Writing Tips from Hamilton

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about Hamilton, the musical about the Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. A lot of people have connected deeply to it for a variety of reasons, and I am one of them. One aspect that I have connected to is how much writing Hamilton does and how important it is in his life. This is something that is true of the character as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda, the show’s writer and creator. I thought that I would scrounge upon some pieces of advice from the musical that can help inspire all writers out there!

Write your way out – I’ve always found solace in my writing, and it’s how I work through my feelings best. I like that Hamilton talks about writing your way out of tough situations because I feel that, and I’m sure that all creative people can connect to that, too.

Get your education and don’t forget from whence you came – Everyone should always keep learning, and this is definitely true of creative artists. Keep educating yourself in some way! The “don’t forget from whence you came” part I mean a little differently than in the musical because there it refers more to staying humble, but I think that you should always remember where you came from because that will help you remember how far you’ve come. You might not see a change in your writing from day to day, or even year to year, but you may if you look back at your writing from 10 years ago.

Read every treatise on the shelf – You should always keep reading! Reading helps you grow as a writer, and expanding your reading horizons will really help you with that. I think that writers should read both books in general and some books that help your writing specifically. (My favorite books for writing are Big Magic and Writing Down the Bones, but more are on my TBR list for this summer.)

Fan the spark into a flame – If you have a spark of interest or skill, you need to follow it. Nurture it and help it grow. That might mean establishing a writing routine, taking a writing class, reading about writing (see the books above), or something else entirely.

Don’t throw away your shot – You have a shot at awesomeness, and you shouldn’t throw that away. Keep working for your dreams, and keep fighting for them. It won’t always be easy, but it will always be worth it.

Waste no time – You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow, let alone ten years from now. Don’t wait for the right time to write your masterpiece(s) because you don’t know how much time you will have. Don’t waste time waiting to be “the best” before you start!

Write like you’re running out of time – Again, you never know what’s coming. Not to be a downer, but we’re all running out of time; you’ll never get today back. You don’t want to regret not writing, especially the story that captivates you. Write like you’re running out of time because we all are.

Take a stand with pride – Obviously you shouldn’t feel the need to take a public stand on things if you don’t want to, but for many, writing is your platform. It is your area that you can use to make a stand for the issues that you care about.

Take a break – Don’t overwork yourself! Alexander Hamilton didn’t take a break for the summer and ended up starting an affair that ruined his long-term political goals. Obviously you hopefully have a bit more control than he does, but it does just go to show the things that can happen if you don’t take a break.

Like this post? Check out:

Tips for Writing from Famous Authors, Getting Back To Writing After Taking a Break, Improve Your Writing: 4 Different Parts of Your Book To Work On