In case you need some encouragement to carry your creative work across the finish line during this trying season, we have compiled a list of charming, insightful, and bolstering writing advice from a few people who know what’s up:
“A short-story writer should be brave. It’s a sad fact to acknowledge, but that’s the way it is.” — Roberto Bolano
“One of the things I love about writing is the freedom that it allows me to explore my own mind. It’s a wonderful job if you’re interested in the ways in which we learn about our own process of intellection. In that discovery, you find that the things that stand out to you as an artist are finding the ways to tell the truth.” — Hilton Als
“The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you’re allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it’s definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I’m not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.” — Neil Gaiman
“For me, the writing life doesn’t just happen when I sit at the writing desk. It is a life lived with a centering principle, and mine is this: that I will pay close attention to this world I find myself in.” — Julia Alvarez
So get digging, Portland State, and leave the talking to Pathos. Don’t let your fine work sit on the back burner this fall, no matter how dire that midterms front burner becomes. Visit our submissions guideline page for tips and procedures on how to submit your creative work for the Fall 2015 issue by November 6th!
