Garbage Writing Advice, Why I Hate it, And How to Make it More Useful

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Garbage Writing Advice, Why I Hate it, And How to Make it More Useful

Рет қаралды 1,456

Күн бұрын

Writers (and everyone else, honestly) get bombarded with advice all the time, on every aspect of...well...everything.
Today, we're talking about advice on writing that I've seen, heard, or been given that I don't like, and rather than just rant about how much I hate it, I try to explain what about the advice I find to be bad, and try to make the advice more palatable.

Пікірлер: 18

@WilliamV0414 2 ай бұрын

I agree with you on editing. I finished my manuscript and now have to deal with all the edits and it is a daunting task. I know for my next book I will edit as I go.

@Jmcpeekwrites 2 ай бұрын

Good on you for finishing! About the only time I say it's good not to edit beforehand is if it bogs you down to the point you don't ever finish anything. Once you have the discipline to finish what you start, it just causes more problems on rewrites.

@jamesrobinson4869 14 күн бұрын

I find it helpful to consider “write what you know” to mean “write the themes you understand and relate to.”

@Jmcpeekwrites 14 күн бұрын

I hadn't considered that mindset, but that's a good way to approach thar advice. Thanks for your insight!

@yo.johnson 2 ай бұрын

1. Only write what you know. I agree. We need to conduct research and expand our knowledge and just take chances. As individuals, we don't know much. So it would be boring to only write what we know. Especially as a fantasy or sci-fi writer. 2. Don't read the genre that you are writing. This is really bad advice. Especially since, like you said, you would miss out on market research such as knowing the trends and knowing what people are tired of. 3. You have to use an outline. I personally need the guidance of an outline. But I tend to forget things or lose track of ideas. So organizing everything really helps me. Better advice would be to not RESTRICT yourself to an outline. It is okay to deviate away from it. I need a skeleton. 4. Word count and time commitment Yeah, I hate being told this. I work full time and I am neurodiverse. There is no wayyyyy my creativity can be put under these conditions LOL 5. Don't edit until first draft is complete. I think that there are definitely some things that you should be editing as you write. Another piece of bad advice that I have seen is telling people to write their stories in order from beginning to end. Sometimes you want to write the scenes that take place later in the book NOW. And that's okay. Nice video!

@Jmcpeekwrites 2 ай бұрын

Thanks so much for your lovely and thoughtful comment! I also agree with you on writing out of order. Not only do you sometimes just want to get the scene written right then, but sometimes it helps give you the motivation to write the scenes that lead up to it. I don't so it often myself, but I've always found it useful when I have.

@yo.johnson 2 ай бұрын

@@Jmcpeekwrites I think it's okay to write the most exciting scenes when you are facing a writers block or some writing challenges.

@Jmcpeekwrites 2 ай бұрын

Exactly. When I'm stuck on what I'm doing and not sure where to go next, I'll find a writing prompt and do one or two of them as if they were happening in the story's world, and most od the time it'll help break me out of whatever block I've got, or at the very least it'll help me with character development.

@billyalarie929 2 ай бұрын

The advice actually IS “don’t SOLELY read in your chosen genre.”

@Jmcpeekwrites 2 ай бұрын

It's kind of like how people say 'the customer is always right,' but it's really 'the customer is always right in matters of taste.' A couple of dropped words changes the whole thing. I often see the 'solely' part dropped, and since that changes the entire piece of advice, it's why I made a point of calling attention to it.

@anthonycosentino463 Ай бұрын

Writing what you know in addition to what you can create or research is the way to go...

@Jmcpeekwrites Ай бұрын

Agreed

@Theunaestheticwriter 2 ай бұрын

I agree with basically all of this! As a self dubbed chaotic writer I struggle with writing on a schedule, outlining, zero editing while writing, etc. Just like writing itself, I think it's great to know these "rules" so that you can strategically break them in ways that fuels your creative process. Thanks for the great perspective!

@Jmcpeekwrites 2 ай бұрын

At the end of the day, writing is an art, and everyone approaches art differently. Anyone who says there is only one way to do something is likely trying to sell you something.

@Sandstimes Ай бұрын

"don't read the genre you're writing" is wild to me because I would not be writing at all if didn't read the genre im writing, it's what inspired me to write in the first place lol. I dont understand how someone could be motivated enough to write a whole book on a genre they don't read

@Jmcpeekwrites Ай бұрын

It's kind of like the people that insist you have to read all the 'classics,' as if writing styles haven't changed, or societal expectations. I tried following that for a summer, and it almost made me hate reading. I can't imagine being a writer and reading things that actively agitate me.