Writing Wisdom...

I’m pretty excited. Tomorrow I’m going to present workshops at a local Young Authors’ Conference not far from my old home town in the mountains. I’m going to be working with kids in grades 6 through 8 – one of my favorite age groups. It's the first time I'll be back in my rural county in a few years.

I went to an arts camp in high school – on the wings of my visual art talent, not writing. And there, I remember interacting with other kids who were actors, artists, and writers, as we worked with professionals in the different disciplines. I especially remember the feeling of finding myself among people who were “from my planet” – they got what it was like to create something and to see the world a slightly different way.

So, off I go to teach these kids something valuable about writing. My workshop is going to be about layering in the details to make a scene come alive – something that I do in my own work somewhere between the first and second drafts.

I’ll tell them the most important piece of writing advice that I ever got, which was from my art teacher in college – to paraphrase - “Don’t be afraid to make crap.” In other words, don’t try for perfection, because you might limit yourself. Be brave, try something new and fail or succeed spectacularly.

What’s the best piece of advice on writing that you ever received?

Love and light,

Heather

www.heatherdavisbooks.com

Never Cry Werewolf – HarperTeen -09/09

The Clearing – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 04/10

Wherever You Go – Harcourt 2011