It’s possible to get too much writing advice from famous writers, but so far I don’t think I’ve hit that threshold. I love hearing other writers explain what “works” for them. So below, some long-ago advice Oxford don and Narnia expert C. S. Lewis, shared with an American schoolgirl way back in 1959.
Incidentally, Lewis famously answered every letter he got, no matter who the sender was. Consequently, he spent hours every day in correspondence.
As for the letter below, my favorite chunk of advice is #6. I’ve long adhered to it: “When you give up a bit of work don’t (unless it is hopelessly bad) throw it away. Put it in a drawer. It may come in useful later. Much of my best work, or what I think my best, is the rewriting of things begun and abadoned years earlier.” (I should add that many large plastic bins stored in the garage testify to my adherence to this advice.)
Tags: C.S. Lewis