I often hear young writers talk about how great it would be to be mentored by So-and-So or to attend a talk by this-amazing-writer, but time and finances can be a burden.

And then, of course, you have those “if you really wanted it, you’d find a way,” folks that seem to forget people have families, jobs, etc.

So, just a small reminder that whomever you admire, you can always learn from them.

  1. Buy/borrow their book.
  2. Read it.
  3. Go back, pen and paper in hand, and jot down what happens in every scene (and thus, learn how they plot).
  4. Go back, pen and paper in hand, and jot down how they put in character or story clues (and thus learn how they put together characters and description).
  5. Go back, pen and paper in hand, and write down all the sentences that lifted you up (and thus learn how they use description to hook readers).
  6. Go back to page one, pen and paper in hand, and handwrite their first-five pages, and thus learn how they write their story.