Jennifer Niven's inspirational top writing tips

Let yourself cry: Jennifer Niven's inspirational top writing tips

The author of All The Bright Places put together this powerful writing advice with her mum, who always wrote even in the saddest times, to offer inspiration for every occasion and so here presents… A Niven guide to writing

You need to be willing to let yourself cry (or laugh or feel), because if you don’t cry/laugh/feel while writing your story, how do you expect your reader to? Photograph: Alamy

Jennifer Niven

Tuesday 25 August 2015 - The Guardian

I was lucky enough to grow up with a writer mom, who taught me that I could be or do anything I wanted to be or do, and for as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to be a writer. This was in spite of the fact that I saw first hand how hard it could be. Even during the toughest, saddest times of her life, my mother wrote. In so many ways, she was my hero.

Over the years, Mom and I created a stable of writing advice, inspiration for every occasion, and so I present: