On advice for aspiring writers
“I think the best advice is to read a lot of authors of the genre and style you might want to emulate. Observe people and the environment to understand the flow of conversations, think about settings, and start writing about it. Read history, science, and many other topics so that you have a background and useful information to create a realistic world with good, believable possibilities.”
This quote is what I wrote on my Goodreads Author Page to the question of giving advice to aspiring writers. I have seen on video or read about other writers sharing a similar sentiment in their own books, and it is something I practice.
I read about events in history that interest me and that I think are worthwhile research. I also read about astronomy, biology, genetics, artificial intelligence, and many other science topics, and this information finds its way into the novels and novellas I write.
I remember a student once asking me, almost two decades ago when I was an art teacher, what book I was reading. I used to have a book on my desk very often, and I would read at different times during the day when there was a moment to do so after I got students started on projects. It surprised me that a student would pay attention to that behavior of mine. He said he asked because he had noticed that whatever I was reading would eventually become some kind of project for them. He was right.
The ideas I encountered in books were synthesized into new forms of understanding and expression in art. Creating art and writing stories are ways to make the information my own. Where do I get my ideas? I know many authors have been asked that question. I read a lot of books.
I agree!
What about drawing from your life experiences? Although, a lot of my life experiences are actually things that I've read or seen that changed the way I think.