Writing Advice #9 *FORTUNE, COOKIES*

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Writing Advice #9

Hello everybody,

This week, I answered two questions (see below). I believe the fortune from the fortune cookie I received last night was meant for both of you…

The audacity to believe that you can do something you’ve never done before, something you don’t even know how to do, is a force that relies on one’s own innocence, i.e. idiotic wisdom combined with alien intelligence.

On the other side it said:

Lucky numbers 7, 12, 23, 24, 57, 99. Learn Chinese. 奇迹 Qíjì: miracle.

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Dear Ottessa Ma'am,

I am an aspiring writer from India. I am 16 years old. I am working on a novel.

What do we do if we feel like the idea we have come up with is not good, even though we know it is? Basically, how do we tackle lack of confidence while drafting a novel?

Thanks in advance.

Yours truly,

Laura Palmer

Dear Laura Palmer,

Here is my advice for how to tackle that nasty lack of confidence. The best time to do it is just before sleep and/or upon awakening.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Go somewhere quiet and private. If there are too many people around you at home, take a shower and do it with the water running over your head. Door locked. The point is that you have a few minutes where it is safe to move inward.

2. Close your eyes and imagine you are at the top of a staircase. The staircase doesn’t matter. They can be cement or marble or wood. They can be glass. If there is a railing, hold it with your dominant hand (the one you use for writing).