Five Pieces of Advice For Writers, As Told by Hamilton Lyrics | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Five Pieces of Advice For Writers, As Told by Hamilton Lyrics

We can all learn from Alexander Hamilton. And Lin-Manuel Miranda.

11
Five Pieces of Advice For Writers, As Told by Hamilton Lyrics
USA Today

Unless you haven't been on the Internet, or watching TV, or reading entertainment news, or talking to anyone at all over the course of the last nine months or so, you've most likely heard of Hamilton. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator, writer, and former star of the play, described it in an interview as "a love letter to writers". So what writing-related wisdom can we collect from the hit show? Let's take a look at the song lyrics and see.

1. "Write day and night like you're running out of time"

If you want to be good at anything, the first and most important things you need to do is practice. If you want to be a better writer, the first and most important thing you need to do is write. Write journal entries, essays, emails, blog posts, short stories, novels, flash fiction, fan fiction, personal essays, tweets, whatever you can. You need to get as many hours of practice under you belt as you can.

2. "Scammin' for every book he can get his hands on"

Second thing you need to do if you want to be a better writer: read absolutely everything you can get a hold of. Finding your voice as a writer starts with exposing yourself to as many different genres and styles as you can. So fill up your bookshelf and get reading.

3. "There's a million things I haven't done, but just you wait"

Most people who want to writers are just that, people who want to be writers. But I have news for you: if you don't write, you're not a writer, you just intend to be one. You cannot build a reputation, a following, a career, a body of work, or anything else out of what you intend to do. So stop intending and just do. Which brings us to...

4. "I'll do whatever it takes, I'll make a million mistakes"

You're going to screw up and you're going to face rejection, and you're going to pour a lot of effort into some things that ultimately won't work. That's true of every worthwhile pursuit in life, and it's true here too. You have to give patient enough with yourself to give yourself room to mess up, especially at the beginning. You can't expect to be brilliant right out of the starting gate. Learn what you can from your mistakes and keep going.

5. "Do not throw away your shot"

Combining all of the above, there are always a million excuses for why you haven't started writing yet. It's easy to say that you don't have the time, or you don't have any good ideas, or you don't think you can commit to a project right now. It's easy to say oh, if only this thing was different in my life I'd write. I'll start at the end of the school year or after I've completed this big thing I'm working on, or after this thing changes. At some point you have to accept that that's not what your life is like, at least not right now, and learn how to work in the space you have available to you. If you wait until your circumstances are what you wish they would be before you start, you'll never start.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

12 Midnight NYE: Fun Ideas!

This isn't just for the single Pringles out there either, folks

13763
Friends celebrating the New Years!
StableDiffusion

When the clock strikes twelve midnight on New Year's Eve, do you ever find yourself lost regarding what to do during that big moment? It's a very important moment. It is the first moment of the New Year, doesn't it seem like you should be doing something grand, something meaningful, something spontaneous? Sure, many decide to spend the moment on the lips of another, but what good is that? Take a look at these other suggestions on how to ring in the New Year that are much more spectacular and exciting than a simple little kiss.

Keep Reading...Show less
piano
Digital Trends

I am very serious about the Christmas season. It's one of my favorite things, and I love it all from gift-giving to baking to the decorations, but I especially love Christmas music. Here are 11 songs you should consider adding to your Christmas playlists.

Keep Reading...Show less
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

2704
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

1642
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments