John Steinbeck's Advice to a Young Writer

Book Cover Courtesy of Wikipedia

As an aspiring writer, if you had the chance to sit down with John Steinbeck what would you ask him? A cousin of mine had just such a chance in the early 1960's. Out of a the blue, my cousin T--y got a call from his former English professor who then resided under the pines at Cambria, CA. "T--y get your butt up here," the professor said. "There is someone I want you to meet!" T--y debated if he should make the hour drive up the coast. It was a long way just to say hello to stranger and an even longer trip back with the coastal fog creeping in. He and the professor were old acquaintances from college when T--y was a rising star in his English literature class.

Arriving at the pines by the sea, T--y noticed a green GMC truck with white camper parked in the driveway. A black, French poodle lay on the ground tied to a leash to the back bumper. On the side of the camper someone had painted in cursive script the word "Rocinante," the name of Don Quixote's horse. Puzzled by the whole scene, T--y knocked on the door of the house. Hearing voices, he let himself in and found his teacher and a man rollicking at the kitchen table with large bottle of whiskey between them, half-drained. "Hello professor, I knocked and let myself in. .  .  ." It was then T--y noticed who the stranger was--John Steinbeck! How Mr. Steinbeck knew the professor or the reason for the visit, T--y knew not why, but he quickly pulled up a chair and entered into the verbal fray. In the course of the conversation, the young T--y gushed praise on the novelist, noting he had read all his books. By now, the bottle was nearly drained and T--y mustered up the courage to ask, "Mr. Steinbeck what advice  would you give a young writer like myself, one who is just starting out?" John reached over the table grabbed T--y by the collar and pulled their faces close. "WRIIIIIIIITE!!" he roared.

And that is what it comes down to-- words on the page. Writers write. So get up in the morning, put pen to pad or fingers to keyboard and write, damn it. It is what we are here to do.

Thanks for the advice John.

Photo of John Steinbeck Courtesy of Wikipedia