Quote:
Originally Posted by ApK
[...]If I were to attend a writing workshop with an author I admire, and I only got advice like "work hard" I'd ask for my money back.[...]
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Sure, there is an element of "you get what you pay for" in all this. But the reason why this rule comes up repeatedly is that it is the first and biggest stumbling block of would-be writers, and it is very often the answer to many questions regarding writing: How do you get past writer's block? How do you improve your writing? Where do you come up with your ideas? How do you finish a story?
Even the quote I posted earlier from Stephen Donaldson (about giving himself permission to write badly) boils down to this oh-so basic first rule. Yes, it is basic, yes, it applies to all such skills, and no, you wouldn't want to pay for the advice. But until it sinks in and you start using it, no writing workshop is going to be much use to you.