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The Best Advice to Young Writers
Be patient and take your time to build a life of writing
Recently I heard about a series of helpful letters written by the Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke, which were sent to a young writer looking for advice.
In his time, Rilke was one of the most lyrically intense poets writing in the German language.
In a series of letters he put forward his vision of the “writer’s life”. This line in his letters caught my eye:
“What is necessary, after all, is only this: solitude, vast inner solitude. To walk inside yourself and meet no one for hours — that is what you must be able to attain.”
The story behind the letters involves a young officer cadet called Franz Xaver Kappus who, in 1902, wrote to the Rilke to ask for feedback on his poetic verse and for any advice the famous poet could offer.
At first, Rilke’s advice appeared offhand: “Nobody can advise you and help you,” wrote Rilke in his initial response, “Nobody. There is only one thing you should do. Go into yourself.”
But Rilke didn’t stop there. He went on to describe all manner of “attitudes” that the new writer should consider. He went on to write nine more letters, making ten letters in all, written over the next six years.
