
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
- Agatha Christie – Analysing The Best-Selling Novelist Of All Time
- A.L. Kennedy’s 10 Rules for Writing Fiction
- Alfred Hitchcock: 6 Things Hitchcock Can Teach You About Writing
- Amitava Kumar’s 10 Rules For Writing
- Andrew Motion‘s 10 Rules For Writers
- Anne Enright‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
- Anne Lamott On Life And Writing
- Annie Proulx’s 5 Rules For Good Writing
- Anthony Horowitz’s 4 Steps To Creating A Suspenseful Adventure
- Anton Chekhov’s 8 Criteria That Define Civilised People
- Barbara Kingsolver’s Top 8 Writing Tips
- Bernard Cornwell: 6 Writing Tips
- Beatrix Potter: 5 Things Beatrix Potter Can Teach You About Writing
- Blake Bailey’s 5 Tips For Writers
- C. S. Lewis’s 5 Rules For Writers
- Carl Hiaasen On Writing
- Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s 10 Captivating Quotes About Books
- Cathy Hopkins’ Top 10 Writing Tips
- Charles Dickens – 7 Bits Of Writing Advice From His Works
- Charles Dickens – The Original Self-Published Success Story
- Cheryl Strayed’s Advice For Beginner Writers
- Chris Bohjalian: 10 Tips To Help Writers Stretch Their Fiction
- Chuck Palahniuk: 13 Writing Tips
- Colm Tóibín’s 10 Rules for Writing Fiction
- Cornelia Funke’s Top 10 Tips For Writing Ghost Stories
- Dashiel Hammett’s 24 Rules For Detective Writers
- David Baldacci’s 5 Top Writing Tips
- David Hare’s 10 Rules for Writers
- David Ogilvy: Tips On Writing
- Dean Koontz On Overcoming Self-Doubt
- Dennis Lehane’s 10 Rules For Writers
- Don Delillo’s Writing Guide
- Dorothy Allison’s 5 Top Writing Tips
- Dorothy Parker: On Writing
- Douglas Adams: 10 Tips For Writers
- Dr Seuss On Writing
- e.e. cummings – on being nobody-but-yourself
- E.B. White: Hang On To Hope
- E.B. White On Writing
- Edgar Allan Poe: 5 Tips For Writing Vivid Fiction
- Elmore Leonard’s 11 Rules For Writing Fiction
- Ernest Hemingway: 27 Gems On Writing
- Ernest Hemingway: How He Changed The Writing Landscape
- Ernest Hemingway To F. Scott Fitzgerald: Writing Advice Between Friends
- Esther Freud’s Seven Rules For Writing
- F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 7 Tips For Writing Fiction
- Geoff Dyer‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
- George Orwell’s 6 Questions And 6 Rules For Writing
- George R. R. Martin’s Writing Advice
- Graham Greene’s Writing Process
- Haruki Murakami On Writing
- Helen Dunmore’s 9 Rules For Writing Fiction
- Henry Miller’s 11 Writing Commandments
- Hilary Mantel‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
- Ian Fleming: 5 Writing Secrets
- Ian Rankin’s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
- Isabel Allende’s Writing Process
- J.R.R. Tolkien: The Greatest Fictional World Builders Teach You To Write Fantasy
- J.R.R. Tolkien’s 10 Tips For Writers
- Jack Kerouac’s 30 Rules for Writing
- Jackie Collins: 5 Bestselling Storytelling Lessons
- Jaime Lowe’s 8 Rules For Writing Memoirs
- James Patterson: 7 Invaluable Lessons For Writers
- James Rollins’ 3 Tips For Writers
- Jane Austen: 6 Lessons On Love, Life & Writing
- Jane Austen: How Did She Learn To Write?
- Janet Evanovich’s 12 Tips For Writing A Query Letter
- Janet Evanovich: Making Time To Write: 4 Tips
- Janet Fitch’s Top 10 Writing Tips
- Jeanette Winterson’s 10 Rules for Writing
- Jeffery Deaver‘s 10 Writing Tips
- Jeffrey Archer’s Top 10 Writing Tips
- Jennifer Egan’s Advice For Young Writers
- Jennifer Niven’s Top 12 Writing Tips
- Jodi Picoult’s Top 3 Writing Tips
- Joe Eszterhas’s 10 Golden Rules of Screenwriting
- John Grisham’s 8 Do’s And Don’ts For Popular Fiction
- John Irving: On Writing
- John Steinbeck’s 6 Writing Tips
- Jonathan Franzen‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
- Joseph Finder’s 8 Tips For Writers
- Joy Williams’ 8 Essential Attributes Of The Short Story
- Joyce Carol Oates’ 7 Rules For Writing
- Keith Waterhouse’s 12 Ground Rules for Writers
- Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Writing Tips (& A Letter Of Advice For The Future)
- Kurt Vonnegut Explains The Shapes Of Stories
- Kurt Vonnegut On Making Your Soul Grow
- Laini Taylor: 5 Really Useful Writing Tips
- Lev Grossman’s 7 Tips For Writers
- Liane Moriarty’s Writing Tips
- Margaret Atwood‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
- Marian Keyes’ 3 Tips For New Writers
- Marisha Pessl Answers 5 Questions On Writing
- Martin Amis’s 16 Rules For Writers
- Mary Hoffman’s Top 10 Rules For Fantasy Writers
- Mary Karr’s Memoir Checklist To Stave Off Dread
- Max Brooks’ 5 Writing Tips
- Maya Angelou’s Writing Process
- Meg Cabot’s Advice For Young Writers
- Michael Moorcock’s 10 Rules for Writers
- Michael Morpurgo’s 10 Rules For Writers
- Neil Gaiman: How To Become A Writer – The Easy Way
- Neil Gaiman – On Making Good Art
- Neil Gaiman’s 8 Rules For Writers
- Nicholas Evans On Why Writing Is Like Going On A Hike
- Nietzsche’s 10 Rules For Writers
- Norman Mailer – 6 Writing Tips
- Octavia E. Butler’s Writing Advice
- Orson Scott Card On Building An Audience
- Oscar Wilde – 10 Quotable Tips On Writing
- P.D. James – On Writing
- Patrick Ness’s 5 Main Tips For Fiction Writers
- Paulo Coelho: 10 Writing Tips
- Peter James’ 7 Top Writing Tips
- Philip Pullman: On Writer’s Block
- Philippa Gregory‘s Writing tips
- Pixar’s 22 Storytelling Rules
- Proust’s Questionnaire – 35 Questions Every Character Should Answer
- R.L. Stine’s 10 Tips For Curing Writer’s Block
- Richard Ford‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
- Roald Dahl: 7 Writing Tips
- Robert A. Heinlein’s 5 Rules For Writers
- Roddy Doyle’s 10 Rules For Writers
- Rose Tremain’s 10 Rules for Writers
- Ruth Rendell On Writing Suspense
- Sarah Waters‘ 10 Rules For Writers
- Sebastian Faulks On Finding Excuses Not To Write
- Simon Scarrow’s 6 Tips For Aspiring Writers
- Stan Lee: 6 Superhero Writing Tips
- Stephen King: 10 Bits Of Writing Advice
- Stephen King: 13 Writing Lessons From On Writing
- Stephen King’s Muse Is A Basement Kind Of A Guy
- Sue Monk Kidd’s 10 Most Helpful Writing Tips
- Susan Sontag: 7 Pearls Of Writing Wisdom
- Tamora Pierce On How To Deal With Writer’s Block
- Terry McMillan: 20 Writing Tips
- Tess Gerritsen’s Writing Process
- Toni Morrison: 6 Things You Can Learn
- V.S. Naipaul’s 7 Rules For Beginner Writers
- Virginia Woolf: 10 Writing Tips
- Vladimir Nabokov’s 3 Qualities For A Major Writer
- Walt Disney: 7 Tips For Writers
- Warren Ellis’s 3 Questions To Find A Story
- Will Self‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
- William Faulkner: 10 Things He Had To Say About Writing
- William Goldman‘s 10 Commandments On Writing
- William Safire’s 33 Fumblerules Of Grammar
- Zadie Smith‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
General Posts:
- 7 Tips From Famous Writers On Getting Started
- 7 Tips To Help You Write Like Neil Gaiman
- 10 Elementary Tips For Writers From Sherlock Holmes
- 15 Authors On The Best Writing Advice They Received
- 17 Things You Probably Never Knew About Arthur Conan Doyle
- Billy Collins’s 6 Elements Of A Poem
- Billy Collins’s 6 Pleasures Of Poetry
- David Foster Wallace – 3 Takeaways For Writers
- Emily Dickinson – How to use her 4 Super Simple Writing Techniques
- Ernest Hemingway – How To Write Like Hemingway With These 10 Easy Tips
- Frank Herbert: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
- George Lucas: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
- Janet Burroway’s 3 Principles Of Effective Narrative Setting
- Janet Burroway’s 4 Aspects Of Narrative Time
- J.K. Rowling: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
- J.R.R. Tolkien: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
- Lewis Carroll: 10 Things Writers Can Learn
- Neil Gaiman – 7 Tips to Write Like Him
- Robin Robb: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
- Rudyard Kipling’s 7 Rules For Life In London
- Terry Pratchett: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
- 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.
If you enjoyed this article, read:
- The Anatomy Of A Sequel
- The Anatomy Of A Scene
- Everything You Need To Know About Scenes And Sequels
- The 17 Most Popular Genres In Fiction – And Why They Matter
- Cheat Sheets For Writing Body Language
TOP TIP: If you want fabulous writing advice, buy one (or more) of our writing workbooks.