David Sedaris’s Writing Advice for New Authors

One of America's preeminent humor writers, David Sedaris is known for his incisive social critiques. He writes about his own life in essay collections and non-fiction books, from his childhood in upstate New York to his high school years in Raleigh, North Carolina. He often weaves in hilarious anecdotes that include his parents and his five siblings—Paul, Gretchen, Tiffany, Lisa, and Amy Sedaris—or his partner Hugh.

First recognized for his story Santaland Diaries which he read on NPR’s Morning Edition in 1992, Sedaris’s writing career has spanned almost three decades. He’s been nominated for five Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word Album and Best Comedy Album, and received the Thurber Prize for American Humor. He and his sister, Amy—a writer and performer—write plays under the name The Talent Family that run at the La Mama Theater in New York City. Their shows include The Book of Liz, Incident at Cobbler’s Knob, and Stump the Host.

David is one of the funniest observant writers, often writing about the human condition vis a vis his own life experience. Here are the works for which he is known:

1. 1. Barrel Fever (1994)
2. 2. Naked (1997)
3. 3. Holidays on Ice (1997)
4. 4. Me Talk Pretty One Day (2000)
5. 5. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (2004)
6. 6. When You Are Engulfed in Flames (2008)
7. 7. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary (2010)
8. 8. Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls (2013)
9. 9. Theft By Finding: Diaries (1977-2002) (2017)
10. 10. Calypso (2018)

David Sedaris has made a career of turning diary entries into immediate bestsellers. To do his best writing, Sedaris follows a routine writing process and dedicates a specific time to writing every day. Here, the master of satire offers his top writing tips to new authors:

1. 1. Write every day. David Sedaris wrote every day for 15 years before his first collection of essays and short stories was published. You don’t need to have a particular story to tell. You don’t have to be special or important. Your experience doesn’t have to be unique. You just have to be compelled to write, and you have to write every day. If David wasn’t published and selling books, he would still be putting pen to paper every day because he is obsessed with the act of writing itself. You have to write because you can’t not write.
2. 2. Let go of perfection. Don’t compare yourself to other writers—comparison is the thief of joy. Instead, find a way to be you. Perfection is not the goal. Wanting to be perfect won’t make you perfect, but it could stop you from trying. Getting started on your first draft is intimidating, and you might stare at a blank page for a while. In order to shake off your fear of imperfection, try some creative writing exercises, and then keep writing.
3. 3. Be a beginner. Even the most seasoned and successful writers doubt themselves at times. Learning to trust yourself and your writerly instincts comes with time. You will feel lost, and that’s normal. You have to write through it. There is no reason to expect to be published right away or to expect to see improvement right away—let yourself be new at it, and commit to growth over time. If you started playing the piano, you wouldn’t expect to perform at a concert in two weeks or two months. It takes time to write well.
4. 4. Read good writers. As David says, “You can’t write unless you read.” When you love an author’s work—a phrase or a paragraph or an entire book—really take it apart and be able to say why you like it. Memorize endings that thrill you and speak them out loud. Let the work get under your skin. Know why you love something and let it live inside you as inspiration. If you study writing that makes you feel connected to the writer or character, you can begin to figure out, as a writer, how to make those same connections with a reader through your own work.
5. 5. Open yourself up to a writing community. Finding other writers and writing events in your community can make the writer’s life feel a lot less lonely. If you’re not sure where to start with public readings, try looking up your favorite writers and seeing if they’ll be doing a reading at a bookstore near you anytime soon. Local independent bookstores have a calendar of events each month, from author readings and signings to open mics and panels. If you live near a college or university, check their events page to see if any writers will be swinging through.

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Want to become a better writer? The MasterClass Annual Membership provides exclusive video lessons on storytelling, character development, and the path to publication, all taught by literary masters, including David Sedaris, Malcolm Gladwell, Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume, Dan Brown, and more.