Writing Myths, Myth-stakes, Myth-conceptions, and Poor Advice

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

I’ve been in the industry a while . . . long enough to hear some pretty remarkable myth-statements. Today I’m tackling some of the various writing myths and outright mistakes, hopefully with a touch of punny humor. 

A Few Nonexistent Categories

True Novel (or True Fiction): I hear this one more than you might imagine, and it always makes me cringe. A novel is—by definition—a work of fiction. If it’s true, it’s either a type of memoir or biography or autobiography. A novel can be based on true events, but it’s not true. 

Fiction Novel: This is another cringe-worthy appellation. Again, a novel is fiction. This is like saying it’s a book book. They’re exactly the same thing. 

Fictional Nonfiction: This is a crazy one. It’s either fiction or nonfiction. No book can be both.

Autobiographical Memoir: Yeah, no.

Personal Self-Help: Aren’t all self-help guides personal? 

Myth-stakes and Outright Poor Writing Advice

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.

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.

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. 

Only write when you’re inspired. This is the way most of us begin our writing journey—inspired. However, only writing when we feel like it isn’t a sustainable model for publishing. We must write when it’s hard, when we are notinspired, and when life gets in the way. 

Always use synonyms for the word said. This is outdated advice. In the days of Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey, you’ll see everything except the word said in dialogue. Words like prevaricated, expostulated, responded, etc. were the accepted way to tag dialogue. But no more. Readers today (and since the late 80s) prefer the word said, when tags are used in dialogue. It’s a word that disappears and doesn’t interrupt the fictional dream. 

Look for places to use big words and expand your reader’s vocabulary. Yeah, not so much. If today’s reader has to stop and look up too many words, we’ll lose them. Also, using a lot of big words is perceived as showing off how smart we are as opposed to those reading our work. 

Every writer must write from an outline. NOT true. There are as many different processes for writing as there are writers. Some people are known as plotters—or those who prefer to outline their story before writing. Others, referred to as pantsers or intuitive writers, like to discover the story as they write. The best way to do it? The way that works for you.

Write what you know. On the surface, this may sound like savvy advice. It’s not. With the advent of the Internet, we can do the research and find out almost anything. We're no longer limited to our own personal experience. The better version of this is “write what you want to know.”

Real writers 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 (Sabbath rest, anyone). And not every successful writer has a schedule that allows for writing every day. I prefer to encourage people to write regularly, making time to write a priority. 

Pay attention to trends and write to that. There are a surprising number of writers who do this and it’s rarely successful. Trends tend to be crazy popular for a short time, then gone for a long time. Beyond that, writing a book and bringing it to publication takes time. This is true whether the book is traditionally or self-published. Chances are, by the time you write the book, have it edited, find a publisher, or even find the cover design and format the interior (if you’re self-publishing) the trend is on the wane. 

All self-publishing is vanity. There was a time—in the earlier part of my career—when this was the agreed upon belief. This is NOT true. Self-publishing, done with excellence, is often an excellent option. Where self-publishing becomes a problem is when we use it as a short cut. There are no good short-cuts in publishing. 

Editing will destroy my voice. This one is just sad. Good editors make our words soar. They help us take our voice to the next level. Occasionally we come across an editor who tries to turn their clients’ words into their own words. In that case, run the other way. And just FYI, get references from people you trust before hiring a freelance editor.

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.

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.

Never begin a new project until the current one is finished. Not true. Often book writers have several projects going at once—at different stages. For example:

• Book A is finished and waiting to launch
• Book B is in draft mode, with the author working on getting it ready to send to the publisher
• Book C is in brainstorming mode, with the author figuring out what exactly the book will be about. 
• Article 1 is being written to promote Book A.

What we want to avoid is always starting projects and never finishing anything.

And, for the Christian publishing author there’s this mythstake…

God gave me these words and told me you would publish them. OUCH! This is an actual cliché at the writing conferences I attend. Every editor, agent, and publisher has heard them and the truly make us cringe. 

Bottom Line

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. Those two absolutes are words that should make you cringe and assume what you’re hearing is incorrect. 

Now it’s your turn, what are some non-existent genres and some of the worst writing advice you’ve ever heard? 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. She’s a writer who feels lost without her camera and a card-carrying introvert who loves to encourage an audience. She also embraces the ultimate contradiction of being an organized creative. As a popular speaker, she’s encouraged and challenged audiences across the country and around the world. Her numerous books, including the award-winning Soul Care series reflect her passion to help others develop the strength of their God-given gifts and apply them to their lives.

She and husband Kirk have been married 43+ years, and live near their three sons and three grandchildren in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Edie and Kirk can often be found with their big black dog hiking—Edie hanging off ledges for the best camera angle and Kirk patiently carrying her tripod. Connect with her on her website, WWW.EDIEMELSON.COM and through social media.