Bad Writing Advice: 21 Terrible Tips You Should Ignore

From Scribe Media:

One of the first things you learn as an Author is that everyone has writing advice for you.

And most of the advice is terrible.

It starts the second they find out you’re writing a book:

“Write for the love of writing!”
“Write for yourself!”
“Follow your passion!”
“Write when you’re inspired!”
“Never write in a cafe!”
Those cliches sound like good advice because you hear them all the time.

But they’re all awful.

. . . .

1. Write when you’re inspired

This is the worst piece of advice you can get as an Author.

That’s like saying you’ll go to the gym when you feel like working out. You might go once in a while, but you’re not going to get in shape. People who make working out part of their routine stay in shape because they go even when they don’t want to.

If you only write when you’re inspired, you’re probably never going to write. And if you do only write inspired (and rarely), you’re going to write about disjointed topics that don’t connect.

Why? Because inspiration doesn’t follow a plan.

Somerset Maugham said this about inspiration:

“I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”

Authors attributed with similar quips and routines include:

• William Faulkner
• Peter De Vries
• Raymond Chandler
• Ernest Hemingway

If you want to write a book, you must have a plan.

That means deciding:

• What time of day you’re going to write
• How long you’re going to write
• Where you’re going to write
• What word count you want to hit

And you have to put it on your calendar.

Then sit down and do it.

Also, we recommend giving yourself permission to write mediocre stuff. Every Author arrives at good writing through the valley of mediocrity.

Start by getting your ideas down, whether or not they feel inspired.

Don’t get me wrong: inspiration is great, and you should harness it when it comes. It’s perishable, and it’s valuable. So use it.

But you can’t rely on it.

You can’t only write when you have it.

. . . .

3. Write for the love of writing itself, not for what writing might get you

This is excellent advice if you want to be a poor poet. For everyone else, it’s terrible.

I’m not saying it’s bad to love writing. If you fall in love with the process of writing and you can’t wait to do it every day, that will definitely help you write your book.

But it’s terrible advice to give an Author.

Why? Because you start thinking that if you don’t love your writing, you’re doing it wrong.

That’s simply not true.

By most people’s definitions, I’ve been wildly successful as a writer. But I might love writing 10% to 20% of the time.

I have a whole spectrum of emotions the rest of the time:

• indifference
• hate
• apathy
• disgust
• resignation
• exhaustion
• joy
• contentment

All of those.

So, the advice I would give is this:

The reason you write is to get something from your writing. There’s no other reason to write—at least if you want to publish what you’re writing.

If you’re writing a journal, with no intent to publish it, that’s great. In fact, it’s amazing. I keep a journal myself, but it’s not for the love of journaling.

I keep a journal because I get something out of that too.

But don’t tell an Author, who’s trying to write and publish a book, to write only for the love of writing.

That’s what I call a luxury belief. Writers love telling stories. And snobby, elite writers love telling snobby, elite stories about their own work.

“I write for the love of writing.”

Not true. They write to make money or to raise their status among their peers.

You might love writing, or you might not. Either way, the love of writing isn’t the point of it if you’re publishing your work.

The point of writing and publishing is to create a change in the world. To create a change in other people’s attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors, or your own life.

That’s the real advice. It’s the advice that can energize a writer and transform a book.

You’re not writing for the love of writing–that’s just a bonus. You’re writing to create change.

. . . .

5. Buy The Chicago Manual of Style & The Elements of Style

The only reason to buy these books is to set them on fire and throw them out your window.

Those books are shackles. They’re shackles that snobby, elitist writers try to convince other writers to wear.

I’ve met a lot of Authors. But I’ve never met one Author I like who also likes The Elements of Style (there might be exceptions to that rule, but if there are, I don’t know of them).

Here’s what you should do:

Write simply and directly, in your own words and voice. Invite readers to connect with who you really are.

Link to the rest at Scribe Media