Hemingway's Advice and List of Essential Books for Aspiring Writers (2016)

2 mitchbob 1 5/28/2025, 1:26:20 AM themarginalian.org ↗

Comments (1)

ggm · 1d ago
> "Sometimes you can go on writing for years before it shows. If a man’s got it in him, it will come out sometime. The only thing I can advise you is to keep on writing but it’s a damned tough racket. The only reason I make any money at it is I’m a sort of literary pirate. Out of every ten stories I write, only one is any good and I throw the other nine away."

Not sure the "pirate" word in there refers to his 1:10 ratio. Other comments suggest he knew he was robbing past masters for ideas.

That aside, sage advice. Don't expect every word to be a winner, prune, and be prepared for the long haul.