My eyes usually glaze over whenever I see somebody saying something as artsy as “go into yourself”. But this is Rilke. And it’s worth getting past that.
You are looking outward, and that above all you should not do now. Nobody can counsel and help you, nobody. There is only one single way. Go into yourself. Search for the reason that bids you to write; find out whether it is spreading out its roots in the deepest places of your heart, acknowledge to yourself whether you would have to die if it were denied you to write. This above all–ask yourself in the stillest hour of your night: Must I write? Delve into yourself for a deep answer. And if this should be affirmative, if you may meet this earnest question with a strong and simple “I must,” then build your life according to this necessity; your life even into its most indifferent and slightest hour must be a sign of this urge and testimony to it.
In an effort to make it so you don’t have to scroll ludicrously far to read the new update every month, we’ve broken the Writing Advice Page into four pages. At the bottom of this page, I will list the upcoming topics.
NEW THIS MONTH! How do you write a bad guy?
2. Writing Fantasy: Tools & Techniques
3. Understanding the Business of Publishing
4. Writing Questions Brent Frequently Has to say No To:
Potential Upcoming Post Topics (in no particular order):
1. Writing the love scene
2. Writing about Morality in Fiction
3. Plot: Twists, Surprises, and Secrets
4. Narrative Arc: Chapter, Book, Trilogy
