前陣子重溫了羅蘋‧荷布女士的刺客後傳系列，然後毫不意外的陷入了荷布女士的文字世界。於是，正如同我過去的習慣，我開始上網去找尋有關荷布女士的網頁。
很幸運的，荷布女士有製作她的個人網頁，因此我花了不少時間，用我那破爛到已經沒救的英文開始瀏覽起荷布女上的個人網頁。
然後，在FAQ頁面中，我看到了不少我覺得對自己很有幫助的問答，其中有一段問答更是讓我深感這的確是我所欠缺的，於是我決定將這段文字留在我的網誌上頭。
 

I want to become a published writer. What should I do?
 
The first thing you have to do is write. There is no easy shortcut about that. Having a great agent or your cousin being best friends with an editor won't change that. First, you have to write the book (or story) beginning to end. Then you have to make it the best story you can possibly create. I've always preferred to work alone, not sharing my work with anyone until it goes off to an editor. That's my quirk. Many professionals attribute a lot of their success to workshops and writers' clubs. For more information about these, go to the SFWA site or ask your local library, YMCA or bookstore for information. The second thing you have to do to be a writer is to keep on writing. Don't listen to people who tell you that very few people get published and you won't be one of them. Don't listen to your friend who says you are better that Tolkien and don't have to try any more. Keep writing, keep faith in the idea that you have unique stories to tell, and tell them. I meet far too many people who are going to be writers 'someday.' When they are out of high school, when they've finished college, after the wedding, when the kids are older, after I retire . . . That is such a trap You will never have any more free time than you do right now. So, whether you are 12 or 70, you should sit down today and start being a writer if that is what you want to do. You might have to write on a notebook while your kids are playing on the swings or write in your car on your coffeebreak. That's okay. I think we've all 'been there, done that.' It all starts with the writing.

Quote from Robin Hobb's homepage, the FAQ page.

 
這問題是在問荷布女士該如何成為一個出版作家，然後她也很詳盡的回答了這個問題。荷布女士的回答看起來有點長，不過簡化過後大致上可以歸納成兩點：

1. 第一件該作的事情就是去寫。
   而且要將自己的小說或故事有始有終地給寫完，然後盡可能的讓該篇故事成為自己所能寫出來最棒的故事。
2. 再來就是要持續不斷的寫。
   堅信自己的故事是獨一無二的，然後將它們給說出來。絕對別說總要一天你會寫，不管你是十二歲或是七十歲，都要在當下就開始寫

問題的標題是如何成為一個出版作家，但會引用這段話倒不是說我想成為出版作家，雖說這的確是我過去曾經有過的夢想，但現在這夢想早已破碎到無法再度拼湊起來。自己有多少斤兩我自己最清楚，我的程度大概就是在網路上放一些沒人有興趣看的小說，最多最多就是自費出本個人誌自high這樣。
會想引用這段問答的最大原因，在於我覺得這些建議對於有志於文字創作的人來說，也是非常中肯且有用的建議。