Editor’s Choice — Top 10: Seven Tips From Nobel Prize Winning Authors

Let’s visit our top 10 stories today

No writer is big or small. You are me, and I am you. We are the thinking and writing part of the universe.

Nobel-winning authors are men and women like you and me. The only difference is the devotion, hard work, and love they showed toward the field they chose to do. You and I — we may win the Nobel Prize. Nobody knows about the future.

Here are some writing tips from these great masters:

1. Wislawa Szymborska won the Nobel for literature in 1996:

She wants writers to use words carefully because until the readers feel something, a word is lifeless:

‘You’ve managed to squeeze more lofty words into three short poems than most poets manage in a lifetime: ‘Fatherland,’ ‘truth,’ ‘freedom,’ ‘justice’: such words don’t come cheap. Real blood flows in them, which can’t be counterfeited with ink.’

2. Alice Munro won the Nobel for Literature in 2013:

She wants you to think about your story. Feel it happening in your body and mind:

“Usually, I have a lot of acquaintance with the story before I start writing it. When I didn’t have regular time to give to writing, stories would just be working in my head for so long that when I started to write I was deep into them.”

3. Wole Soyinka won the Nobel for Literature in 1986:

He wanted writers to read but develop their views about life and how things happen:

‘I’ve read widely the world’s literature, European, Asiatic, American … In other words, I cannot cut off and will not attempt to cut off what is my experience and what is after all, the world’s experience. There is a great deal of intercommunication in the world. A lot of people tend to forget that. As long as I find the means of expression, a form of communication which does not alienate my immediate readership and I do not deliberately cram my work with foreign references to a point where the work is indigestible — these are faults which should never be permitted by any serious writer.’

4. Gabriel Garcia Marquez won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982:

He explained the difference between fiction and non-fiction using these words (Notice that credibility of a writer is crucial in non-fiction):

‘In journalism just one fact that is false prejudices the entire work. In contrast, in fiction one single fact that is true gives legitimacy to the entire work. That’s the only difference, and it lies in the commitment of the writer. A novelist can do anything he wants so long as he makes people believe in it.’

5. John Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962:

He gives the recipe to write a novel. He wants you to focus on what you can do today instead of the whole work:

‘Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished, you are always surprised.’

6. Mario Vargas Llosa won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2010:

He captures the true spirit of inspiration with his words:

‘If I started to wait for moments of inspiration, I would never finish a book. Inspiration for me comes from a regular effort.’

7. Saul Bellow Llosa won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1976:

He wants you to connect with your reader on an emotional level. Only then can you expect your reader to hunger for your work:

‘When you open a novel — and I mean of course the real thing — you enter into a state of intimacy with its writer. You hear a voice or, more significantly, an individual tone under the words … It is more musical than verbal, and it is the characteristic signature of a person, of a soul. Such a writer has power over distraction and fragmentation, and out of distressing unrest, even from the edge of chaos, he [or she] can bring unity and carry us into a state of intransitive attention. People hunger for this.’

I hope you have learned some valuable lessons from these great masters. If you understand what they are trying to say, that is enough writing advice for a lifetime.

Let’s have a look at our top 10 stories by writers who know how to write engaging stories:

10. Apply A Child’s Mentality To Landing Your Dream Job.

Nikki Vivian. Writer and Careers Coach, specializing in parents returning to work after a break.

She is a fine writer. Her writing style is intriguing and engaging. Do check her other work.

Most of us go to work. Statistics show that 30% of our lives are spent working, yet many of us don’t enjoy what we do. Many adults are of the belief that we need to get through the week in order to live for the weekend. We invent concepts such as hump day, to celebrate halfway through the working week. Once we pass hump day we are on the home straight. Woohoo! We spend Sunday feeling glum because tomorrow is Monday. What a way to live.

9. How to Increase Your Mental Capacity to Work Smarter

Jessey Anthony. Motivational speaker, fitness enthusiast, and self-improvement nerd.

She is an accomplished writer. Her writing style is easy to follow, conversational, and very engaging. Don’t forget to check her other work.

How would you like to instantly remember every single piece of information your brain absorbs, from birthdays and phone numbers to conversations and presentations?

If you are like me, who immediately forgets people’s faces, then you would know how embarrassing it is to meet the same person you met a day before and not remember who they are.

8. Why Writing Online Isn’t A Ridiculously Easy Way to Make Money

Simon Spichak. Co-Founder at Resolvve Inc | Neuroscientist & SciComm.

He is an excellent writer. His style is honest and engaging. Do check his other work. Don’t miss this one.

Despite all the articles describing how ridiculously easy it is to make money writing online, most writers and content creators will fail. On Medium, most writers won’t earn more than $100 in a month and it isn’t because they aren’t following guides like 5 Simple Rules to Make $1000 on Medium.

7. Writers: Honor the Passion of Your Original Idea

Keri Mangis. Deep-thought translator. Deep end only. Award-winning author of Embodying Soul: A Return to Wholeness.

She is a fine writer. Her writing style is honest, charming, and engagin. Do check her other work.

While peer-editing an article for a friend of mine, I highlighted a passage that read, “I really do love my kids, and it’s not always this difficult.”

My comment: “Get rid of this. You don’t need to equivocate your position.”

She was writing an article about the challenges of parenting and, like many of us, fell into the trap of wanting to make sure that no one would think less of her while speaking her truth.

6. Stop the Politics and Start Thanking the Teachers

Victoria Gregg. Writer, storyteller, nature photographer, and thalassophile. She says, “I write with vulnerability and strength because that’s life!”

She is a good writer. Her writing style is thought-provoking and engaging. Don’t this beautiful piece and read her other work.

The past year and a half have been challenging for students, parents, and especially educators. Not only are teachers underpaid and forced to do more testing than teaching, but they had to deal with a world pandemic. The pandemic forced them to instruct students in a whole new way. They also had to manage to care for their own families.

5. Ancient Egyptians’ Affinity with Cats.

Briddy. Feisty creator-curator.

She is an excellent writer. Her writing style is charming, elegant, and very engaging. Don’t miss this piece.

Luxor is the ancient city called “Thebes” and is an open-air museum of Egyptian history. Every day archaeologists are making discoveries. I was excited with the anticipation of actually seeing the archaeological sites I had studied in books and National Geographic magazines.

4. Unforgettable Answers to 5 Stupid Job Interview Questions

Jeffrey Harvey is into politics, music/movies, and 21st Century Culture.

He is a good writer. His writing style is logical, informative, and very engaging. Please check his other work.

You want a better job. We all want better jobs. Recent reports suggest that even as the job market continues to rebound from the COVID crisis, many young workers still find themselves underemployed. If you’re reading this, you are probably one of them.

3. How Intermittent Fasting Changes Your Brain

Matthew Baudewig says, “I’m an accounting and law graduate working at a tech startup, trying to make sense of my world. I’d like to share what I’ve learnt with you.”

He is a good writer. His writing style is engaging and informative. Do check his other work.

There is very little chance you haven’t heard about intermittent fasting. Maybe not quite zero, but I’m pretty sure you would have heard about it in some way, shape or form.

Intermittent fasting is best known for its potential weight-loss benefits and often attracts a cult-like following. While numerous studies have shown the weight-loss benefits that intermittent fasting fanatics espouse to be plausible, I’m not particularly interested in investigating its effects on weight loss.

2. The Small (and Big) Ways We Get Scammed in America, According to My Danish Husband

Anastasia Frugaard. Writing and laughing about America and the pursuit of happiness.

She is a good writer. Her writing style is simple, engaging, and fun to read. Do check her other work.

During his two years of living in the U.S., my husband from Denmark has asked me a fair share of questions about his new home (you can find some of them here) and accumulated a good deal of opinions.

One of the things he likes to talk about is all the little, and big, scams he finds in his daily life in America. I’ll share my favorite ones here.

1. How Do Women Emotionally Abuse Men?

Mila says, “Writer, Marketing Professional, Role Model and just ultra-cool babe. I’m fearless. I’m a writer. I don’t quit. I use my imagination to inspire others!”

She is a fine writer. Her writing style is fun to read, flowing, easy to understand, and engaging. Do check her other work.

At points in my relationship, I have used unorthodox tools to get what and when I want out of my partner. Here you go, there I’ve said it. I have also witnessed more than a few women do exactly the same, and worse. Over and over again.

I’ve seen their partners become alcoholics, gain a significant amount of weight, cut friends and family out of their lives, change behaviour and develop severe mental health issues.

The last five top 10

This post is part of the Top 10 Series — you can meet 500+ top writers with these links:

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Final Thoughts

If your story was selected in the Top 10, please share another story with a brief introduction and a short convincing review — in the comments. (Please write the review in the third person and start it with your name.)

I must have missed something today. I cannot read every story on Illumination and Illumination-Curated. I try — and fail daily — to read all of the great articles.

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Iꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴀɴʏ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇ, ᴛʏᴘᴏ, ᴏʀ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴇʀʀᴏʀ, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴘʀɪᴠᴀᴛᴇ ɴᴏᴛᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. Tʜᴀɴᴋs.

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