Think Twice Before Following The Worst Writing Advice

Welcome to Week 8 of the 52-Week Marketing for Romance Writers (#MFRW) Blog hop entitled, The Worst Writing Advice I’ve Gotten. Let me tell you, once you begin writing, you’ll get advice from everybody. But mostly from people who are planning to write a book, but haven’t really written one yet.

Kind of how I had tons of advice for other parents until I became one myself, and then I realized I had a lot to learn. So I had to narrow my worst advice down to a few things. This might not be the worst writing advice for everyone, but they certainly slowed down, or hindered, my writing career.

Don’t Write a Series

I’ve bemoaned this advice time and time again, even though I forgot where I got it because it was so long ago.

The advice wasn’t to not write a series, it was to not write a series until you saw if the first book sold, and then if it sold well. I clung to that little nugget with my wide-eyed naïve author eyes and wrote…the first book for three different series and a stand-alone book.

So…after my first novel, DESTINY CALLING, was published, my readers, and my editor, were wondering if there was a book #2 for the “series”.

Well, sure, there’s going to be a book #2, but it’s not ready yet. How about you take a look at this other book from the start of a completely different series?

I’ve since went back and drafted book #2 and #3 of that series, but it was much more difficult than if I’d stayed in that world to begin with, and it is much harder to write, and to market, books when they aren’t related.

Make an Outline

When I started writing, everyone encouraged to start with an outline. I hate outlines. I did then, and I still do. So I’ve tried to use them because I know so many people who love them, plus it would sure cut down on editing if I knew where the crazy-train of the story was headed and I didn’t have to go back and fix the tracks half the time.

But I love to write by the seat of my pants. I love discovering the story as a reader would as I write it. If I outline the story then I feel like it’s over before it’s begun. Maybe one day I’ll be converted to outlines, but if I want to get those shiny stories out in the world, I need to just put my fingers to the keyboard and listen to my muse.

Don’t use Beta Readers

This was more recent advice, and although I didn’t agree with it. I received it from someone I admire and trust so I went with it thinking, Well I’ve written all these books, I probably don’t need beta readers anymore. I know what I’m doing.

Well, I did need them, and I obviously don’t know what I’m doing.

As an author it’s best to always keep learning, and to value the opinion of others. I was so enmeshed in the story that I couldn’t see what needed ‘fixed.’ I went ‘muse-blind’ to the boring parts and fell in love with the prose too much in places.

But I couldn’t see that at all until I gave it to some awesome beta readers. Which leads me to a few tidbits of best advice.

And The Best Writing Advice

Grow a really thick skin and let other people critique your writing. If it’s an honest critique, it may sting, so put it aside for a few days until the red ink clears from your vision and you stop crying and then read it again—because they may be right. Just be sure to ignore the haters who don’t really know how to give a critique, but only know how to give ‘their opinion.’. I had a couple of those.

Here’s another post with more writing advice. One other piece of advice—just write. It doesn’t have to be a novel to start. Sharpen your prose with all kinds of writing. Flash fiction, poetry, short stories, you name it. Because it doesn’t matter how many stories you have in your head. We all have the same 24 hours in a day and—you can’t edit a blank page.

What’s the Worst Advice You Ever Got?

This is a Blog Hop

Hop around and gather some more terrible writing advice so you don’t make the same mistakes.