Hi all!
I’m trying to return to some more regular blog discussion posts. With Preptober and NaNoWriMo coming up, a number of these will be writing related. These will mostly be released on Fridays with a few special posts in between as thoughts pop into my head and I feel the need to talk with all my lovely readers.
In my time I’ve spent working on my writing career, I’ve seen a lot of advice. Some of it has been great and helpful. Some of it has been “Okay for some people but it doesn’t work for me.” And, some has been awful. Today, I’m focusing on the not so great advice.
- Self Publishing is not valid: There is still this huge stigma against self-publishing as not being “good enough.” No denying there are a lot of people who scam the system or write piles of garbage in an attempt to make a fast buck. But, that shouldn’t negate all of the people who work for years to build their business, work on their books, and put out the best product they can. I have come to know many wonderful indie authors and their work is fantastic. If you want me to do a special post recommending indie authors, I will add it to my list. I have a whole wish list on Amazon of just indie books to read and enjoy so I can gush later.
- Because (Insert author here) is successful, I must copy exactly what they do in order to also be successful- Stephen King, Nora Roberts, James Paterson, etc. all worked for years to perfect their methods. And, they’re continuing to improve and change methods because the publishing industry is always changing. So, you also should try and experiment and see what works and what doesn’t. And, even then, those things won’t be permanent. My outline/drafting process alone can change with every book. And, like I said, the industry is always changing. So, what may work now might not work in 3 or 4 years when I’m looking to publish.
- You MUST write EVERY DAY or you’re not a real author- I hear this so much and it’s so pretentious and assumes that you have nothing else to do other than write. Because writing is a business, authors have to take care of marketing and their platform, make sure their finances are in order. Not to mention, I’m a mom with a part time job. So, I have doctor appointments for my daughter. She’s still young enough that she needs a lot of care. When my husband’s working, I have to take care of the house.
- Show, Don’t Tell is law and you must show ALL THE THINGS- the show v. tell debate has raged as long as the written word has existed, I’m going to guess. The key, I think anyway, is to find a happy medium. There are times to tell, like when your MC is just walking to class or sleeping. And there are times to show, like a fight. And, even then, you shouldn’t go into all the details of everything in that fight otherwise it loses the intensity if the author is focused on blow-by-blow movement. Explain how the smell of burning material when your MC sets fire to the shoe of the guy trying to attack her in an alley. (I’ve done it, made many readers cringe and it was fantastic) I suggest looking up Jenna Moreci’s videos on these topics. I’ve learned so much and it has improved my writing.
- No professional anything required when publishing- Professional cover design and editing are expensive. It’s far cheaper to just slap something together on Photoshop, get your aunt who used to be an English teacher maybe do a once-over, and watch the money roll in when it’s on Amazon. I can say from experience that Noooooo. I tried to do this and the opposite happened. I don’t have a former English teacher in the family but I had my CPs and Beta readers looking over things and thought that was enough. But, it was not. Sales were not good and reviews were worse. Especially when my (at the time) tween niece pointed out that my resolution was too quick, among other critiques. So, I pulled the book and I’ve been improving it to release the right way sometime in the future.
So, those are a few of the bad advice I’ve heard floating around the Internet and in writing groups. What are some things you’ve heard? Share in the comments.