Essays    Reportage    Marginalia    Interviews    Poetry    Fiction    Videos    Everything   
Writing Tips: “Acquire a cat.”

Emma Straub, author of Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures, on why a feline companion might make you a better writer.

By Emma Straub

In anticipation of our first annual publishing conference, we’ve rounded up advice from your favorite authors to help demystify the daunting task of honing and proving your skills as a published author. Read on to glean valuable insider advice about the virtues of sitting down (and staying that way), from bookseller extraordinaire and author of Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures, Emma Straub.

1. Acquire a cat. Train the cat to sit on your lap while writing so that it is harder to get up when you feel antsy.

2. Always have three things on your person: a book to read, a book to write in, and a pen. Other things (chapstick, wallet, keys) are secondary.

3. Don’t wait for the muse to visit. Write every day, on a schedule. Treat it like a job, because it is a job.