#50tips: "EL James' Writing Tips," Collected

#50tips: E.L. James' Writing Tips

On Monday, Vintage Books announced that they will be publishing a journal featuring "writing advice" from E.L. James, author of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. Sarah Wendell (@smartbitches on Twitter) started a hashtag, #50tips, to dispense E.L. James writing advice. Here are some of my faves.

Storified by Andrew Shaffer· Tue, Mar 12 2013 19:38:30

#50tips "First, read Twilight."Sarah Wendell

#50tips Second: read Twilight again. Six times total is a good start. Then read the rest of the series.Sarah Wendell

What other writing tips might EL James have for the readers of her aspiring writer's journal? #50tipsSarah Wendell

#50tips Make your hero’s last name match his eye color.Andrew Shaffer

#50Tips Wear an adult diaper if you're going to "get moist" at everything from a paperclip to a subway pole.Jessica Banks

RT @RRKovar: You only have to *say* your heroine is smart. You never have to show her doing anything smart. Saves time. #50tipsKiersi

#50tips Don't worry if you don't actually know anything about complex subjects like BDSM or corporate business. Just make shit up.Sarah Wendell

@SmartBitches #50tips Remember, if you use someone else's ideas, it's fair play. If someone else uses your ideas, sue the shit out of them.Sarah M. Anderson

#50tips Need a love triangle? <insert ethnic character here>Tasha B.

#50tips No, really, what's a "fanfic?"Sarah Wendell

Write like people speak. Women always use an italicized *there* when speaking about their genitals. #50tipsKenneth Robert Marlo

When in doubt, whip it out. #50tipsMichael Coorlim

Trilogies: If you can make one boring story and its boring characters last for 3 books, that's 3 times as many piles of money. #50tips #mathNick Hurwitch

If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing. #50tipsSarah Allan

At this rate people should just check the #50tips hashtags instead of getting the 'Inner Goddess' journal LOLHas

The only difference between fanfic and and valuable original content is publication. #50tipsNick Hurwitch

#50tips Frequently remind your readers that one of your characters is Latino by having him repeatedly say "Dios mio!" Casual racism works!Kayleigh Anne

Classical music = deep characters. Simple as that. #50tipsJeanette Murray

#50tips when writing a hero, make sure he's uber rich, handsome and can pilot a helicopter. Readers will forgive his psychotic tendencies.katiebabs

#50tips Have your hero give a nickname to his helicopter but not to his penis. #charlietangoAndrew Shaffer

#50tips RT @adampknave: @andrewtshaffer Dude. The helicopter IS his penis. It's a metaphor. For the spinning blades. On his penis.Andrew Shaffer

Read an Excerpt From "Literary Rogues"

Read an Excerpt: Literary Rogues Excerpt (PDF)

"[A] rollicking romp through a gallery of writers whose genius came with a price... Shaffer offers a terrific blend of literary history, biography, and witty commentary." — Publishers Weekly

Buy Now: Amazon • Barnes & Noble • BAM • Google • iTunes • Powells • Indiebound • Chapters Indigo • Kobo

Harper Perennial / HarperCollins

Rock stars, rappers, and actors haven’t always had a monopoly on misbehaving. There was a time when authors fought with both words and fists, a time when poets were the ones living fast and dying young. This funny, insightful, and wildly entertaining narrative profiles the literary greats who wrote generation-defining classics such as The Great Gatsby and On the Road while living and loving like hedonistic rock icons and who were as likely to go on epic benders as they were to hit the bestseller lists. Literary Rogues turns back the clock to consider these historical (and, in some cases, living) legends, including Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Dorothy Parker, Hunter S. Thompson, and Bret Easton Ellis. Brimming with fascinating research, Literary Rogues is part nostalgia, part literary analysis, and a wholly raucous celebration of brilliant writers and their troubled legacies.

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