Hungry young writers often snap up writing advice as if they were starving, internalizing it and making it part of a core truth. It is tempting. We spend most of our lives accepting the word of authority figures, beginning with parents and teachers. I sometimes wonder what I believe without question that is exactly wrong.
But it’s a bit overwhelming to talk about everything, so let’s just talk about writing advice, something I know a little about. I love to read the advice of authors who have been there before me, and in fact, I had a lot of success taking advice from Orson Scott Card at a boot camp in 2003. The things he said really helped me take my writing to the next level.
Yet today, I know something else: Take all writing advice with a grain of salt.
In an effort to follow my own advice, I decided to look up the origin of the above saying. Wikipedia had some interesting history regarding poisons and antidotes, but here’s what interested me: The Latin word salis means both salt and wit. So, I could just as easily say:
Take all writing advice with a grain of wit.
Us writers love to give advice. It’s probably just an aspect of human nature, because most people like to share wisdom, especially as it pertains to the things they have mastered. So you take a newbie, throw him together with his favorite author, and watch him take everything the author says as the gospel truth.
Here’s the truth: The only writing advice I can give you is what works for me.
When it comes to making use of feedback, perhaps you’ve heard the typical advice: Pay careful attention to the things many agree upon, and the things that resonate with you.
The same is true in taking any writing advice. If you want to be a writer, then you can’t be a vacant receptacle for cosmic wisdom. There are no formulas or easy answers. Creativity comes from within, which means you have to apply your own self, your own reflections, your own intelligence, and your own wit. Don’t take everything you hear or read about writing too seriously, because there are no universal truths or rules when it comes to art. Those who would suggest otherwise are missing the point.
That’s not to say don’t read writing advice, ignoring the collective wisdom of those who have been there before you. I’m just saying you should think about it, and apply those critical thinking tools they try to teach you in school. Ask, not just what, but why? Why does this work? When might it not work? Does this author make effective use of the tool?
The creative process is largely psychological, and we’re not all the same. You can observe this by watching some of the great debates out there: pansters vs. outliners, music vs. quiet, or cursing: yay or nay?
I mention this in part because it’s something you need to hear and understand, and in part because I’m wanting to start sharing some ideas that I readily acknowledge won’t work for everyone. But they work for me, and whether you agree or not¸they may help you gain insights into your own writing.