Three Writing Lessons From Prince

post by Michelle Griep

I grew up in the ‘hood of Minneapolis, but no, I did not know Prince. We went to different high schools. Plus he was a few years older than me. And I was the lone wolf with my nose stuck in a book. Despite all that, I knew who he was. Everyone did—and still does—because he’s an icon of the area.  Why?

Prince was a risk taker.

Therein lies an important lesson for us all, little writers. No, I’m not expecting you to drape yourself in purple and change your name to some funky-butt symbol. But I am expecting you to perk up your ears and pay attention to what you can learn from Prince’s life.

3 Writerly Lessons From Prince

He didn’t settle for the status quo.

Prince was a groundbreaking musician because, well, the dude broke ground. Know what I’m saying? He didn’t play it safe, following all the musical or marketing rules. He dreamed big. You do that. Don’t let writing rules stymie your style.

He didn’t listen to the naysayers.

What? You don’t think Prince didn’t face rejection or finger-wagging or big, fat “NO’s!” in his music career? Think again, Bucko. He didn’t succumb to packing up all his talent and running home. You don’t need to, either. Learn what you can from critiques and reviews, but don’t let the tough ones curl you into the fetal position.

He did what he loved.

You love writing fantasy? Then write it. You have a passion for Westerns? Pen a saddle-buster of a tale. The point is that whatever genre makes your heart go pitter-patter is the genre you should be writing.

So yeah, I can’t claim to have known the man, but I can say for sure that these are solid principles to incorporate into your life.

Wearing purple is just a bonus.