Steinbeck Letter to his Writing Professor

[Steerpike]

It is a good letter about writing and the life of a writer in general, and I agree with what Steinbeck is saying here. Time and again we see questions on writing forums asking "Can I do X?" The answer is always "yes," followed by the caveat "if you do it effectively." I think it holds true for all writers, regardless of genre. My signature line is taken from this letter.

John Steinbeck - Advice to an Author

 

[Steerpike]

Here's a good quote from the letter, regarding something his writing Professor taught:

The basic rule you gave us was simple and heartbreaking. A story to be effective had to convey something from writer to reader and the power of its offering was the measure of its excellence. Outside of that, you said, there were no rules. A story could be about anything and could use any means and technique at all—so long as it was effective.

If there is one principle a writer should understand, that's it. Of course, how to be effective is something on which volumes could be written, but if you don't have this fundamental understanding you are limiting yourself.

 

[Sia]

Nope. You can write anything at all in any way you like . Just don't inflict it on the world until it's effective.

 

[Terry Greer]

Very good words.

 

[Mythopoet]

Here's a good quote from the letter, regarding something his writing Professor taught:



If there is one principle a writer should understand, that's it. Of course, how to be effective is something on which volumes could be written, but if you don't have this fundamental understanding you are limiting yourself.

That is definitely the most brilliant writing advice I have ever heard. Too much advice focuses on how what should be conveyed or how it should be conveyed. Neither of these is really important because they are so subjective. What's important is that you, the author, are communicating an experience to the reader.

I love this too:

The only way to write a good short story, you said, was to write a good short story.

and

If there is a magic in story writing, and I am convinced that there is, no one has ever been able to reduce it to a recipe that can be passed from one person to another. The formula seems to lie solely in the aching urge of the writer to convey something he feels important to the reader. If the writer has that urge, he may sometimes but by no means always find the way to do it.

Brilliant.

Also, you can buy the book by Edith Mirrielees that the letter mentions here:

Amazon.com: Story Writing (9781434474063): Edith Ronald Mirrielees: Books