Blog Tour: 40 Things I Want to Tell You

Today, I have a VERY special guest post from the lovely Alice Kuipers, whose new book 40 Things I Want to Tell You just released in February. She's sharing 4 top tips on writing, which she nicknamed "Reasons to Write" after my "Reasons to Read" section from my reviews! I know I'm biased, but I LOVE that! :)

The cover itself is enough to draw you in. So pretty, am I right?

It is a remarkably beautiful and emotional story, one that I personally can't seem to get out of my head (in a good way. That's a compliment, honest)! I definitely encourage you guys to check out my review for it if you haven't already, because I HIGHLY recommend this one if you can manage to get your hands on it!
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Thanks for hosting me on my blog tour for my new book, 40 Things I Want To Tell You.  I’ve been reading your recent reviews and I’m excited to go and read Veronica Roth after your great suggestion.  And I completely agree with you about Delirium. 
I imagine some of your readers are writers too, although they might not know it yet!  I thought I’d write a post for you today with a list of reasons to write.  Maybe you’ve been putting off writing, or maybe you’ve been discouraged from writing, or maybe you’re just too busy to write... My main character, Bird, in 40 Things, is always writing lists and tips and suggestions in her advice column so I loved that you have ‘reasons to read’ on your site.

 So, here goes, Reasons to Write.

1. Everyone has a story to tell.  You are the best person to tell it.
2. It might seem that there are loads of better writers out there, so what’s the point?  I can assure you that all of those brilliant writers you love also felt self-doubt at one time.  But they kept writing despite feeling like that (they must have done, you’re reading their books!)
3. You’re NOT too busy!  You’re probably busy.  You might even be crazy busy.  But you’re not too busy.  Writing is worth making the time for.  Being creative is worth making time for.  I know that on the days when I get writing done, I’m way more productive in all other areas of my life.   My dad always told me that if you want to get something done, ask a busy person.  It took me a while to figure this out, but it makes total sense.  My new book is dedicated to him to thank him!
4. Don’t worry if your writing isn’t excellent the first time you get the words on the page.  You can rewrite it later.  And you probably should.  Rewriting took me a long time to learn but now I love it.  It helps me find the story that’s hidden in all the mess of my first draft.

If you want any other tips or advice on writing, come and find me at www.alicekuipers.com 

 
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Thank you so much for taking the time to write these tips for us and for stopping by today, Alice! I'm definitely one of those people who's guilty of always saying I'm "too busy" to write... but it's so true that we have time when we make time. Plus, I'm a total perfectionist and I try to get things perfect all at once so I'm exactly the type of person who could stand to put some of these into practice ;)

One of my personal life goals is to write a novel. I don't dream of publishing it, but there's a story that I've just been dying to tell on paper for a few years now. So let's hope that day is soon!

What about any of you? Will you be applying any of these tips to your writing hobby? If any of you have read 40 Things, then I'd love to hear your thoughts on it in the comment sections, and for those of you who haven't read it, does this one catch your eye? :)