Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Tuesday's Tip

This one I'm stealing from a commencement speech Neil Gaiman delivered (you can find it floating around on YouTube):

Make mistakes. Make big mistakes.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I get handcuffed by trying to be careful, by trying not to mess up. And when I get careful, I think small. And thinking small deprives my work of its genuine self. Which is what makes it my work, and not somebody else's.

My passion is historical fiction. "They" say it doesn't sell. But I happen to love it and find only life and juiciness when I read about what people did in the past. It's so lively and juicy, I can't help wanting to share bits of it with contemporary readers, even though "they" have issued the genre's death knell. 

So I'm already following Neil Gaiman's advice -- how about you?!
Posted by at

6 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 5, 2012 at 8:29 AM

    "They" are so often clueless.

    ReplyDelete
  2. KarenCJune 5, 2012 at 8:36 AM

    Thanks for that, Kirby. It makes me feel better about my WIP, which I fear could be a BIG mistake. Eoi, eoi, as the Romans said.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kirby LarsonJune 5, 2012 at 8:43 AM

    Anon: I agree!

    Karen: You, my dear, are one of the reasons I am brave enough to forge on. Thanks for the continued inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  4. shells_bellesJune 7, 2012 at 9:27 PM

    I need to repeat that to myself three times daily!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Elizabeth O DulembaJune 8, 2012 at 11:00 AM

    If "make big mistakes" is the criteria - then I am an expert! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Liesl ShurtliffJune 11, 2012 at 2:11 PM

    Glad to know I'm still on track! I am still in the revision swamps where giant mistakes seem to be swallowing me whole. So I'm writing from inside the belly of a beast!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)