Thursday, February 28, 2013

Thursday Review—Unsolicited Writing Advice You Should NEVER Follow


Announce you're writing a book, and you're in for as
much irritating advice as any first-time pregnant woman.

Have you noticed the phenomenon that occurs when you confess you’re writing a book? It doesn’t matter if you’re an established author with thirty-plus books under your belt, or someone working on a first novel. Announce you’re writing a book, and you’re in for as much irritating advice as any first-time pregnant woman.



1. Write what you know. On the surface, this may sound like savvy advice. It’s not. With the advent of the Internet, you can do the research you need to write about almost anything.

2. Write every day. Again, it sounds good. Surely someone who’s serious about something will do it every day. Truthfully, we all work better when we take time to relax and let our minds rest.

Reading can help keep the writing fire stoked.
3. Never read while you’re writing. I’ve never found this to inhibit my output or the quality of my work. I’ve found that reading keeps the writing fire stoked. Just be sure you’re not reading instead of writing.

4. Write dialogue like you talk. We all want the dialogue we write to read like a real conversation. But the smart writer knows that means taking the boring parts out. Listen to a real conversation or better yet, record one. Then write it out. You’ll see how truly awful it is.

5. Never use clichés. Never is NEVER good advice when it comes to writing. Sure you want to avoid clichés—in narrative. But the fact is, we all use them occasionally. Judiciously sprinkling them throughout dialogue can give your writing a familiar flavor that helps the reader connect with your characters.

6. Never use the verb was, it’s passive. Sometimes the word was is passive, sometimes is just past tense. How to tell? The quickest way is to see if it’s helping another verb, like, She was sleeping. That’s almost always passive. A better option would be, She slept.

7. Always outline before you write. Some people are known as plotters—or those who prefer to outline their story before writing. Others, referred to as pantsters or intuitive writers, like to discover the story as they write. The best way to do it? The way that works for you.

Rewriting is what makes writing sing!
8. Real writers don’t have to do rewrites. I’ve never spoken to a writer who didn’t need to do rewriters. I’ve heard rumors, but I suspect I’m more likely to get an in-focus picture of a Sasquatch than meet one of those elusive novelists.

9. Always write in the same place. Most of us need variety, and that includes the place we work. Sometimes I write at my desk, others at the dining room table, and on good days, the screened porch out back.

10. Don’t begin to build a platform until you have a contract. This is the worst advice I’ve ever heard, and there are two major reasons. First, if you wait until you have a contract to build your platform, you’ll probably have a hard time getting said platform. Second, you will be way behind. It takes a good year to a year-and-a-half to build a viable platform.

As you may have noticed, the first clue the advice you’re hearing is suspect are the use of the words ALWAYS and/or NEVER.

Now it’s your turn, what’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever heard?
Don’t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie

21 comments:

  1. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
    This is such wonderful advice, Edie. Big sigh of relief here, that I'm not as far off the mark as some writing advice might suggest.

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    1. Sandy, I'm glad this post helped. It's amazing how bad advice can make us second-guess what truly works for us. Thanks so much for stopping by! Blessings, E

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  2. Wow,Edie.
    As always your post is encouraging. and confirming. Thanks:) Not saying I do or don't do those things. The issue is the inundated voices "helping". All things in moderation and The right amount of spices make a good meal.

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    1. Mary, you're so right! Thanks so much for dropping by, Blessings, E

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  3. Hi Edie! Great advice! :) I think the most misleading advice I have heard is something like "To have a long-term writing career, you must have a degree in creative writing."

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    1. Morgan, that is bad advice! So many creative writing programs do the exact opposite of helping. Thanks so much for sharing! Blessings, E

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  4. Oh Edie, what a great and informative post. I'd have to say the worst writing advice I've ever been given is "don't ever re-write anything because the "people" will like it the first time." Uh, I don't think so! Three guesses where that came from! Oh and the other one? "You'll get more commenters if you do it "right." Love you, sweet friend!

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    1. Jamie, that is bad advice! And we all know we get more comments when we're real about what's happening with us. Thanks for stopping by! Blessings, E

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  5. Thanks for the info!
    Bad advice: You don't need anyone to read or proofread before you hit send.

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    1. Barb, I have to confess I gave that advice to MYSELF when I first started! Thanks so much for sharing, Blessings, E

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  6. One thing that I've seen challenged in the best ways in some of my favorite books is the 'show don't tell' principle. Showing is amazing and should always outweigh telling, but telling has its place. Telling should never be overused, but it shouldn't be disregarded throughout the novel either, ESPECIALLY in the first draft. A writer can flesh out the 'telling' later.

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    1. I totally agree! Great addition to the list. Thanks so much for stopping by, Blessings, E

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  7. Great advice, Edie. Not sure if I heard somebody say this or if I've just said it to myself: Never throw your pieces away. Save them for a later re-write.

    I went through some old stuff recently, and some of it was just flat-out BAD. I tossed it because I didn't want to be reminded of it!

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  8. This is advice worth reading. I'll take it to the bank. (No apologies for the cliche.)

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  9. I think the worst was, to have a writing career you must have an MBA from a great creative writing program, quit your day job, and give your writing 100% of your time. There was no way I could do that, thought it was a wonderful dream. So, minus an MBA and with a day job, I write from 3-7 am (or whenever I awake) and skip TV a few nights per week for more writing or for reading binges.

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  10. This isn't really unsolicited advice, but I let my sister read my latest manuscript and she really wanted to let a friend read it. I was reluctant as it wasn't finished, but said okay. The woman, who I don't even know, said, "Why did she (me) make her (my heroine) so stupid?" It still irritates me and I'm not even sure why.

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  11. I appreciate your balanced view--thank you!

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  12. I'm so glad you defended the word "was". True, we should eliminate it when we can, but this word is used often in natural speech. Sometimes we need this innocent little word.

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  13. Love the post, Edie! It's wonderful to be reminded of these little annoyances -- and how to avoid/ignore them. As much as friends/family want to help (and sometimes they really do help!), it's the cases everyone is mentioning that need to be tossed out the window, for the most part.

    One thing I have found that IS helpful, though, is to always listen to the advice. Whether it's valid or not, hearing a fresh point of view on your story or process can be helpful in building upon your creativeness. Taken with a grain of salt, the unwanted advice might actually come in handy.

    Cheers,

    Andrea

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  14. I really got a kick out this Edie because you nailed it. I have gotten the complete gambit of bad writing advice apparently. Thanks for making me laugh about it.

    Love you,
    Laurie

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