Authors from A to Z: G

G = Gratton

Tessa Gratton wrote the absolutely fantabulous Blood Magic. It’s a book I felt I took a chance on, and it blew my expectations out of the water. Excellent characters, amazing plot, and tons of mystery. It’s definitely one of my favorites so far this year. And I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel – or companion novel. I’m not sure which it is. Anyway, I have a guest post from the fabulous Tessa Gratton!

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TESSA’S TIPS FOR ASPIRING WRITERS

By Tessa Gratton

I’m going to get the basics out of the way:

• Read every day.
• Write as often as you can.

But here’s the real secret:

• HAVE ADVENTURES.

No joke. Writing is about communication – you have ideas and stories and people in your head, and you want to get them on paper, tell the world about them. That takes communication. The best writers can communicate atmosphere and emotion in just a few small words. They can make you laugh or cry.

Having adventures will force you to learn to communicate. If you have to find the bathroom on the train from Budapest, Hungary, to Thessaloniki, Greece, in the middle of the night and the conductor only speaks Romanian – you’re gonna have to be creative with how you do it.

And then when you find the toilet, and it’s just a hole in the floor of the train that you can see the tracks through… you’ll have to be brave.

Communication, creativity, and courage – those are my three Cs of writing. (Which I just made up right now.)

Every new adventure will bring you new people and new places, and getting lost can inspire the best stories. Experiencing emotions – fear, anxiety, love, excitement, wonder – will teach you how to describe them. When you’re in a new place, it’s easier to notice and pay attention to new sights and smells and sounds. Getting out of your comfort zone!

That brings me to the final bit of advice.

• Challenge yourself.

Be afraid, face your fears – not just your literal ones like getting on an airplane or killing spiders – but your writing fears. Write what you DON’T know, but what you WANT to know. Fear and courage playing together will give an edge to your writing, a tension, that is hard to fake.

The secret I’ve learned in the past two years is that readers want to be challenged a little bit. They want to try, they want to love what you write, and they’ll trust you more if you trust them. So go forth! Write with courage!

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I really like this. Thanks so much, Tessa!

If you’re playing along, please post your link in the comments so I can make sure to stop by and visit! And stay tuned for tomorrow, the day of the H (I love that letter …).

FTC Disclosure: All items reviewed were either obtained by me for my own enjoyment or sent (from the author, publisher, publicist, via tour sites, etc.) in exchange for an honest review. I receive no monetary compensation for my posts. All opinions expressed are my own.

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