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.
- Buy/borrow their book.
- Read it.
- Go back, pen and paper in hand, and jot down what happens in every scene (and thus, learn how they plot).
- 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).
- 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).
- Go back to page one, pen and paper in hand, and handwrite their first-five pages, and thus learn how they write their story.