Writers: Ignore This Writing Advice. If You Want.

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

This might seem like an odd topic for a writing site to address, but don’t listen to every piece of writing advice you come across—even good advice.

I’m a firm believer that there’s no right way to write, and what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another. Heck, what works for one novel doesn’t always work for the next novel by the same writer. Writing is a fluid process.

The clearest example of this is the classic outliner vs. pantser debate. Two solid techniques at opposite ends of the spectrum, with a myriad more in between—and all of them "right" depending on the writer.

Some techniques don’t work for some people, and there’s nothing wrong with that. That just means you prefer (or need) a different approach.

This is why I advocate understanding what we do and why we do it. The more we know about our process and what we’re trying to achieve, the easier it is to spot “good, but not good for us” advice. Even if that process is, “I go with what feels right in the depth of my soul.” If that works for you, it works. If you’re happy with the results you get, there’s no need to change it. If you’re not happy, then it’s up to you to decide what to change to achieve the results you want.

It's also why I have guest authors every week who share different approaches in both writing techniques, styles, and paths to publication. 

The trick with writing advice is to look beyond the words to what the advice is trying to say, and apply it how it fits into your process. For example...

If the advice says, “don’t use adverbs” and you love adverbs, consider why and how you’re using them. The anti-adverb advice stems from the sad fact that a large percentage of adverbs are weak and not serving the story. But blindly following the no-adverb rule and cutting every single one from your work will most likely produce a clunky manuscript. More work will go into avoiding a perfectly good adverb than in making sure every sentence says what you want it to say.

The better advice here, is use the right word to get the job done, whatever that word is. Look beyond the advice and understand that adverbs are red flags for weak prose, and if you feel your prose is weak and you’re not sure why, this could be a reason.

(Here's more on Is it me? Getting the Most Out of a Critique)

If the advice says, “you should outline,” and you hate outlining, don’t do it. Same as if they say, “oh, outlining steals your spontaneity and kills your writing, just write and see what happens.” Find the level of planning that works for you, be it detailed outlines half the size of the novel, or a one-sentence question that sparks a three-book series.

If the advice says, “cut your backstory, agents hate backstory,” you might hesitate before you hit the delete key. If “agents hate backstory” is the only reason for the advice, it might not be the right advice for that novel, even though it’s good advice 98% of the time. Backstory has its uses, same as adverbs or any other literary device, as along as it’s used well.

And then there’s the advice that refers to a small aspect of writing under certain conditions. If those conditions don’t apply to you or your work, clearly the advice isn’t for you. If you’re writing third-person omniscient with a distant narrator, then advice on crafting tight third-person internalization will send you in the wrong direction. Just remember it when and if you need it.

A word of caution however…

If you find yourself frequently saying, “yeah, but…” every time you hear/read/see advice, that could indicate a reluctance to grow as a writer. If more energy is spent on explaining why a certain piece of advice won’t work for you than on actually writing, you might want to take a step back and think about why you're fighting it so hard--especially if you've been receiving the same advice from multiple sources (as n a critique).

If you honestly feel you’re as good as you need or want to be, then fine, that’s your call. But if you’re struggling and want to improve, but refuse to put any of the advice you get into practice, it’s probably not the advice that’s the issue. Maybe it’s a lack of skills to understand the advice right now, or it’s a buildup of frustration blocking you from trying anything new. Whatever it is, try looking beyond the advice to the root cause and find a way to work past it that also works for you.

As SCBWI founder Lin Oliver once said, “It’s up to you to do the work.” No one can tell you what works for you, you have to try different things and find your own path, and sadly, sometimes that path is a rocky one.

Writing can be hard enough without contradictory advice, so consider what you as a writer need to do to write well. Also consider what each novel needs (and this can change from book to book). If the advice will help you make that novel the best it can be, then embrace that advice. If your instincts say no, or it will change your story too much, then it’s okay to say thank you and move along.

What “good, yet bad for me” advice have you received?

For more help on plotting or writing a novel check out my Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure.

Go step-by-step through plotting and writing a novel. Learn how to find and develop ideas, brainstorm stories from that first spark of inspiration, develop the right characters, setting, plots and subplots, as well as teach you how to identify where your novel fits in the market, and if your idea has what it takes to be a series.

With clear and easy-to-understand examples, Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure offers ten self-guided workshops with more than 100 different exercises to help you craft a solid novel. Learn how to:

• Create compelling characters readers will love
• Choose the right point of view for your story
• Determine the conflicts that will drive your plot (and hook readers!)
• Find the best writing process for your writing style
• Create a solid plot from the spark of your idea

Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure also helps you develop the critical elements for submitting and selling your novel once it’s finished. You’ll find exercises on how to:

• Craft your one-sentence pitch
• Create your summary hook blurb
• Develop a solid working synopsis And so much more!

Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure is an easy-to-follow guide to writing your novel or fixing a novel that isn’t quite working. 

Available in paperback and ebook formats.

Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, including The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The Shifter, was chosen for the 2014 list of "Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read" from the Georgia Center for the Book.

She also writes the Grace Harper urban fantasy series for adults under the name, J.T. Hardy.

When she's not writing novels, she's teaching other writers how to improve their craft. She's the founder of Fiction University and has written multiple books on writing.

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