Advice

Does anyone read lettersofnote.com?

I found this letter from Dr Seuss to a young fan.

I'm reasonably sure economics, marketing and middle management make this incredible advice from a very important artist utterly redundant but here it is anyway.

* The full correspondence can be found at the links above.

...About giving you advice...pointers on how to properly write and illustrate a picture book...all I can say is this:

This is a field in which no one can give you pointers but yourself.

The big successes in this field all succeeded because they wrote and they wrote and they drew and they drew. They studied what they'd drawn and they studied what they'd written each time asking themselves one question: How can I do it better, next time?

To develop an individual style of writing and drawing, always go to yourself for criticsm. If you ask advice from too many other people, then you no longer are yourself.

The thing to do, and I am sure you will do it, is to keep up your enthusiasm! Every job is a lot of fun, no matter how much work it takes. If you'll plug away and do exactly what you are doing, making it better and better every month and every year...that you CAN be successful.

The very best of luck to you!

Your friend,

(Signed, 'Dr. Seuss')

Brilliant.

Clear.

Obvious.

Simple.

Ignored.

Avoided.