The Best Writing Advice...

The submissions queue has been light lately, and I'm about to embark on a week of international travel, so here's a discussion thread for you all to ponder in the event we have a query drought.

What's the best writing advice you have ever received?

Please post it here in the comments.  It can be related to any aspect of writing, publishing, how to live with being a writer and stay sane, how to live with a writer and stay sane (for our friends and family), etc.

For me, it came in the form of query feedback: try to sum up your novel in one sentence.  I've found this to be incredibly helpful for queries and for my manuscripts as a whole.  Being able to identify the heart of a story is critical, and sometimes it's a moving target as I write, re-write, and revise.

How about you?  What's the best writing advice you've received?

Revising Queries

Slushpile follower / commenter Elana Johnson wrote an excellent post on the QueryTracker.net blog today, click here to read it.

I won't re-hash the entire thing (you really should read it for yourself!), but the gist is that you are better off if you let the criticism you receive sink in before rushing directly into your query revisions.

Take your time. Like in cooking, slower produces a better result. Never microwave a roast...