Anybody see Grisham on 'Today' yesterday?

Takvah · Jan 30, 2008

They asked him a viewer question, one he probably gets every day of his life. "What advice do you have for an aspiring writer?"

His answer was wonderfully simple. He basically said that you have to be writing at least a page a day or forget about it. Put away whatever you're writing and just give it up. At a page a day that's a novel a year and if you can't do that, you won't be successful.

There was no mention of age, ability, agents, or any of the other nonsense that we go back and forth about on these forums. It starts with the writing, and if you aren't writing, you aren't a writer.

So take the man's sage (if simple) advice and do what you love to do... write! And if you don't write... maybe you don't love it quite as much as you think.

S.H.P. · Jan 30, 2008

His advice doesn't work for me, writing is as much about preparation as it is about applying fingers to keyboard. I have to read a ton and wait for a certain vibe I get that tells me I need to write ... thank Jebus, I get that vibe often.

Takvah · Jan 30, 2008

S.H.P. said:
... thank Jebus, I get that vibe often.

Willowmound · Jan 30, 2008

I wite. I writer.

Shadow_Ferret · Jan 30, 2008

A page a day. Makes sense. I'm assuming average. Some days you might do 10 pages, other days, like the last two, might be spent at home refereeing the kids.

Although, even then, I was editing a piece.

hitchhiker · Jan 30, 2008

Grisham has never changed that message. Years ago when he still lived full time in Mississippi and was about to release "The Client" there was a special on Mississippi ETV (PBS) somewhat akin to the format used by Lipton on "Inside the Actor's Studio." Someone from the audience (an aspiring writer -no doubt) asked how to get started. His answer was the same then as it is now, and really it's nothing more than B.I.C. That was the basic. He simply said write a page a day, and in a year you'd have a novel.

Claudia Gray · Jan 30, 2008

I don't write every single day, but I write regularly and with direction, which IMHO is the main thing.

Straka · Jan 30, 2008

For me I write pretty quickly, its the editing and revising that takes the longest time.

Prawn · Jan 30, 2008

1000 words a day. Amen on editing taking the longest time!

Valona · Jan 30, 2008

In my opinion, Grisham is a lousy writer. Let me qualify that. By that, I mean if writing by the so-called "rules" of novel writing is your guide. Yet, he is immensely successful. Why? It certainly isn't because he follows the "rules." No. It's because he writes gripping tales.

That, to me, is the secret of his and many other writers' success. Write a gripping story and the editors will forgive a lot of poor novel construction, bad sentence structure, head hopping, telling vs. showing, etc.

maestrowork · Jan 30, 2008

He's only talking about quantity, though. A page a day will net you a novel a year. But is it any good? Some writers (Chabon, for example) write one novel every 5 years.

But the general idea is sound: you've got to write, and read. You may not be working on your novel every day, but you have to at least write every day.

beatlesluv · Jan 30, 2008

I missed it. I was gutted I had to go to uni. Damn bus.

I'm a huge fan of his. My favorite book of his is A TIME TO KILL.

The root of every book is a compelling story. The fact is he is a master storyteller. He used his background in law, utilized it, to make fantastic books. I've read almost all of them, but I've got to pick up THE APPEAL.
Valona how would he have made it into the industry (how would THE GERSH AGENCY accept him), if he was not very organized in his words? You have to have a polished book in order to get you're foot past the crack that was made when you aroused interest with your original query and or sample pages.

@Hitchhiker- He's the real deal. I would love to sit down and talk to him. Just have a conversation with that man. He is true talent in my eyes. (I write YA but I was struck deep by A TIME TO KILL, and it is one of my favorite books of all time).

Willowmound · Jan 30, 2008

beatlesluv said:
The root of every book is a compelling story.

Nah. It's a story compellingly told.

Valona · Jan 30, 2008

beatlesluv said:
how would he have made it into the industry (how would THE GERSH AGENCY accept him), if he was not very organized in his words? You have to have a polished book in order to get you're foot past the crack that was made when you aroused interest with your original query and or sample pages.

Like I said, he's a great story teller. He writes a gripping tale. Still, if you analyze his style, I don't think you can say he's a great writer, just a great story teller. I've seen a lot of best-selling books that were written poorly. Why? Again, the authors were great story tellers.

Louis L’Amour comes to mind. I love his books, just not his style.

Will Lavender · Jan 30, 2008

Willowmound said:
Nah. It's a story compellingly told.

Maybe it's a compelling story compellingly told.

David I · Jan 30, 2008

Anybody see Grisham on 'Today' yesterday?

No. But I have a friend who has Tivo, so maybe I can see Grisham on
Today yesterday tomorrow.

Ervin · Jan 30, 2008

I don't do a page a day, I do a thousand words a day (average). It's a much more precise method of measuring, and it equals a novel every three months

but of course that excludes everything other than the actual writing.

Willowmound · Jan 31, 2008

Will Lavender said:
Maybe it's a compelling story compellingly told.

That would be even better.

Shweta · Jan 31, 2008

Cory Doctorow says almost exactly the same thing. Basically, pick a word limit and hit that limit every day, and gradually up it as time goes by.

Some of my other Clarion instructors don't do this, and agree that it only works for some people. One of them (IIRC) says she writes twice or thrice a week, for example, and edits or researches the rest of the time.

Fortunate for me, that, because I can't write every day. I can't keep writing a piece unless I keep its mood/voice consistent, so if I lose it I've lost the thread of the story, and have to go back and rewrite. Even if the plot is fine. Also, some days I'm pondering, figuring out something to do with a story. I sort of write my first drafts in my head, and have to get to a certain point before words go on paper.

I think perhaps it's most important to be a writer every day. Which doesn't necessarily involve typing words every day, but does involve BIC time.

hitchhiker · Jan 31, 2008

I know a lot of people are turned off by Grisham. After "The Firm" gained appeal I read it and "A Time to Kill." After those two I read the next five or six the week in which they were released. Since then it'd take me a year to pick up one and now I am far behind. I was shocked that I read this was his twentieth novel. I've probably read twelve of them. I can't argue with those that refuse to read him anymore, for whatever reason chosen. I still enjoy the Grisham novels, but as I've already said there is no anticipation of release dates. Obvious to those that have read him, the characters he writes are really flat. They are drawn perfect for their purpose. Some are contrived. But as others have pointed out, the man can tell a story. It comes down to whether or not one can enjoy the story enough to overcome the characters.

ORION · Jan 31, 2008

I think if you talk with published writers they all say the same thing...whatever the amount write something EVERY DAY...

AllieB · Jan 31, 2008

Well, I'm a published writer, and I don't write every day. I didn't even when I was still aspiring to that first contract. I do agree with whoever said that it's important to be a writer every day, and that's the direction my advice would probably lean. Make a serious commitment to being a writer: learn the craft, make connections with other writers, do your research, and yes, of course, write.

But every day? Sometimes, for me, that simply doesn't happen.

Claudia Gray · Jan 31, 2008

AllieB said:
Well, I'm a published writer, and I don't write every day. I didn't even when I was still aspiring to that first contract. I do agree with whoever said that it's important to be a writer every day, and that's the direction my advice would probably lean. Make a serious commitment to being a writer: learn the craft, make connections with other writers, do your research, and yes, of course, write.

But every day? Sometimes, for me, that simply doesn't happen.

I said as much above, but just to reiterate -- it's possible to do it without writing every day. However, it's impossible to do it if you only write when you feel like it/have tons of free time/feel the white lightning bolt of inspiration upon you/etc. You have to be committed to writing regularly and often, and to working toward a solid objective. (I know I wrote TONS of first chapters before I realized they were all meaningless without second, third, fourth, etc. chapters to continue the story.)

I work a full-time job, freelance some nonfiction stuff and have friends and family to keep up with. That makes 7 days a week of writing fiction just about impossible for me. If I tried to do that, I'd be forever berating myself about missed days, etc., and it would be a waste of energy and spirit. If I can write 7 days a week, I do -- but if I can only write 4 or 5 days that week, then that's what I do, without worrying about it as long as I'm making meaningful progress. The only way I slip beneath 3 days a week is if I'm sick as a dog or dealing with some emergency.

I think as long as you're focused and spending plenty of time BIC, not writing every single day is fine.

escritora · Jan 31, 2008

Here's the Today Show video: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22912381#22896642

Here's Grisham on Charlie Rose: http://www.charlierose.com/guests/john-grisham

JBI · Jan 31, 2008

Well, that's great advice from an author who is paid by the page. Unlike him though, in order to get a first best-seller book people like us generally need to write something readable. Honestly though; all his books structurally are the same. All he needs to do is come up with the premise, the characters, and the locations and BAM the thing writes itself. To say that this works for everyone is a load of crap. It works for him because he already has the reputation of a writer guaranteed to make the best seller list.

Anybody see Grisham on 'Today' yesterday?

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Not a D list ego massager...

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