Writing Advice: The Good, The Bad, and The Unhelpful

Writing advice comes in all shapes and sizes; from professional, published authors who have made it in the industry to nonwriters who have never written anything. Numerous books have been published and interviews given by the biggest names in the writing world where they give their two cents about the art of writing. There have also been countless internet postings about the same thing from beginning writers (and yes, that is what this post is too). Some of it is solid advice, some of it not, and some of it is just plain unhelpful.

In this post, I am going to talk about one piece of writing advice from each category. Of course, just like all writing advice, this is my opinion.

The Good

The best piece of writing advice I have ever seen cannot be attributed to just one author, but all of them.

DON’T STOP WRITING.

Seems fairly obvious, but it is hands down the best piece of advice out there. Regardless of what happens, regardless of how many rejections, regardless of everything… NEVER stop writing.

That is not to say you can’t take breaks or that you have to write every day (more on this later). What this means is that if your goal or dream is to be a writer, you have to keep writing. You can’t let anything stop you or get in your way.

The Bad

One of my least favorite things I have read when it came to writing came from Steven King’s book On Writing. Please don’t misunderstand; I loved the book and found most of his insights to be helpful (or interesting, at the very least). However, there was one line that stuck with me (in a negative way). He basically states that while a “competent” writer can become a “good” writer, a “bad” writer can never become a “competent” or “good” writer.

It is an interesting assertion, but I personally think it is a disheartening viewpoint, especially when so many beginning writers believe they are “bad” writers.

The way I see it, writing, like every other skill, takes practice. Writers who practice writing will see changes, growth, and improvement in their skills. I feel like labels like “bad”, “competent”, and “good” are also very subjective. I might be viewed as a “bad” writer by some people and a “good” writer by others.

The Unhelpful

What I consider the most unhelpful is not just one saying. It is other writer’s routines.

While I think it is very interesting to learn about the writing routine of other writers, whether they are world-famous best-selling authors, AuthorTubers (writers that vlog on Youtube), or personal friends, I also find it overwhelming and unhelpful to try to follow the writing routines of others.

All people are different, so everyone has a different writing routine. While it can be fun to try emulating another person’s routine, and it can be helpful when you need a change in your own routine, it can also be wildly unhelpful because there are “so many paths to the same place”.

Just because a famous author writes one way doesn’t mean the way you write is incorrect. If it works for you, that’s all that matters.

Savannah Watson