The Best Writing Advice From The World’s Most Famous Authors

Looking for expert writing advice? We’ve put together a comprehensive list of writing tips and insights 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.

The Best 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 6 Rules For Writing Fiction
13. Arthur Hailey: 5 Bits Of Writing Advice
14. Austin Kleon: ‘How To Steal Like An Artist’ – Writing Advice
15. Barbara Kingsolver’s Top 8 Writing Tips
16. Bernard Cornwell: 6 Writing Tips
17. Beatrix Potter: 5 Things Beatrix Potter Can Teach You About Writing
18. Bill Watterson: 6 Writing Lessons
19. Billy Wilder‘s 10 Tips For Writing Screenplays
20. Blake Bailey’s 5 Tips For Writers
21. Bret Easton Ellis’s 2 Bits Of Writing Advice
22. C. S. Lewis’s 5 Rules For Writers
23. Carl Hiaasen On Writing
24. Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s 10 Captivating Quotes About Books
25. Cathy Hopkins’ Top 10 Writing Tips
26. Charles Bukowski: 6 Bits Of Writing Advice
27. Charles Bukowski: So You Want To Be A Writer? 
28. Charles Dickens: 7 Bits Of Writing Advice From His Works
29. Charles Dickens: The Original Self-Published Success Story
30. Cheryl Strayed’s Advice For Beginner Writers
31. Chinua Achebe: 7 Bits Of Writing Advice
32. Chris Bohjalian: 10 Tips To Help Writers Stretch Their Fiction
33. Chris d’Lacey’s Top 10 Writing Tips
34. Chuck Palahniuk: 13 Writing Tips
35. Colm Tóibín’s 10 Rules for Writing Fiction
36. Colson Whitehead: 10 Bits Of Writing Advice
37. Cormac McCarthy: 7 Bits Of Writing Advice
38. Cornelia Funke’s Top 10 Tips For Writing Ghost Stories
39. Cory Doctorow: Sensible Writing Tips
40. Curtis Sittenfeld’s 5 Steps For Writing A Short Story
41. Dashiel Hammett’s 24 Rules For Detective Writers
42. David Baldacci’s 5 Top Writing Tips
43. David Hare’s 10 Rules for Writers
44. David Ogilvy: Tips On Writing
45. Dean Koontz On Overcoming Self-Doubt
46. Dennis Lehane’s 10 Rules For Writers
47. Diana Gabaldon’s 3 Rules For Writing Fiction
48. Don Delillo’s Writing Guide
49. Dorothy Allison’s 5 Top Writing Tips
50. Dorothy Parker: On Writing
51. Douglas Adams: 10 Tips For Writers
52. Douglas Adams On The Difficulties Of Writing
53. Dr Seuss On Writing
54. e.e. cummings – on being nobody-but-yourself
55. E.B. White: Hang On To Hope
56. E.B. White On Writing
57. Edgar Allan Poe: 5 Tips For Writing Vivid Fiction
58. Edith Wharton On Writing Fiction
59. Elizabeth George’s Writing Process
60. Elizabeth Strout’s Writing Process
61. Elmore Leonard’s 11 Rules For Writing Fiction
62. Ernest Hemingway: 27  Gems On Writing
63. Ernest Hemingway: How He Changed The Writing Landscape
64. Ernest Hemingway To F. Scott Fitzgerald: Writing Advice Between Friends
65. Esther Freud’s Seven Rules For Writing
66. Eudora Welty: 8 Bits Of Writing Advice
67. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 7 Tips For Writing Fiction
68. Gail Carson Levine’s 7 Rules For Writing
69. Geoff Dyer‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
70. George Orwell’s 6 Questions And 6 Rules For Writing
71. George R. R. Martin’s Writing Advice
72. George Saunders Writing Tips
73. Graham Greene’s Writing Process
74. Guillermo del Toro: 9 Bits Of Writing Advice From 
75. H. G. Wells‘ Writing Advice
76. Harlan Coben On Writing Suspense
77. Haruki Murakami On Writing
78. Helen Dunmore’s 9 Rules For Writing Fiction
79. Henry Miller’s 11 Writing Commandments
80. Hilary Mantel‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
81. Ian Fleming: 5 Writing Secrets
82. Ian McEwan: 7 Writing Observations
83. Ian Rankin’s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
84. Iris Murdoch: 5 Bits Of Writing Advice
85. Isaac Asimov: 6 Bits Of Writing Advice
86. Isaac Bashevis Singer’s 3 Characteristics A Work Of Fiction Must Possess
87. Isabel Allende’s Writing Process
88. J.R.R. Tolkien’s 10 Tips For Writers
89. Jack Kerouac’s 30 Rules for Writing
90. Jaime Lowe’s 8 Rules For Writing Memoirs
91. James Joyce: 5 Bits Of Writing Advice
92. James Patterson: 7 Invaluable Lessons For Writers
93. James Rollins’ 3 Tips For Writers
94. Jane Austen: 6 Lessons On Love, Life & Writing
95. Jane Austen: How Did She Learn To Write?
96. Jane Hirshfield: Why She Writes
97. Janet Evanovich’s 12 Tips For Writing A Query Letter
98. Janet Evanovich: Making Time To Write: 4 Tips
99. Janet Fitch’s Top 10 Writing Tips
100. Jeanette Winterson’s 10 Rules for Writing
101. Jeffery Deaver‘s 10 Writing Tips
102. Jeffrey Archer’s Top 10 Writing Tips
103. Jennifer Egan’s Advice For Young Writers
104. Jennifer McMahon’s Top Writing Tips
105. Jennifer Niven’s Top 12 Writing Tips
106. Jodi Picoult’s Top 3 Writing Tips
107. Joe Eszterhas’s 10 Golden Rules of Screenwriting
108. John Grisham’s 8 Do’s And Don’ts For Popular Fiction
109. John Irving: 7 Bits Of Writing Advice
110. John Steinbeck’s 6 Writing Tips
111. John van de Ruit’s Top 10 Writing Tips
112. Jonathan Franzen‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
113. Jorge Luis Borges‘s 6 Bits of Writing Advice
114. Joseph Finder’s 8 Tips For Writers
115. Joy Williams’ 8 Essential Attributes Of The Short Story
116. Joyce Carol Oates’ 7 Rules For Writing
117. Judy Blume: 6 Bits Of Writing Advice
118. Judy Reeves’s 10 Daily Habits That Make a (Good) Writer
119. Jules Verne’s Writing Process
120. Kate DiCamillo’s 6 Writing Tips
121. Kathy Reichs‘s 5 Bits Of Writing Advice
122. Kazuo Ishiguro – 7 Bits Of Writing Advice
123. Keith Waterhouse’s 12 Ground Rules for Writers
124. Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Writing Tips (& A Letter Of Advice For The Future)
125. Kurt Vonnegut Explains The Shapes Of Stories
126. Kurt Vonnegut On Making Your Soul Grow
127. Laini Taylor: 5 Really Useful Writing Tips
128. Lev Grossman’s 7 Tips For Writers
129. Liane Moriarty’s Writing Tips
130. Lisa Genova’s 6 Rules Of Research
131. Lisa Genova’s 10 Rules Of Writing
132. Lisa Jewell’s 12 Writing Tips
133. Louis L’Amour: 6 Bits Of Writing Advice
134. Louis Sachar On Writing
135. Margaret Atwood‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
136. Marian Keyes’ 3 Tips For New Writers
137. Marisha Pessl Answers 5 Questions On Writing
138. Mark Twain: 7 Bits Of Writing Advice
139. Martin Amis’s 16 Rules For Writers
140. Mary Hoffman’s Top 10 Rules For Fantasy Writers
141. Mary Karr’s Memoir Checklist To Stave Off Dread
142. Mary Oliver: 7 Bits Of Poetry Advice
143. Max Brooks’ 5 Writing Tips
144. Maya Angelou’s Writing Process
145. Meg Cabot’s Advice For Young Writers
146. Michael Moorcock’s 10 Rules for Writers
147. Michael Morpurgo’s 10 Rules For Writers
148. Mickey Spillane: 6 Bits of Writing Advice
149. Naomi Alderman: 9 Bits Of Writing Advice
150. Neil Gaiman: How To Become A Writer – The Easy Way
151. Neil Gaiman – On Making Good Art
152. Neil Gaiman’s 8 Rules For Writers
153. Nicholas Evans On Why Writing Is Like Going On A Hike
154. Nietzsche’s 10 Rules For Writers
155. Nora Roberts On How She Writes
156. Norman Mailer – 6 Writing Tips
157. Octavia E. Butler’s Writing Advice
158. Orson Scott Card On Building An Audience
159. Oscar Wilde: 10 Quotable Tips On Writing
160. P.D. James On Writing
161. Patricia Hampl On Writing Memoirs
162. Patricia Highsmith: 5 Bits Of Writing Advice
163. Patrick Ness’s 5 Main Tips For Fiction Writers
164. Paulo Coelho: 10 Writing Tips
165. Peter James’ 7 Top Writing Tips
166. Philip Pullman: On Writer’s Block
167. Philip Roth’s Writing Process
168. Philippa Gregory‘s Writing tips
169. Pixar’s 22 Storytelling Rules
170. Proust’s Questionnaire – 35 Questions Every Character Should Answer
171. R.L. Stine’s 10 Tips For Curing Writer’s Block
172. Raymond Carver: 7 Bits Of Writing Advice
173. Richard Ford‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
174. Richard Osman: 6 Bits Of Writing Advice
175. Roald Dahl: 7 Writing Tips
176. Robert A. Heinlein’s 5 Rules For Writers
177. Roddy Doyle’s 10 Rules For Writers
178. Rose Tremain’s 10 Rules for Writers
179. Ruth Rendell On Writing Suspense
180. Sarah Waters‘ 10 Rules For Writers
181. Sebastian Faulks On Finding Excuses Not To Write
182. Simon Scarrow’s 6 Tips For Aspiring Writers
183. Stan Lee: 6 Superhero Writing Tips
184. Stephen King: 10 Bits Of Writing Advice
185. Stephen King: 13 Writing Lessons From On Writing
186. Stephen King’s Muse Is A Basement Kind Of A Guy
187. Sue Grafton’s Writing Process
188. Sue Monk Kidd’s 10 Most Helpful Writing Tips
189. Susan Sontag: 7 Pearls Of Writing Wisdom
190. Tamora Pierce On How To Deal With Writer’s Block
191. Terry McMillan: 20 Writing Tips
192. Tess Gerritsen’s Writing Process
193. Toni Morrison: 6 Things You Can Learn
194. Trudi Canavan’s 3 Tips To Improve Your Writing
195. Truman Capote: 7 Bits Of Writing Advice
196. V.S. Naipaul’s 7 Rules For Beginner Writers
197. Virginia Woolf: 10 Writing Tips
198. Vladimir Nabokov’s 3 Qualities For A Major Writer
199. Walt Disney: 7 Tips For Writers
200. Warren Ellis’s 3 Questions To Find A Story
201. Wilbur Smith: 6 Bits Of Writing advice
202. Will Self‘s 10 Rules For Writing Fiction
203. William Faulkner: 10 Things He Had To Say About Writing
204. William Goldman‘s 10 Commandments On Writing
205. William Safire’s 33 Fumblerules Of Grammar
206. 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. Anton Chekhov’s 8 Criteria That Define Civilised People
9. Billy Collins’s 6 Elements Of A Poem
10. Billy Collins’s 6 Pleasures Of Poetry
11. Brandon Sanderson’s 3 Rules For Magic
12. David Foster Wallace – 3 Takeaways For Writers
13. Emily Dickinson – How to use her 4 Super Simple Writing Techniques
14. Ernest Hemingway – How To Write Like Hemingway With These 10 Easy Tips
15. Frank Herbert: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
16. George Lucas: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
17. Hilary Mantel & Writing Historical Fiction
18. Jackie Collins: 5 Bestselling Storytelling Lessons
19. Janet Burroway’s 3 Principles Of Effective Narrative Setting
20. Janet Burroway’s 4 Aspects Of Narrative Time
21. J.K. Rowling: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
22. J.R.R. Tolkien: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
23. Lewis Carroll: 10 Things Writers Can Learn
24. Lord Byron: 6 Lessons On How To Make Others Swoon With Words
25. Neil Gaiman – 7 Tips to Write Like Him
26. Robin Robb: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
27. Rudyard Kipling’s 7 Rules For Life In London
28. Terry Pratchett: The Greatest Fictional World Builders
29. The Beat Generation: 6 Bits Of Writing Advice
30. The Fascinating Writing Habits of 31 Famous Authors
31. Why Thomas Harris‘s ‘The Silence Of The Lambs’ Is The Thriller Writer’s Bible

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

by Amanda Patterson

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