theworldsgreatestdetective0 asked:
Mr. Neil, I have perhaps the most important question I could ask here.
The core of writing advice has one thing. One, special thing to it. And that is: “Write. Write write write.”
But what COUNTS as writing? Surely writing a manual for a lawnmower has nothing to do with becoming a fiction writer.
But what about writing fan fiction? Writing out a dnd story with original characters? Does it just have to be publishable work in the most serious sense?
neil-gaiman answered:
What counts as writing is writing. Learning how to express yourself clearly is everything. Writing a manual for a lawnmower that’s a good manual for a lawnmower will teach you a lot of about clearly telling people what things look like and how to do things in your fiction. No joke. Write.
