Etgar Keret's Ten Rules for Writers from Rookie Magazine

Read this in Rookie Magazine and it brought me so much joy: Etgar Keret’s Ten Rules for Writers.

As I work on revisions of my short story, a story I feel like I’ve been working on forever, I found #9 and #10 especially resonant:

9. Let people who like what you write encourage you.
And try to ignore all the others. Whatever you’ve written is simply not for them. Never mind. There are plenty of other writers in the world. If they look hard enough, they’re bound to find one who meets their expectations.

10. Hear what everyone has to say but don’t listen to anyone (except me).
Writing is the most private territory in the world. Just as nobody can really teach you how you like your coffee, so nobody can really teach you how to write. If someone gives you a piece of advice that sounds right and feels right, use it. If someone gives you a piece of advice that sounds right and feels wrong, don’t waste so much as a single second on it. It may be fine for someone else, but not for you. ♦

Thanks, Etgar Keret and thanks, Rookie Magazine! I’m glad to have discovered you!