Hello Inkshares community!

Thanks to those of you who reached out offering to video yourselves answering the question "What’s the meanest thing another girl ever did to you?" or "What’s the meanest thing you ever did to another girl?" We are still waiting for any videos that people could make and send (basically a super short selfie-video) so if you meant to make one and didn’t get around to it, there’s still time! (Hint, hint--pretty please?!?) I notice that people are a lot more forthcoming in answering the question about others being mean to them, less willing to cop up to having been mean themselves. Or maybe we’re all just an exceptionally nice group of humans. (Well, I know that’s true...)

We have a new advice column for writers up today that I’m particularly fond of. "Dear ’Lena" recently received this question from a reader: "What’s the best writing advice that you ever received? The worst?" It was intriguingly open ended, and got Helena and me reminiscing about our early writing classes and the comedy and drama therein. Turns out we both had extremely charismatic (almost cult-like) teachers who dispensed the same pearl of wisdom. Here’s the link to the post in which we toss said pearl to you:

http://bay-ata.com/sparked/blog/2016/08/02/whats-the-best-writing-advice-ever/

"In my first college writing class, the professor said: “Write the book you want to read.” He had a sonorous voice and said everything with such gravitas that it seemed incredibly profound."

Read on and find out more... If anyone wants to comment by sharing the best or worst writing advice that YOU received, I’d love to hear it!