Sanibel Island Hosts Linda Egan, Pulitzer Prize Winner of Fiction 2011

Well, what I like about Sanibel Island tonight is the quality of visitors. And by visitors, I mean specifically, those successful people who come to the island to share their vision.


Tonight I was privileged to hear Linda Egan, Pulitzer prize winner of fiction for 2011 (A Visit From the Goon Squad), speak about her life, her writing, and her best tips for writing a book today.


There wasn't a moment that found me listless or bored. I was catching pearls and diamonds in the air as I tried my best to memorize every word she shared. I should've brought a recorder...duh.


Nevertheless, what I learned was enough for me to take my next step. She doesn't ever know what her writing is going to become...a short story, a novel, a collection of stories. This one idea took me from feeling depressed to feeling empowered. No one knows, not even a Pulitzer prize winner, what their words will turn into. What she shared with her audience was pure gold. Who cares what comes of it, just write it.

L to R Dr. Linda Saether, Vicki Chavis, Pulitzer Prize Winner, Linda Egan

Not only that, but let your intuition guide you, not the practical side of your brain, the part of you that wants to be in charge. Just let the words out, edit, edit again, and then let one of your friends in your writing group tell you what they like or dislike. Did you get that? Writing groups rock! So, find one, start one, be in one. This is how the best writers of our time do it.