Bad Advice for Writers

I have heard every one of these bits of advice, and heard them insisted upon by writers far more celebrated than I.

1. Write every day.

2. Write only when the muse strikes.

3. Write for the market.

4. Write for yourself and yourself alone.

5. Write only by outline.

6. Outlines are for sissies. Write in the moment; be inspired.

7. Start writing short stories.

8. Write a novel first. A born novelist only writes novels.

9. You must have an agent to sell a book.

10. You must sell a book to get an agent.

You are likely somewhere in between these extremes, like most writers are. You will spend some time figuring out what kind of writer you are, and then going with that. Then for years you will think of yourself as this kind of writer. And you will be.

Except you will find that book you have to write that forces you out of the pattern you’ve always been successful at. Write that book. Be afraid of it and write it anyway. Tell the stories only you can tell. Write the words you know other people need to hear. Do it when you can, and give yourself a break when you can’t.

Being a writer isn’t all that much different from being a person. You do the work that comes to you and you do it as well as you can. And when life demands new work, you do that, too.