Writing advice from African American authors

Toni Morrison, winner of the Nobel Prize, shared advice to the mother of an aspiring writer in “Time Magazine.” Morrison said, “The work is in the work itself. If she writes a lot, that's good. If she revises a lot, that's even better. She should not only write about what she knows but about what she doesn't know. It extends the imagination.”Science fiction and fantasy writer Octavia Butler, author of “Kindred” and the “Parable” series, talked to SciFiDimensions about advice for up-and-coming writers. Her first piece of advice was to write. She said, “...write - every day, no excuses.  It's so easy to make excuses.  Even professional writers have days when they'd rather clean the toilet than do the writing.  Second, read every day.  Read voraciously and omnivorously, whatever's out there.  You never know what's gonna grab you.  Third, for people who aren't doing it already, take classes - they're worthwhile.  Workshops or classes - a workshop is where you do actually get feedback on your work, not just something where you go and sit for a day.  A workshop is a way of renting an audience, and making sure you're communicating what you think you're communicating.  It's so easy as a young writer to think you're been very clear when in fact you haven't.  Those are some of the suggestions I give to my young writers.”  James Baldwin’s first novel was “Go Tell It on the Mountain” and his first essay collection was “Notes of a Native Son.” These are probably his best-known works, but he continued to write more fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and plays.In an interview with “The Paris Review,” he gave this advice to aspiring writers: “Write. Find a way to keep alive and write. There is nothing else to say. If you are going to be a writer there is nothing I can say to stop you; if you’re not going to be a writer nothing I can say will help you. What you really need at the beginning is somebody to let you know that the effort is real.”View the list »
Maya Angelou is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” It became an immediate bestseller when it was published in 1969 and has been in print constantly ever since. Angelou has over 30 bestselling titles of poetry, nonfiction, and fiction.Oprah once asked Angelou, “Can anyone write a poem?” Angelou’s response was, “Yes, I think so. I don’t know if anyone will write a poem. You have to want to. You have to have sharp ears. And you have to not be afraid of being human.”

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In celebration of Black History Month, here is a collection of writing advice from some notable African American writers. The list includes great advice from Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Octavia Butler, Toni Morrison, ZZ Packer, and Alice Walker.

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These writers come from varied backgrounds and focus on different forms, but they have a common theme in their advice for writers: write.

Though that advice might be straight forward, most of these writers have acknowledged that writing isn’t easy. In an interview with “The Paris Review” James Baldwin was asked, “Is there a big shifting of gears between writing fiction and writing nonfiction?” His response was candid: “Shifting gears, you ask. Every form is difficult, no one is easier than another. They all kick your ass. None of it comes easy.”

Readers are thankful that James Baldwin and many other black writers persevered through the difficult process of writing. Click through the list to read writing advice from a group of celebrated black authors.

View the list
  • Maya Angelou is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” It became an immediate bestseller when it was published in 1969 and has been in print constantly ever since. Angelou has over 30 bestselling titles of poetry, nonfiction, and fiction.Oprah once asked Angelou, “Can anyone write a poem?” Angelou’s response was, “Yes, I think so. I don’t know if anyone will write a poem. You have to want to. You have to have sharp ears. And you have to not be afraid of being human.”
  • James Baldwin’s first novel was “Go Tell It on the Mountain” and his first essay collection was “Notes of a Native Son.” These are probably his best-known works, but he continued to write more fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and plays.In an interview with “The Paris Review,” he gave this advice to aspiring writers: “Write. Find a way to keep alive and write. There is nothing else to say. If you are going to be a writer there is nothing I can say to stop you; if you’re not going to be a writer nothing I can say will help you. What you really need at the beginning is somebody to let you know that the effort is real.”
  • Science fiction and fantasy writer Octavia Butler, author of “Kindred” and the “Parable” series, talked to SciFiDimensions about advice for up-and-coming writers. Her first piece of advice was to write. She said, “...write - every day, no excuses.  It's so easy to make excuses.  Even professional writers have days when they'd rather clean the toilet than do the writing.  Second, read every day.  Read voraciously and omnivorously, whatever's out there.  You never know what's gonna grab you.  Third, for people who aren't doing it already, take classes - they're worthwhile.  Workshops or classes - a workshop is where you do actually get feedback on your work, not just something where you go and sit for a day.  A workshop is a way of renting an audience, and making sure you're communicating what you think you're communicating.  It's so easy as a young writer to think you're been very clear when in fact you haven't.  Those are some of the suggestions I give to my young writers.”  
  • Toni Morrison, winner of the Nobel Prize, shared advice to the mother of an aspiring writer in “Time Magazine.” Morrison said, “The work is in the work itself. If she writes a lot, that's good. If she revises a lot, that's even better. She should not only write about what she knows but about what she doesn't know. It extends the imagination.”
  • ZZ Packer, author of “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere,” was featured in the 2010 “20 Under 40 Fiction Issue” of “The New Yorker.” In that issue, she responded to a question about becoming a writer by explaining, “I assumed that becoming a professional writer was out of my hands, but writing every day (or nearly every day) is something one does, rather than something one becomes.”
  • Alice Walker, who won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for “The Color Purple” shared great advice for writers in an interview with Jessica Strawser of “Writer’s Digest.” One of the subjects Strawser addressed was Walker’s success with many types of writing. Strawser said, “Writers today are encouraged to develop a niche, but you’re prolific across many forms. Do you feel writers who don’t create in such diverse ways limit themselves?”In response, Walker encouraged variety in forms, and explained that, for her, “I feel that I need to write what comes to me, as this particular person—and if I am patient enough, and if I meditate enough, and if I take enough long walks, and if I just do nothing but basically stay open, that the genre actually will form itself to suit whatever the subject is that arrives.”She continued to advocate for variety, explaining, “Writing is not different from life—you want variety, you want refreshment, and you want balance. And so I think for me I have felt very balanced doing all of the different kinds of writing that I do.”
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, San Mateo Creative Writing Examiner

Beth McMurray is a writer in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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