"Do You Have Any Advice For Those of Us Starting Out" by Ron Koertge

In “Do You Have Any Advice For Those of Us Starting Out”, Ron Koertge uses a optimistic and relaxed tone by using imagery which advises new writers to not over-stress and overwhelm themselves but to be more relaxed and put themselves in the right environment to be successful. The notebook the writer carries should be cheap “with pages the color of weak tea and on the front a kitten or a spaceship”. This kind of notebook helps the writer write freely in a more relaxed style rather than a strict and confined style. The authors also uses the environment to teach you to not go to certain places such as “any snow-covered chalet with deer tracks across the muffled tennis courts”. This shows the writer that he/she does not need a fancy or beautiful scene to write because this might make the writer's expectations for himself unrealistically high and could overwhelm him/her. When the writer fails or when “the tower falls”, “laugh so loud everybody in the world frowns and says, "Shhhh." This helps the writer be optimistic and helps him not dwell on his failures which sets him apart from the average writer. Through these examples using imagery, Koertge teaches you that in order to be a successful writer, you must place yourself in the correct environment, take a step back, and relax.