One thing I’ve noticed over my over two years of blogging is that the same subjects tend to repeat themselves. Advice about writing mostly, dos and don’ts, methods of editing, plotting versus pantsing, etc. etc. Sometimes a particular subject appearing on several blogs in the space of a few weeks.
Is this a bad thing? No. This advice needs to be repeated, not only for those who have just started blogging but for everyone who needs to be reminded of all the minutiae of writing a publishable book. And so, in that vein…
Most Commonly Repeated Advice for Writers
1. Have a platform (Twitter, Pintrest, Blog, Tumblr)
Bonus rule to make things difficult: make it something your potential readers would want to read.
2. Write every day.
Bonus rule to make things difficult: except when it’s not every day. I’ve seen one or two of those.
3. Write what you know and what you’re passionate about.
Bonus rule to make things difficult: write what’s marketable.
4. Follow agents, visit writing forums, socialize with other writers.
Bonus rule to make things difficult: oh yeah. Did I mention you have to do all this while writing and editing your books?
And of course there are a million more like these, each contradicting the last. Is there a moral to the story? Uh…I don’t know. Maybe just go with what works? Do what you can and don’t kill yourself too much when you fail? Never give up?
Take what you will from this. And here’s a cat using a stuffed animal for a pillow:
Also, she has part of a curtain on there.
I love your Bonus Rules, and you are so right...we have to think about all this while writing and editing our own masterpieces. Sometimes getting one poorly hacked up sentence down is about all the challenge I can handle. Other days it flows like water. Go figure!
ReplyDeleteThere was a kind of a survey done several years ago among successful authors. No, I don't know what that means. At any rate, the surveyors asked the authors to list the top ten things they would tell aspirers they needed to do. The top two things on each list was the same (but not necessarily in the same order) and the other eight things were never the same. The top two things were
ReplyDelete1. read
2. write
I think that sums it up. There is no how.
I've heard that if you repeat something three times, you'll remember it.
ReplyDeleteGreat list. And, yeah, I'm trying to find that elusive balance. What good it the platform and the knowledge if I never finish a book? LOL
ReplyDeleteLove the cat. :)
Reading and writing a lot. Beyond that... just follow instincts.
ReplyDeleteKitty looks entirely too comfortable. Kitties are very good at that.