Asimov’s tips on being a prolific writer

The Christian Science Monitor’s Shannon Roe revisits some tips from the great Isaac Asimov on how to be a prolific writer.

Note, that’s “prolific,” not “good.” As Asimov is quoted in the article:

“I can’t tell you how to be a good writer because nobody ever says that I’m a good writer. It’s always ‘prolific writer.’ That’s a polysyllabic term for ‘hack.’ “

I never met Isaac Asimov, alas, but I did correspond with him twice as a youngster. He answered all his mail with a postcard. My favorite response is the first. I asked him “How do I know when something I write is good enough to be published?”, to which he replied, “When it is published.”

As Instapundit would put it, “Indeed.”

Permanent link to this article: https://edwardwillett.com/2005/03/asimovs-tips-on-being-a-prolific-writer/

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.