Writing Advice From The World's Most Famous Authors

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. Agatha Christie – Analysing The Best-Selling Novelist Of All Time
  2. A.L. Kennedy’s 10 Rules for Writing Fiction
  3. Alfred Hitchcock: 6 Things Hitchcock Can Teach You About Writing
  4. Amitava Kumar’s 10 Rules For Writing
  5. Andrew Motion‘s 10 Rules For Writers
  6. Anne Enright‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
  7. Anne Lamott On Life And Writing
  8. Annie Proulx’s 5 Rules For Good Writing
  9. Anthony Horowitz’s 4 Steps To Creating A Suspenseful Adventure
  10. Anton Chekhov’s 8 Criteria That Define Civilised People
  11. Barbara Kingsolver’s Top 8 Writing Tips
  12. Bernard Cornwell: 6 Writing Tips
  13. Beatrix Potter: 5 Things Beatrix Potter Can Teach You About Writing
  14. C. S. Lewis’s 5 Rules For Writers
  15. Carl Hiaasen On Writing
  16. Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s 10 Captivating Quotes About Books
  17. Cathy Hopkins’ Top 10 Writing Tips
  18. Charles Dickens – The Original Self-Published Success Story
  19. Cheryl Strayed’s Advice For Beginner Writers
  20. Chris Bohjalian: 10 Tips To Help Writers Stretch Their Fiction
  21. Chuck Palahniuk: 13 Writing Tips
  22. Colm Tóibín’s 10 Rules for Writing Fiction
  23. Cornelia Funke’s Top 10 Tips For Writing Ghost Stories
  24. Dashiel Hammett’s 24 Rules For Detective Writers
  25. David Ogilvy: Tips On Writing
  26. Dennis Lehane’s 10 Rules For Writers
  27. Don Delillo’s Writing Guide
  28. Dorothy Allison’s 5 Top Writing Tips
  29. Dorothy Parker: On Writing
  30. Douglas Adams: 10 Tips For Writers
  31. Dr Seuss On Writing
  32. e.e. cummings – on being nobody-but-yourself
  33. E.B. White: Hang On To Hope
  34. E.B. White On Writing
  35. Edgar Allan Poe: 5 Tips For Writing Vivid Fiction
  36. Elmore Leonard’s 11 Rules For Writing Fiction
  37. Ernest Hemingway: 27  Gems On Writing
  38. Ernest Hemingway: How He Changed The Writing Landscape
  39. Ernest Hemingway To F. Scott Fitzgerald: Writing Advice Between Friends
  40. Esther Freud’s Seven Rules For Writing
  41. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 7 Tips For Writing Fiction
  42. Geoff Dyer‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
  43. George Orwell’s 6 Questions And 6 Rules For Writing
  44. Graham Greene’s Writing Process
  45. Haruki Murakami On Writing
  46. Helen Dunmore’s 9 Rules For Writing Fiction
  47. Henry Miller’s 11 Writing Commandments
  48. Hilary Mantel‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
  49. Ian Fleming: 5 Writing Secrets
  50. Ian Rankin’s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
  51. J.R.R. Tolkien: The Greatest Fictional World Builders Teach You To Write Fantasy
  52. J.R.R. Tolkien’s 10 Tips For Writers
  53. Jack Kerouac’s 30 Rules for Writing
  54. Jackie Collins: 5 Bestselling Storytelling Lessons
  55. Jaime Lowe’s 8 Rules For Writing Memoirs
  56. James Patterson: 7 Invaluable Lessons For Writers
  57. Jane Austen: 6 Lessons On Love, Life & Writing
  58. Jane Austen: How Did She Learn To Write?
  59. Janet Evanovich’s 12 Tips For Writing A Query Letter
  60. Janet Evanovich: Making Time To Write: 4 Tips
  61. Janet Fitch’s Top 10 Writing Tips
  62. Jeanette Winterson’s 10 Rules for Writing
  63. Jeffery Deaver‘s 10 Writing Tips
  64. Jeffrey Archer’s Top 10 Writing Tips
  65. Jennifer Niven’s Top 12 Writing Tips
  66. Jodi Picoult’s Top 3 Writing Tips
  67. Joe Eszterhas’s 10 Golden Rules of Screenwriting
  68. John Grisham’s 8 Do’s And Don’ts For Popular Fiction
  69. John Irving: On Writing
  70. John Steinbeck’s 6 Writing Tips
  71. Jonathan Franzen‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
  72. Joseph Finder’s 8 Tips For Writers
  73. Joy Williams’ 8 Essential Attributes Of The Short Story
  74. Joyce Carol Oates’ 7 Rules For Writing
  75. Keith Waterhouse’s 12 Ground Rules for Writers
  76. Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Writing Tips (& A Letter Of Advice For The Future)
  77. Kurt Vonnegut Explains The Shapes Of Stories
  78. Kurt Vonnegut On Making Your Soul Grow
  79. Laini Taylor: 5 Really Useful Writing Tips
  80. Margaret Atwood‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
  81. Marisha Pessl Answers 5 Questions On Writing
  82. Martin Amis’s 16 Rules For Writers
  83. Mary Hoffman’s Top 10 Rules For Fantasy Writers
  84. Mary Karr’s Memoir Checklist To Stave Off Dread
  85. Max Brooks’ 5 Writing Tips
  86. Maya Angelou’s Writing Process
  87. Meg Cabot’s Advice For Young Writers
  88. Michael Moorcock’s 10 Rules for Writers
  89. Michael Morpurgo’s 10 Rules For Writers
  90. Neil Gaiman: How To Become A Writer – The Easy Way
  91. Neil Gaiman – On Making Good Art
  92. Neil Gaiman’s 8 Rules For Writers
  93. Nietzsche’s 10 Rules For Writers
  94. Orson Scott Card On Building An Audience
  95. P.D. James – On Writing
  96. Paulo Coelho: 10 Writing Tips
  97. Philip Pullman: On Writer’s Block
  98. Pixar’s 22 Storytelling Rules
  99. Proust’s Questionnaire – 35 Questions Every Character Should Answer
  100. Richard Ford‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
  101. Roald Dahl: 7 Writing Tips
  102. Robert A. Heinlein’s 5 Rules For Writers
  103. Roddy Doyle’s 10 Rules For Writers
  104. Rose Tremain’s 10 Rules for Writers
  105. Sarah Waters‘ 10 Rules For Writers
  106. Sebastian Faulks On Finding Excuses Not To Write
  107. Stan Lee: 6 Superhero Writing Tips
  108. Stephen King: 13 Writing Lessons From On Writing
  109. Stephen King’s Muse Is A Basement Kind Of A Guy
  110. Sue Monk Kidd’s 10 Most Helpful Writing Tips
  111. Tamora Pierce On How To Deal With Writer’s Block
  112. Terry McMillan: 20 Writing Tips
  113. Toni Morrison: 6 Things You Can Learn
  114. V.S. Naipaul’s 7 Rules For Beginner Writers
  115. Virginia Woolf: 10 Writing Tips
  116. Vladimir Nabokov’s 3 Qualities For A Major Writer
  117. Walt Disney: 7 Tips For Writers
  118. Warren Ellis’s 3 Questions To Find A Story
  119. Will Self‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
  120. William Faulkner: 10 Things He Had To Say About Writing
  121. William Goldman‘s 10 Commandments On Writing
  122. William Safire’s 33 Fumblerules Of Grammar
  123. Zadie Smith‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction

General Posts:

  1. 7 Tips From Famous Writers On Getting Started
  2. 10 Elementary Tips For Writers From Sherlock Holmes
  3. 15 Authors On The Best Writing Advice They Received
  4. 17 Things You Probably Never Knew About Arthur Conan Doyle
  5. George Lucas: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
  6. J.K. Rowling: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
  8. Robin Robb: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
  9. Rudyard Kipling’s 7 Rules For Life In London
  10. Terry Pratchett: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
  11. The Fascinating Writing Habits of 31 Famous Authors

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

by Amanda Patterson

If you enjoyed this article, read:

  1. The Anatomy Of A Sequel
  2. The Anatomy Of A Scene
  3. Everything You Need To Know About Scenes And Sequels
  4. The 17 Most Popular Genres In Fiction – And Why They Matter
  5. Cheat Sheets For Writing Body Language

TOP TIP: If you want to learn how to write a book, sign up for our online course.

  • Posted on 7th July 2017
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