I'm here today with a secret on writing. It's a BIG secret, too. You ready for this?
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You sure? It's good stuff ;)
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NOT EVERYONE WHO GIVES YOU WRITING ADVICE IS RIGHT.
Gasp. Yep. I said it. Not everyone who gives you writing advice is going to be right. Not even us Scribblechicks. Oh sure we can (and hopefully are) be correct in theory, or correct in letting you know what publishers are after, or the proper procedure for finding an agent, or our opinions on what works best, what's a no-no, what's a show-stealer, etc.
But we're not going to be 100% right all the time, because writing is subjective. You shoud listen to advice and take it, OFTEN. Don't get me wrong. We here at Scribblechicks have been around the industry block a few times and aren't steering you wrong. But remember that ultimately, deep down, only YOU know what is right for YOUR story.
So be encouraged. If the rules are too overwhelming at times, break 'em. Write your story. Let it out. Set it free. Then if the rules make more sense when you're done, go back and edit them in. Or maybe you know a certain genre is all but dead (chick lit, currently) But that's your heart. Then guess what? WRITE A CHICK LIT. Don't worry about what everyone says. Don't let the hater's hate ;) Write your story. Be true to your heart and yourself and your dreams.
Sometimes, writing advice can just be flat out bad advice, too. Like if someone told you to stalk an editor into a bathroom to pitch your story at a conference. That is BAD advice. So is sending an agent a magazine--letter-cut-out threat in the mail if they don't represent you ;)
Seriously though, what's a piece of writing advice you got that was just BAD? or wrong? Or at the time, you weren't sure if it was wrong or bad but it just didn't feel right to you? Share here! :)
I think for me, the worst advice I ever got was someone trying to coerce me into writing their way. I'm not a seat of the pantser. I'm a plotter, a planner, I need to know what's going to happen throughout my story, at least the major thread and plotlines. I need an outline to be most productive. That's not true for everyone, and I would never harp on you to make an outline first and detail your story to death when you like to write by the seat of your pants and figure things out as you go. Everyone works differently.
So what about you? What bad advice have you gotten?
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That is so hard to remember, though. Probably because we work so hard on things and want people to like them.
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time feeling my writing or my ideas are good for very long so I don't tell a lot of people. I haven't gotten to a point where I've saught a lot of professional advice. There probably is a difference between professional advice & just someone you know.
There is someone I wish I had never shared that I wanted to write or my ideas and my writing with. She lambasted me and she did it creatively. I would've rather had her say it was a genre she didn't read of something llike that. I had this one idea she told me was a warped, Christian version of sex and the city. Ouch! And more than that. It stunk, plus she kinda judges the Christian writing thing.
I I try to chalk her up to being prepared for criticism when I'm published but she really had me re-thinking things and im still trying get her out of my head.
I understand how you feel, Tonya. I never seem to feel like my work is good enough, either. Sometimes I think that's why I never get anything done. I start out excited, share my idea with someone, they don't react as I hoped, and I lose my enthusiasm. Fast.
ReplyDeleteI will say that I have one friend that I can always trust to give me constructive feedback on my writing. She is always supportive of me and I trust her with all my work/ideas. Perhaps you should find someone like that. It doesn't have to be a friend -just another writer. We started out just talking about our writing and now we're good friends.
I think the worst advice someone ever gave me was: "Don't use so many details... You didn't have to say all that." Thankfully they said this about my favorite piece of work and I knew that the details were part of the style I was using an they were what made it good. Besides, I wasn't changing a word of it because I loved it so much. Later that "too detailed" story was published in the newspaper. :)
You have to find a balance between accepting advice and allowing people to reshape your writing. If we all wrote the same way, the craft would die because everyone would be bored. Now... I say this -and I believe it to be true -but I will admit that I haven't found that balance, yet. Wow. Long comment. Sorry. Lol.
I am SO vulnerable about my writing - so I get this feeling, too (and if I *ever* publish I will probably use a psuedonymn!). After years of wanting to write but putting it aside, I recently picked it up and discovered I have what it takes now to push through (call it seasoned with life and more to write about...).
ReplyDeleteI have found a just a few friends who push me onward and upward and ask the right questions to make me think hard - but knowing this is my 1st draft of my 1st novel, these few people have only seen tiny excerpts and mostly listened (or texted) while I worked through my ideas. Without that support, I would be floundering in a huge way.
So Tonya - my thoughts are that you are already an amazing writer for pushing into it in spite of that voice you're trying to shake. Just the fact she judges the KIND of writing your doing tells you she won't appreciate it anyway....remember that. :)
I read "Bird by Bird" by Ann Lamott and have to say the BEST thing I read in there was that our first draft is always, uh, crappy....to rephrase just a bit. ;D
The worst advice....honestly, I don't know right now.....but maybe that's good.
Thanks Ladies! Keep writing :)
ReplyDeleteGood comments, ladies! Thanks for chiming in.
ReplyDeleteTonya, and Ashley, if you keep getting negative feedback from friends/family when it comes to your book ideas, then seriously - stop sharing them. lol People like to pretend they know things, even when they don't. Human nature. We all also LOVE to give our opinion - even about things we don't necessarily know about. For some raeson, this seems to happen exceptionally often in the book world.
I would say this fits those people you were sharing your ideas with. Anyone can find the negative in ANYthing or ANY idea if they even remotely try. The same goes for the positive. So maybe you should keep secret plots for awhile and write them alone until you know if the story is going to work for YOU. Then share with a truste friend or fellow writer, someone who won't lambast you but will give you HONEST and ENCOURAGING feedback. Feedback you can work with, not "that sucks" feedback. Make sense? I can't believe that person said that to you Tonya!! Like I said - shake 'em off ;)
Besides, sometimes knowing you have a secret book just makes it even better and motivates you to write more ;)
Thanks Betsy! I haven't had much trouble with fam/friends except for that one meanie. One reason I think, is bc i do keep them quiet so long. I started editing my first draft this week & just started telling people, like my mom. Things like that upset her kindof, she doesn't know why I keep it so tight & close to my heart. I dont have the courage to telll her why, I'm afraid she'll get mad and it'd cause more problems. Its just that she's such a practical & technical person. There really are times when I want to hear something positive before the logistic aspects of it all. Later in editing she'd be a great asset, i know!
ReplyDeleteOn that note she's notorious for yelling at tv & movies for not making sense or being predictable.
Gotcha girl! Sounds kinda funny, the last thing you said ;) Did she watch Lost? ha
ReplyDeleteLol! No, she couldn't get into it.
ReplyDelete