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

General Posts:

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