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I made a bunch of notes on Writing Advice by Stephen King. I like to refer to this list from time to time. Here I reproduce it for your reference and reading pleasure.
Stop watching television. Instead, read as much as possible.
Prepare for more failure and criticism than you think you can deal with.
Don’t waste time trying to please people.
Write primarily for yourself.
First write for yourself, and then worry about the audience.
Tackle the things that are hardest to write.
When writing, disconnect from the rest of the world.
Don’t be pretentious.
Avoid adverbs and long paragraphs.
Don’t use passive voice.
Don’t get overly caught up in grammar.
Tell stories about what people actually do.
Take risks; don’t play it safe.
Read, read, read.
Don’t try to steal someone else’s voice.
Understand that writing is a form of telepathy.
Take your writing seriously.
Write every single day.
Finish your first draft in three months.
When you’re finished writing, take a long step back.
Go where the story leads you.
Avoid too much backstory.
Make Stories about people.
Don’t Overdescribe.
Book Genres are not important – neglect them.
Have the guts to cut.
You become a writer simply by reading and writing.
Writing is about getting happy.
If you can do it for joy, you can do it forever.
Write because it fulfills you.
Persevere – stopping a piece of work because it’s hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea.
Your job is to show up.
Don’t wait for the muse.
Stay married, be healthy, and live a good life.
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