MENU Skip to primary navigation Cassandra Clare NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS Writing Advice RESOURCES AND TIPS. Now. I have a complicated relationship with giving writing advice. I never know whether what works for me will work for others, or even that what works for me will work for me again next time I try it. So this page mainly collects links to the writing advice I personally have found useful in the past. If you’re asking about how to get published — How do I find a publisher? What do you do to get published? — then skip down to question 13. And please keep in mind that due to legal reasons, I can’t read your work. Please don’t send it to me. If you’re looking for someone to critique your writing, there are some resources for that linked below. WRITING ADVICE Where do you start a book? With plot, characters, or dialogue? Where do you get ideas? I have trouble with characters. How do I handle backstory? How do I introduce a character with a really complicated past without putting that past into a big chunk up front that confuses and disorients the reader? How do I get inspired and stay inspired to finish my work? How do I get motivated? How do I keep from getting distracted? Do you have specific advice for teen writers? Will my age be a problem in looking for an agent/publisher? I don’t know how to build a fantasy world. How do you do that? I can’t figure out how to plot! How do you write good dialogue? How many pages is my book supposed to be? But I still don’t understand how to write a novel? I’m writing my novel but I’m stuck and can’t go on. Or, I keep starting books and then giving up in the middle, how do I keep going? How do you go about getting published? How do you make a living being a writer/what classes should I take/how much will I get paid? People often mention finding a critique group to help me with my work; how do I do that? How do I take a big inchoate mess of ideas and organize them into a coherent story? How do I find my writing voice? Do writers have any say in what goes on their book covers? How do I know how much detail/description to use in a story? How do I know when it’s too much? How do I outline a story or novel? Help! I have writer’s block! What do I do? I have a bunch of different ideas for books or stories, how do I decide which one to write first? My writing is boring/slow/dull; how do I make it more interesting? How do you name characters? How do I “drop clues” into my book subtly enough so that later, readers realize that they were important, but not so obviously that they give the plot away? SIGN UP FOR CASSIE’S MAILING LIST TO GET NEWS & EXCLUSIVE CONTENT DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX! Privacy Policy Terms of Use Ask Cassandra © Copyright 2006-2021 Cassandra Clare. All Rights Reserved. Web Design by Moxie Design Studios Privacy & Cookies Policy