Advice from the Masters: Stephen Ambrose

Sep 5, 2012 | Better Writing

Stephen Ambrose is well known for his popular histories, like Band of Brothers. Unfortunately, he’s also known for being a bit fast and loose with the facts in his books and in his life.

One thing most people agree on, though, is that the man was a first-rate storyteller. That’s why so many of us loved reading his books. Here’s a bit of advice for writers of all kinds.

“You learn what the gaps in your knowledge are by starting to tell the story.”

I call that the Zero Draft. It’s the one you write before the first draft.

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