John Grisham's Books Have Sold More Than 300,000,000 Copies. Here Are His 5 Tips On How To Become A Great Writer, Communicator, And Editor
“There are three types of words: words we all know, words we should know, and words nobody knows. Don’t use the third category.” — John Grisham
John Grisham is the King of Legal Thrillers.
He was a lawyer before he became a best-selling novelist. And, he started writing novels in his 40’s. After writing fiction, he won many awards for his work such as the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction.
If you want to become a great writer, follow these 5 tips from John Grisham:
1. Read classic literature.
Grisham loved the novels of John Steinbeck.
If you read classic literature, you will learn the structure of a great story. Most novelists started out as readers. For example, Ernest Hemingway loved to read the novels of Mark Twain.
Studying the earlier masters of the craft will help you become more successful.
2. Write one page every single day.
The habit of writing makes you a writer, not writing a best-selling book.
If you are new to writing, it’s important to focus on progress rather than perfection. Writing one page a day is not a bad idea. It will help you overcome writer’s block and fear of judgment.
As Lao Tzu once said. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
3. Create an outline before you write anything.
Outlines will help you save time.
Some writers don’t use outlines but using outlines has a lot of benefits. First, it will help you understand your work. Second, it will help you understand the problems of your target readers. And third, you can do your research in advance.
As a new writer, you should learn the rules before you master it.
4. Edit your own writing to save the reader’s time.
Editing is a different game.
Writing is about expressing your ideas but editing is about correcting your ideas. Great writers know how to edit their work. For example, Ernest Hemingway edited the ending of his first novel, The Sun Also Rises, more than 30 times.
Most editors started out as writers. Master the craft of writing before you become an editor.
5. Don’t write a prologue.
John Grisham recommends that you start with chapter 1. Not a bad suggestion because readers want to be entertained when they read fiction.
