HelloOoOo everybody!
A while back, I listed the 10 best pieces of writing advice I've ever received, and today we're flipping the script! We're talking about the worst writing advice out there, and why you should avoid it like the plague. There's a lot of shitty writing advice available, but I'm going to cover the things that pop up most often. Additionally, I'll be talking about writing advice that encapsulates the craft of writing as well as the business end. On to the whining! Here are the ten worst pieces of writing advice I've ever heard, and boy, do they not disappoint!
This video is sponsored by Skillshare. As always, all opinions are my own.
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Number 1: Quit Your Job
“All right, Jenna, I'm ready to become a writer! I got a book idea. I quit my job. What's next?”
Moving into your parent’s basement, that's what! You can't just quit your job when you start writing. How are you gonna pay your bills? Do you just fart out cash?
“But Jenna, you need to have confidence. You need to bet on you!”
I can bet on myself while still paying my mortgage! It takes big ol’ privileged balls to offer this advice as a blanket statement like it's even feasible for most of the population.
“But Jenna, you're a full-time writer!”
I sure didn’t start off this way! Writing was my side gig for years before it became my full-time profession. I was a stockbroker, and then an accountant. Look, if you're in a situation where you can quit your job and still be financially set, fantastic! But most people gotta make their own money to live and you can't do that off an unfinished manuscript.
Number 2: Editors Are Optional
A lot of people claim it's cruel to say that a professional edit is a mandatory part of the writing process because some people can't afford editors. I get it. Editing is really expensive. But an unedited book is an unfinished book. Is it cruel that a baker must own an oven, or are you totally cool with a bakery sending you home with a bowl of flour and eggs? Is it cruel that a seamstress has to own thread, or are you fine with buying your clothing in pieces? This is part of creating a product. Sometimes you have to invest in resources like buying supplies or hiring professionals. If you're not comfortable with this aspect of the business, then be a hobbyist. There are plenty of platforms that allow writers to share their work for free. But you can't expect people to pay for an unfinished product. That's unprofessional and shady.
Number 3: Hard Work Is Toxic
“What's with this mentality of ‘you have to work hard to achieve your goals?’ That's offensive! I should be able to achieve my goals however I want to. My mom said I'm special!”
People can be entitled. When you're used to being babied, the concept of hard work feels like an affront. Here's the deal: you don't have to work hard if you don't want to. No one's putting a gun to your head. But facts are facts! If you are entering a highly competitive industry where tons of people enter but only a fraction succeed, then the odds are set against you. In situations like this, you have to work really, really hard to balance the scales, let alone tip them in your direction. Yes, self-care is important. Of course, your health matters, but this is not an industry where skating by is rewarded. If you don't like hard work, get a different job, ‘cause you're not gonna make it here.
Number 4: Do What the Famous Authors Do
Remember that kid who tried really hard to fit in with the popular girls and everyone laughed at her for it? That's you, buddy! Emulating famous authors will not make you successful. It just makes you look like every other amateur who's new to the scene.
“I'm writing my book this way. It worked for Stephen King!”
Yes, but are you Stephen King? Where are your accolades and decades of experience? I'm not saying you can't try out his method but go into it knowing that you are not him and thus, it might not work for you. The writing process varies from person to person. No one's advice is 100% foolproof. My advice is not 100% foolproof. The greats are not gods; they are talented people who found a system that worked for them.
Number 5: “Buy This Course and Become a Best-Seller Today!”
Sounds like a pyramid scheme pitch, doesn’t it? It's great to pursue education, but any platform that's guaranteeing success is probably full of shit. Additionally, you gotta examine the source. Are they successful? Is their writing any good? Some people will spend thousands of dollars on courses taught by hacks. Meanwhile, you can take classes taught by best-selling authors that are super affordable or free! I encourage you to expand your knowledge but do so with a healthy dose of skepticism. There are lots of people out there trying to make a quick buck off of suckers.
Number 6: Fanfic Will Grow Your Audience
Let me start off by saying I am not hating on fanfic. However, write it because you enjoy it, not as a marketing tactic, because it probably won't work.
“But Jenna, lots of fanfic writers have big audiences!”
Yeah, lots of people read fanfic because they're fans of the fic. They're not there for the writer; they're there to indulge in whatever piece they're expanding upon. That means the minute you transition from fanfic to original, at least two-thirds of your audience ain't coming with ya. They're moving on to more Dramione fic! Sure, there are exceptions to the rule, but for every E. L. James, there are a thousand fanfic writers who tried this method and failed.
Number 7: “You Have To Write Every Single Day, or Else the Pretension Police Will Come for You!”
I'm gonna let you in on a little secret: I'm a full-time author, I make a good living doing this, and I don't write every day! Don't get it twisted, I do something for my career every day. Sometimes it's marketing. Sometimes it's accounting. Sometimes it's making these videos. But I do not have time to write every single day and I probably never will. Some people are perfectly capable of writing every day, which is lovely, but it does not make them any more of a real writer than someone else.
Number 8: “Traditional Publishing Is the Only Way To Go. If You Want To See Your Books in Stores or Be Remotely Successful, You Have To Go Traditional.”
That's some bullshit! Don't get me wrong, traditional publishing is a valid option. It's just not the only option, and anyone who spouts this rhetoric has probably been living in a cave since the 90s. Indie publishing has produced tons of bestsellers. There are countless Indie authors making six-figure incomes, and I hate to break it to you, but Indie books have been in bookstores for a while now. Again, this is not a dig at traditional, nor am I saying that Indie is the right choice for all authors. I'm just saying that times have changed and there's no longer one single path available to writers.
Number 9: “Don’t Recruit Beta Readers or Critique Partners; They’ll Steal Your Work!”
I mean, obviously, your rough draft is so perfect and not at all a dumpster fire. Here's the deal: the reason we enlist betas and CPs is because your work sucks and needs help. No one wants to steal your garbage! I'm not saying it never happens, but even if they do steal your work, what exactly can they do with it? Do you really expect them to steal your manuscript, spend years building and growing a platform, hire an editor, query agents, land a publishing deal, get a six-figure contract, and then release it to the masses with expert marketing? If they're too lazy to come up with their own story, how do you expect them to do any of that? The odds are even if someone yoinks your idea, they're not gonna do anything substantial with it. You're probably worrying about a worst-case scenario that'll never come to fruition.
Number 10: Write What Sells
I'm not saying this is a bad idea; there’s an entire marketing concept that revolves around writing what sells. I'm just saying that “write what sells” as a blanket, the one-size-fits-all statement is stupid. First off, most people spend years writing a novel, so what sells when you start probably won't be the same thing as when you finish. Congratulations! You spent five years creating old news. Second, most writing trailblazers earned their name by paving their own way outside of the mainstream. Third, writing is not only a difficult job, it's also a crapshoot. You could work your ass off and not even sell 20 copies. Why would you waste so much time writing something you don't care about when there is a very real possibility that you could fail? Might as well write what you want to read regardless of whether or not it's “what sells.”
So that's all I've got for you today!
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*This post is sponsored by Skillshare. As always, all opinions are my own.
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