Response to "Letter to a Young Writer" by Richard Bausch

The ten list of commandments for writers that Mr. Bausch has come up with are fantastic. I've heard several of these tips before and it is always good to have them reinforced from other successful writers. Probably my favorite of all of these tips is that in order to be a good writer, one must read often. One thing about being part of the millennial generation that bothers me is that a good portion of the people I meet seem to hate reading and just avoid it altogether. This is so damaging because reading is so important. I think that kids need to learn how to select their own books and read books that give them joy, rather than develop a hatred for them because their schools and teachers make them read certain books that they are uninterested in. In my opinion, that is where this "hatred of reading" begins.

Another of Mr. Bausch's tips that I really appreciate and agree with is learning the ability to write anywhere. Personally, I used to have this ability when I was younger and I seem to have lost it over the years. Now, when I write, I need a space where I am alone and some faint music is playing in the background. I want to be able to write when I'm on a crowded subway in New York City or on the train ride back to my mom's house in Connecticut. I'm disappointed that this ability has slipped away over the years, so this is something that I need to pay attention to and practice more.

I also think that the tip of not thinking, but dreaming when one is writing is especially important. Sometimes, I get caught up with the words that I'm using and the way I'm structuring my sentences when I'm writing rather than getting what I envision in my head down onto the page.  I think that the amount of essays I had to write in high school (and even in college) has made me hate revising and editing, and this has trickled over into my own personal writing. I am well aware now how important it is for me to revise and rewrite before I submit any of my own work, and I am trying to allocate more time for this each time I create a new piece of prose.

I would love to add my own personal tip to this list, and that is to find what genre you love to read, write that particular genre and practice it persistently. Often times, many writers have said to constantly explore different genres even if you are sure you have found your niche with one.  I respectfully disagree with that because I believe that, for example, if you don't read science fiction, you are going to have a difficult time writing it. You won't know all the tips and tricks that science fiction writers know if you try to write science fiction but enjoy reading nonfiction. They are completely different for a reason! That being said, if one wants to try to write a different genre, then they should absolutely read lots of books written in that genre before trying their hand at it themselves.