Out of all the advice articles I've read in the various writing classes I've taken, Silvis' list was the most entertaining and brought several I had never heard before.
Step one made me laugh because I realized it has to be true. Everyone has some degree of strangeness to them or abnormality, writers just need to be more aware of it in themselves and in others. Those quirks are what make good stories, whether in a fictional or non-fictional setting.
Though he titles step 3, 'Live Life,' I thought his final sentence in it was the real takeaway: Keep your senses ray and your third eye open. It's what writers have to do and is very much related to step 4. We have to put ourselves out there and experience as much as we can as writers and then write it all down or store it in our conscious mind permanently.
It was a little harsh when Silvis' says that "nobody reads anymore." It's sad to think about, but it is true in a general sense. I did appreciate, though, his advice on what other jobs there are for someone who wants to write but needs to pay the bills (and eat). The irony, though, was that he said teaching was the least helpful profession a writer could pursue while Silvis' is, himself, a teacher.
What I liked about the remaining steps was that Silvis wasn't afraid to admit his own mistakes. It made him a reliable source, so when he tells us that teaching is a bad idea and putting writing before love is a worse idea, you want to listen because you know he's learned it the hard way.
And unlike the other articles about writing we've read this quarter, Silvis' tells you to keep dreaming, but stay disciplined and work for it. He isn't nice about the realities of the publishing world, though he reminds us that it's still worth it as long as there's a chance, no matter how small.
Justyne Marin
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