Writing Advice From The World’s Most Famous Authors

Writers Write is a resource for writers. We’ve put together a comprehensive list of writing advice from the world’s most famous authors.

Over the years, we have featured many posts on the advice famous writers give. We’ve enjoyed collecting them and writing about them.

And now, links to these pearls of wisdom are available in one bumper post.

Scroll through the list to read what literary icons like William Faulkner, Virginia Woolf, and Ernest Hemingway have had to say about writing.

Writing Advice From The World’s Most Famous Authors

1. A.L. Kennedy’s 10 Rules for Writing Fiction
2. Agatha Christie: 7 Excellent Plotting Tips
3. Alfred Hitchcock: 6 Things Hitchcock Can Teach You About Writing
4. Alice Adams’s Pattern For Writing A Short Story
5. Amitava Kumar’s 10 Rules For Writing
6. Andrew Motion‘s 10 Rules For Writers
7. Anne Enright‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
8. Anne Lamott On Life And Writing
9. Anne Sexton: 7 Bits Of Writing Advice
10. Annie Proulx’s 5 Rules For Good Writing
11. Anthony Horowitz’s 4 Steps To Creating A Suspenseful Adventure
12. Anton Chekhov’s 8 Criteria That Define Civilised People
13. Barbara Kingsolver’s Top 8 Writing Tips
14. Bernard Cornwell: 6 Writing Tips
15. Beatrix Potter: 5 Things Beatrix Potter Can Teach You About Writing
16. Bill Watterson: 6 Writing Lessons
17. Blake Bailey’s 5 Tips For Writers
18. C. S. Lewis’s 5 Rules For Writers
19. Carl Hiaasen On Writing
20. Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s 10 Captivating Quotes About Books
21. Cathy Hopkins’ Top 10 Writing Tips
22. Charles Dickens: 7 Bits Of Writing Advice From His Works
23. Charles Dickens: The Original Self-Published Success Story
24. Cheryl Strayed’s Advice For Beginner Writers
25. Chinua Achebe: 7 Bits Of Writing Advice
26. Chris Bohjalian: 10 Tips To Help Writers Stretch Their Fiction
27. Chuck Palahniuk: 13 Writing Tips
28. Colm Tóibín’s 10 Rules for Writing Fiction
29. Cormac McCarthy: 7 Bits Of Writing Advice
30. Cornelia Funke’s Top 10 Tips For Writing Ghost Stories
31. Curtis Sittenfeld’s 5 Steps For Writing A Short Story
32. Dashiel Hammett’s 24 Rules For Detective Writers
33. David Baldacci’s 5 Top Writing Tips
34. David Hare’s 10 Rules for Writers
35. David Ogilvy: Tips On Writing
36. Dean Koontz On Overcoming Self-Doubt
37. Dennis Lehane’s 10 Rules For Writers
38. Don Delillo’s Writing Guide
39. Dorothy Allison’s 5 Top Writing Tips
40. Dorothy Parker: On Writing
41. Douglas Adams: 10 Tips For Writers
42. Dr Seuss On Writing
43. e.e. cummings – on being nobody-but-yourself
44. E.B. White: Hang On To Hope
45. E.B. White On Writing
46. Edgar Allan Poe: 5 Tips For Writing Vivid Fiction
47. Elmore Leonard’s 11 Rules For Writing Fiction
48. Ernest Hemingway: 27  Gems On Writing
49. Ernest Hemingway: How He Changed The Writing Landscape
50. Ernest Hemingway To F. Scott Fitzgerald: Writing Advice Between Friends
51. Esther Freud’s Seven Rules For Writing
52. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 7 Tips For Writing Fiction
53. Gail Carson Levine’s 7 Rules For Writing
54. Geoff Dyer‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
55. George Orwell’s 6 Questions And 6 Rules For Writing
56. George R. R. Martin’s Writing Advice
57. Graham Greene’s Writing Process
58. H. G. Wells‘ Writing Advice
59. Haruki Murakami On Writing
60. Helen Dunmore’s 9 Rules For Writing Fiction
61. Henry Miller’s 11 Writing Commandments
62. Hilary Mantel‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
63. Ian Fleming: 5 Writing Secrets
64. Ian McEwan: 7 Writing Observations
65. Ian Rankin’s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
66. Iris Murdoch: 5 Bits Of Writing Advice
67. Isaac Bashevis Singer’s 3 Characteristics A Work Of Fiction Must Possess
68. Isabel Allende’s Writing Process
69. J.R.R. Tolkien: The Greatest Fictional World Builders Teach You To Write Fantasy
70. J.R.R. Tolkien’s 10 Tips For Writers
71. Jack Kerouac’s 30 Rules for Writing
72. Jaime Lowe’s 8 Rules For Writing Memoirs
73. James Patterson: 7 Invaluable Lessons For Writers
74. James Rollins’ 3 Tips For Writers
75. Jane Austen: 6 Lessons On Love, Life & Writing
76. Jane Austen: How Did She Learn To Write?
77. Jane Hirshfield: Why She Writes
78. Janet Evanovich’s 12 Tips For Writing A Query Letter
79. Janet Evanovich: Making Time To Write: 4 Tips
80. Janet Fitch’s Top 10 Writing Tips
81. Jeanette Winterson’s 10 Rules for Writing
82. Jeffery Deaver‘s 10 Writing Tips
83. Jeffrey Archer’s Top 10 Writing Tips
84. Jennifer Egan’s Advice For Young Writers
85. Jennifer Niven’s Top 12 Writing Tips
86. Jodi Picoult’s Top 3 Writing Tips
87. Joe Eszterhas’s 10 Golden Rules of Screenwriting
88. John Grisham’s 8 Do’s And Don’ts For Popular Fiction
89. John Irving: On Writing
90. John Steinbeck’s 6 Writing Tips
91. Jonathan Franzen‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
92. Jorge Luis Borges‘s 6 Bits of Writing Advice
93. Joseph Finder’s 8 Tips For Writers
94. Joy Williams’ 8 Essential Attributes Of The Short Story
95. Joyce Carol Oates’ 7 Rules For Writing
96. Judy Reeves’s 10 Daily Habits That Make a (Good) Writer
97. Kate DiCamillo’s 6 Writing Tips
98. Kazuo Ishiguro – 7 Bits Of Writing Advice
99. Keith Waterhouse’s 12 Ground Rules for Writers
100. Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Writing Tips (& A Letter Of Advice For The Future)
101. Kurt Vonnegut Explains The Shapes Of Stories
102. Kurt Vonnegut On Making Your Soul Grow
103. Laini Taylor: 5 Really Useful Writing Tips
104. Lev Grossman’s 7 Tips For Writers
105. Liane Moriarty’s Writing Tips
106. Lisa Genova’s 10 Rules Of Writing
107. Lisa Jewell’s 12 Writing Tips
108. Louis Sachar On Writing
109. Margaret Atwood‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
110. Marian Keyes’ 3 Tips For New Writers
111. Marisha Pessl Answers 5 Questions On Writing
112. Mark Twain: 7 Bits Of Writing Advice
113. Martin Amis’s 16 Rules For Writers
114. Mary Hoffman’s Top 10 Rules For Fantasy Writers
115. Mary Karr’s Memoir Checklist To Stave Off Dread
116. Mary Oliver: 7 Bits Of Poetry Advice
117. Max Brooks’ 5 Writing Tips
118. Maya Angelou’s Writing Process
119. Meg Cabot’s Advice For Young Writers
120. Michael Moorcock’s 10 Rules for Writers
121. Michael Morpurgo’s 10 Rules For Writers
122. Neil Gaiman: How To Become A Writer – The Easy Way
123. Neil Gaiman – On Making Good Art
124. Neil Gaiman’s 8 Rules For Writers
125. Nicholas Evans On Why Writing Is Like Going On A Hike
126. Nietzsche’s 10 Rules For Writers
127. Nora Roberts On How She Writes
128. Norman Mailer – 6 Writing Tips
129. Octavia E. Butler’s Writing Advice
130. Orson Scott Card On Building An Audience
131. Oscar Wilde: 10 Quotable Tips On Writing
132. P.D. James On Writing
133. Patrick Ness’s 5 Main Tips For Fiction Writers
134. Paulo Coelho: 10 Writing Tips
135. Peter James’ 7 Top Writing Tips
136. Philip Pullman: On Writer’s Block
137. Philippa Gregory‘s Writing tips
138. Pixar’s 22 Storytelling Rules
139. Proust’s Questionnaire – 35 Questions Every Character Should Answer
140. R.L. Stine’s 10 Tips For Curing Writer’s Block
141. Raymond Carver: 7 Bits Of Writing Advice
142. Richard Ford‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
143. Roald Dahl: 7 Writing Tips
144. Robert A. Heinlein’s 5 Rules For Writers
145. Roddy Doyle’s 10 Rules For Writers
146. Rose Tremain’s 10 Rules for Writers
147. Ruth Rendell On Writing Suspense
148. Sarah Waters‘ 10 Rules For Writers
149. Sebastian Faulks On Finding Excuses Not To Write
150. Simon Scarrow’s 6 Tips For Aspiring Writers
151. Stan Lee: 6 Superhero Writing Tips
152. Stephen King: 10 Bits Of Writing Advice
153. Stephen King: 13 Writing Lessons From On Writing
154. Stephen King’s Muse Is A Basement Kind Of A Guy
155. Sue Monk Kidd’s 10 Most Helpful Writing Tips
156. Susan Sontag: 7 Pearls Of Writing Wisdom
157. Tamora Pierce On How To Deal With Writer’s Block
158. Terry McMillan: 20 Writing Tips
159. Tess Gerritsen’s Writing Process
160. Toni Morrison: 6 Things You Can Learn
161. Trudi Canavan’s 3 Tips To Improve Your Writing
162. Truman Capote: 7 Bits Of Writing Advice
163. V.S. Naipaul’s 7 Rules For Beginner Writers
164. Virginia Woolf: 10 Writing Tips
165. Vladimir Nabokov’s 3 Qualities For A Major Writer
166. Walt Disney: 7 Tips For Writers
167. Warren Ellis’s 3 Questions To Find A Story
168. Will Self‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
169. William Faulkner: 10 Things He Had To Say About Writing
170. William Goldman‘s 10 Commandments On Writing
171. William Safire’s 33 Fumblerules Of Grammar
172. Zadie Smith‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction

General Posts:

1. 7 Tips From Famous Writers On Getting Started
2. 7 Tips To Help You Write Like Neil Gaiman
3. 10 Elementary Tips For Writers From Sherlock Holmes
4. 15 Authors On The Best Writing Advice They Received
5. 17 Things You Probably Never Knew About Arthur Conan Doyle
6. Agatha Christie – Analysing The Best-Selling Novelist Of All Time
7. Billy Collins’s 6 Elements Of A Poem
8. Billy Collins’s 6 Pleasures Of Poetry
9. David Foster Wallace – 3 Takeaways For Writers
10. Emily Dickinson – How to use her 4 Super Simple Writing Techniques
11. Ernest Hemingway – How To Write Like Hemingway With These 10 Easy Tips
12. Frank Herbert: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
13. George Lucas: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
14. Jackie Collins: 5 Bestselling Storytelling Lessons
15. Janet Burroway’s 3 Principles Of Effective Narrative Setting
16. Janet Burroway’s 4 Aspects Of Narrative Time
17. J.K. Rowling: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
18. J.R.R. Tolkien: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
19. Lewis Carroll: 10 Things Writers Can Learn
20. Neil Gaiman – 7 Tips to Write Like Him
21. Robin Robb: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
22. Rudyard Kipling’s 7 Rules For Life In London
23. Terry Pratchett: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
24. The Fascinating Writing Habits of 31 Famous Authors

We hope this advice from the world’s most famous authors inspires you to write.

TIP: If you want help writing a book, buy The Novel Writing Exercises Workbook.

by Amanda Patterson

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5. Cheat Sheets For Writing Body Language

TOP TIP: If you want fabulous writing advice, buy one (or more) of our writing workbooks.