My List of Guidelines for Writers to Live By

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Being a writer isn't easy. The writing life carries with it a good bit of chaos and angst. Add to that all the things writers are supposed to learn and remember and life can get crazy.

Truthfully, while there is a lot of information out there about things writers should remember and do, not all of it is good. We can find everything from hard and fast rules like, A real writer writes every day and Write what you know. Beyond that, we're often inundated with esoteric quotes and thoughts about writing and the writers life. 

To help sort through some of that, I decided to share the guidelines I’ve found most useful in my own writing journey. These won’t all be yours, but perhaps they’ll be a jumping off place. Hopefully you can use them to come up with your own writer guidelines.

15 Helpful Guidelines for Writers

1. Your writing isn’t as good or as bad as you think it is. I’ve learned that I’m just not a good judge of what I write. Sometimes I know, but often my emotions get mixed up in what I’ve written and I lose my perspective. I’ve discovered that if I go with this truth, I’ll usually be correct.

2. Never stop learning. I spoke with a writer at a conference recently and this person told me they knew they were a beginning writer because they were still spending time learning. I quickly stepped in and let this writer know that all the good writers—whether brand new or veterans of many years—were always still learning. 

3. Don’t lord it over others. I haven’t met many people who do this on purpose. But sometimes it’s easy to slide into an “I know this and you don’t” attitude without meaning to. This is something I work hard to avoid. 

4. Give back to the community. I think it’s very sad when I hear a writer say they’ve gotten to the point where a writing group doesn’t help anymore so they have quit. First, because I think feedback from readers is critical for all of us to keep our perspective. And second, because staying involved with those who aren’t as far along the writing road is a great way to give back. Many experienced writers helped me get where I am today and I’d be doing them a great disservice if I didn’t offer the same to others. 

HOWEVER, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pick and choose how we give back. We must continue to grow and challenge ourselves and that means not only hanging around with those who are less experienced than we are. 

5. Quit marketing to other writers. This one’s hard, but it’s truth. All writers (okay all good writers) read. BUT very few writers buy a lot of books. We’re given books and we write books, so we’re not good consumers. BEST ADVICE is this. Find out who your readers are and hang out with them.

6. Don’t force others to follow your process. I admit I get a little hot about this number. It really gets under my skin when others impose their way of walking out the writing journey. I hate hearing, “Real writers write every day.” That statement is so crushing to so many people. (Can you tell it crushed me early in my career?)

7. Write regularly. This one is important, but be sure you read what I’ve written and don’t assume. Writing regularly—on a schedule—is very different than being judged on whether or not you’re a writer because you write every day. This point is all about making writing a priority in your life. I know some writers who have professions that force them to only write on the weekends and they still do very well. 

8. Embrace the critiques. Writers have to be able to accept critique. We need to know what’s wrong so we can do better. However you can apply this, it will serve you well on the writing road.

9. Enjoy the journey, not the destination. Learning to write is a process and it’s one where we are always improving but we have never arrived. By enjoying the process—the writing, the editing, the interacting with other writers—we guarantee lots of opportunity for joy. 

10. Write for fun. It’s easy to get caught up in the striving when it comes to publishing. But that way of managing your writing life will cause burnout and steal your joy. Take time regularly to write something fun—no matter if it’s ever published or not. 

11. Don’t forget your why. This is a big one for me. I know why I write—writing is the way I process life. If I couldn’t write, I think I’d die. That why has nothing to do with winning contests or publishing contracts. Writing is who I am. When I remember that, everything else falls into place. 

12. Try something you’re sure you can’t do. Saying yes to hard things has brought me some of my greatest joys along the publishing journey. One of my favorite things in the world is writing marketing copy. Did I have formal training? NOPE. I just took a chance and tried it, found I liked it, and spent the next few years learning everything I could about being a copywriter. 

13. Remain grateful. One of the biggest problems I, and other publishing professionals, see in the industry today is a whole lot of people who feel they are entitled. They act entitled to be published, to be taught, to be first, etc. I’ve found that remaining grateful protects me from developing an entitlement mindset. 

14. Don’t expect to be the exception. So many new writers come into the journey saying things like, “I know it’s done this way, but I think my situation is different.” Folks, that is expecting to be the exception. Stop it! It’s called an exception because it rarely happens. Yes, we serve an amazing God and He can (and often does) step in when we least expect it. But even then the outcome is always better when we’ve done our part and learned what we needed to know. 

15. Pray first. I am a believer who writes. Because of that, I always want my writing journey to line up with God’s priorities—in every single way. To stay in step with God, I always pray before my fingers hit the keyboard. 

These are the 15 guidelines I believe will serve every writer well. Now it’s your turn. What would you add to the list? I don’t pretend to have all the answers and I know you have something to share with me and with our community that will help us all! Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section below. 

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings, 

Edie 

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Edie Melson is a woman of faith with ink-stained fingers observing life through the lens of her camera. No matter whether she’s talking to writers, entrepreneurs, or readers, her first advice is always “Find your voice, live your story.” As an author, blogger, and speaker she’s encouraged and challenged audiences across the country and around the world. Her numerous books reflect her passion to help others develop the strength of their God-given gifts and apply them to their lives.Connect with her on her website, through Facebook, Twitter and on Instagram.