be fun. No one should become a writer in the interest of wealth and fame. If you’re not enjoying yourself, it’s time to move on.