Just Do It vs. Know Your Limits

Wow! An actual post about writing! You might start to think that this blog is about writing or something.

I always hear people warn that you have to know your limits or else you’ll end up stressed and overworked. Always try to push further, but beware of straining yourself, physically or mentally because then you won’t get anything done at all. Then on the other side I hear people bitching at you to get over yourself and just do it.

It’s hard to know what to follow.

One of the most interesting things about writing is that the process is so different for every person. For some people “Just do it” will push them to do what they’ve been putting off. For others, me included, it will paralyze their ability to write because all they (and by they I mean I) can think about is how they have to do it. Others hear “Know your limits” and can get in the habit of calling it a day because that one paragraph was super tough to write.

The point I’m trying to make? Neither one is right. Or maybe both are, but only as much as you can make them work. You have to figure out what’s right for you and don’t stress yourself when you can’t just do it, or you have no idea of your limits.

But that’s my opinion. Feel free to ignore it.

Positivity

Everyone enjoys positive feedback. “I like your stories!” “You’re funny!” It’s a nice little ego boost, and I know a positive comment in a critique cheers me up after seeing all the mistakes. But writers do need SOME negative feedback. Not mean of course, but “This doesn’t make sense to me” or “I’m pretty sure that ducks are capable of flight”. Think of the most glaring, cringe inducing error you’ve ever read in a work of fiction. Don’t you wish someone got a little more negative?

Positively Awful Advice

1. “Your refusal to let laws of physics and common sense hold you back is really impressive.”

2. “There’s no law saying that character names have to be the same throughout the entire book.”

3. “If people don’t get what you’re describing, it’s because you’re a misunderstood genius.”

4. “It’s quantity, not quality that counts. Five hundred thousand is just more words to love.”

5. “Spelling rules are only like five hundred years old. That’s way shorter than written language. You go with what feels right.”

6. “Bah. What’s continuity every done for anyone?”

7. “Your incorrect information maligns an entire culture, but who cares? None of those people are in your target audience.”

8. “‘Plagiarism.’ ‘Stealing.’ “Copyright infringement.’ They’re just words.”

9. “Commas really are subjective.”

10. “So are grammar.”

My Advice to You

I tend to do my writing in bulk, over about three hours, four or five days a week. My productivity is usually pretty good this way (I did nine thousand words last week and eleven thousand the week before; not bad, right?). But there are times when I can barely put a hundred words down no matter how much I sit staring at the screen, willing myself to write. It’s at these points that I often go searching the internet for other people who have gone through the same thing in hopes of learning how to make the words just get out on the screen.

There are a lot of writers out there, and most of them seem to have blogs, and the one thing they like to do is give writing advice to other writers. You know. Like I’m doing now. Anyway! I find that sometimes, the advice is quite helpful. But truth be told, it often isn’t. Now, I’m not saying the advice is bad. Most of the time, it’s well written and at least gives me something to consider. It’s just that for whatever reason, I can’t make it work for me.

Going back to the writer’s block example, I have read a lot about how to slay that insidious beast. Some advise powering through, typing something, anything until the will to write returns. Others say you should switch to another project. Still others say take a break (a day or a week or however long it takes). Or go edit what you’ve already written, skip the part that’s bothering you, do some outlining, etc. There’s no end to it. But nothing I’ve read has really helped me get over a writing slump. I’ve always had to work through it on my own doing one or more (or none!) of the above, because I am a very different writer than all of you, just like each of you is very different from everyone else.

Is all this advice bad? Far from it. In writing about what works for us, we are giving ideas to others that may or may not help, and even if it’s probably not, we are clarifying to ourselves what we need to do when the situation arises. These blogs—or mine, anyway—isn’t just about connecting with you guys and spouting boring facts about word origins. It’s also a record of what I’m doing. So I can have an alibi for when I’m on trial remember what I’ve done and what I need to do.

Or something. Thoughts? What is your advice about advice?

Repeating Repetition

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.