An ironic post about writing advice: Don’t take it
Let me preface this post by saying I’m about to give you writing advice. Don’t take it.
Photo by @austinchan from Unsplash.
“I always pass on good advice. It is the only thing to do with it. It is never of any use to oneself.”
A few days ago, I attended a lecture on how to be more productive with your writing. The workshop marketed itself as a foolproof way to write a book in six weeks, so, naturally, I was like, “fuck yeah, I want to write a book in six weeks.” How easily bamboozled I am.
The woman who presented the workshop was admirable, I’ll give her that. She really worked for her goals and is now a bestselling author. But how necessary is that struggle? She was dirt poor, struggling to provide for herself and her mother, all in the name of creating art. And we tell ourselves the struggle is necessary, that if we want to succeed as writers, we must be poor, we must be depressed, we must starve or get addicted to drugs or whatever. And for a while, I believed that. But it’s fucking bullshit.
Some of her advice that was also questionable:
Read 300 books a year; write reviews for every single one of those books. Submit these reviews to magazines, journals, and other blogs (not just Goodreads or your own blog).
Prioritize your writing above everything else; your social life, your marriage, your friends. The only thing she recommended prioritizing above your writing was your health.
Abstain from sex, or pick a partner with a low sex drive. According to her, sexual energy and creative energy are derived from the same source so having sex decreases your creative drive. Well, SOL for writers with a high sex drive.
Needless to say, this lecture was A LOT. And what’s wild is that a lot of the live stream comments were agreeing with her, or saying that they already do a lot of these things. And the whole time, I was just thinking, what the actual hell.
This is when I remembered that the amount of writing advice (and just advice in general) out there is enormous, sometimes useful, but a lot of the time, it’s bullshit. There are things that work for people that won’t work for you. I think reading is an essential tool for writers. Will I be reading 300 books a year? Fuck no. Writing is my life. But it isn’t my life. And sex…well, yeah, no, I’m SOL.
So what’s my point in all this? I guess, don’t listen to me. Or rather, be realistic with what advice you take. There’s a lot of writing advice out there, and you don’t need to take it all. Find what works for you and stick with it. I still haven’t found what works best for me, and I’d say I have some success regardless.
Photo by @2photopots from Unsplash.
One page that I’ve found that gives really good writing advice is Bookfox. The author behind the page used to be a professor in Creative Writing and now freelances, runs that page, and writes novels full-time. He essentially has the life I hope to lead one day. So yeah, I’m listening to some of his advice (note: not all).
But I think the best advice I can give is to write, read, and do what makes you happy. Talk to other writers. Talk to readers who aren’t writers. Go out and live life because otherwise how are we supposed to emulate life or a world someone else wants to get lost in? It may not lead to a place on the NYT Bestseller’s list, but if we define that as happiness, well, shit, I think most of us are out of luck.
In case my sage words of advice aren’t enough (or you don’t care to listen to me), here are some other resources I’ve found particularly helpful in my writing journey:
I will shout out Authors Publish every chance I can get because so many of their guides are free and accessible. They also offer several paid classes, one of which I took and found particularly useful.
This is a DC-based nonprofit that has a bunch of great free advice, plus workshops, lectures, and speaker series that are free or are paid/have a reduced fee if you’re a member. I’ll also be leading a workshop for members in a few months!
Another DC-based nonprofit. This is a great network for creative writers in the DC area. They have a monthly reading series which will hopefully resume in person soon. They also host writing contests and support local authors through book signings and getting their books in smaller, local bookstores.
While the NaNoWriMo website certainly sees a spike in traffic during the month of November, they have writing events year-round, along with lectures and tons of free advice. They also have a forum where you can chat with other writers and toss around ideas.
Join a book club
Google “book clubs near me” and you’ll find events on MeetUp, Eventbrite, or even through your local library. Talk about literature with people who aren’t necessarily writers. You’ll learn a lot about what people like. I think writers can often get lost in theory or in the nitpicky things the average reader doesn’t think about.
And so, so much more. There are literally thousands of websites catering to writers (or other creative folks). So yeah, listen to me. Or them. Or don’t.
As always, be sure to give my Patreon a look! I just sent out my letters and handwritten poems for the month of October; sign up at the $7/month tier now and you’ll receive one in November! This is just one way to support a writer like myself. Another way? Share this blog with people who you think might be interested. Much love to everyone, and leave a comment with some good writing advice you may have. I’ll maybe listen.
