Writing Advice from Ann Packer

1. Write what you want to write. Sometimes, especially when we are starting out, we look around at what other people have written, and we think we see The Kinds of Things People Are Supposed To Write. Guard against this. If you aren't interested in writing a coming of age story, then don't write one. If you don't feel drawn by the idea of an intersection of disparate people that will leave all parties changed, don't write that. A story in epistolary form - don't do it if it doesn't feel necessary. Trust yourself.