Hellooo, everybody!
Have you ever looked at popular writing advice and said to yourself, “Absolutely not!” That's
what we're talking about today. I'm breaking down the ten pieces of popular writing and publishing
advice that just didn't work for me. This topic was requested by one of my newsletter subscribers,
Demi. If you'd like to request topics in the future, you've gotta subscribe to my
newsletter. It's linked below. Please note, just because this advice didn't work for me,
doesn't mean it's all bad advice. In fact, some of this advice is pretty solid. It just
didn't work for me due to my specific quirks and lifestyle. And some of this advice is shitty,
either way you slice it. The point is I'm going through each piece of advice and
explaining why it didn't work for me, and why it may or may not work for you. We're
all different people. That's the beauty of this industry, it isn't one size fits all.
Do any of these tips work for you or are you like me? Let me know in the comments below.
(The sound of a pen scratching. LOGO.)
Before we get started, I am currently hosting a fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Research
Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to ending breast cancer. For the entire month
you can donate to BCRF using the link in the description below. Even if it's just a dollar,
every little bit helps. For each funding benchmark we reach, one donor will receive a special bookish
gift as a thank you for their support. And there are FIFTY gifts up for grabs! Before I reveal the
current benchmark, let's start with a factoid. What's the deal with the genetic inheritance
of breast cancer? Inherited breast cancer is caused by a genetic mutation that is passed down
from mother to daughter and so on. These genetic mutations don't always lead to cancer but they are
associated with an increased risk. It's estimated that 10 to 15% of all breast cancer is inherited,
but this number may be higher. Usually people with inherited breast cancer tend to develop
it at a younger age and it tends to be more aggressive. Probably the most famous example is
the BRACA1 and BRACA2 mutations. This mutation often causes a decrease in the BRACA protein,
which hinders your cell's ability to repair itself. But it's not all bad news here. Patients
with the BRACA mutation may respond better to treatment. If you have a family history of
breast cancer, it may be worth doing some genetic screening. Preventative measures can be taken,
and starting mammograms at an earlier age is a great option. This is what your money is going
towards if you donate to the BCRF fundraiser. This is our current benchmark, and these are the number
of gifts currently up for grabs. Some of the gifts you could receive include the debut dark fantasy
novel Ashes by Iona Waylynd. This book was my number one read of 2020, it actually made me
cry which doesn't happen ever. Another gift up for grabs is the digital ARC of the debut epic
romantic fantasy novel The Prince of Terrana by Hayley Turner. I had the pleasure of reading it
already and if you don't fall in love with Darren, you are dead inside. Even better, both of these
authors will be joining me at my live stream next week. So if you wanna chat with us live,
you gotta join. We're awesome, we're fun, we're a little bit unhinged, but that's why you love us.
Now. I'm breaking down the ten pieces of writing and publishing advice that,
while popular, didn't work for me.
Are you ready Butters? Are you ready? Let's get to it.
Number One (1): Don't edit as you go. It's highly recommended that writers do not edit
while writing the first draft, which makes perfect sense. Typically if writers edit while
they're writing the first draft they get caught in this never ending a rewrite loop. And they
never finished the book. However, there's a small subset of writers who will be frozen in place if
they're not able to edit mid draft. I’m one of those writers. Blame it on my need for control,
blame it on the neurodivergence, blame it on the fact that I'm a picky bitch. If I can't
clean things up throughout my first draft, that draft is never getting finished. My typical cycle
is to spend a day writing without reading or editing any of it. The next day I read over
what I’ve written, and I make sure to easy edit. If something's too complicated to fix,
I highlight it and save it for later. Then I continue drafting and the process repeats itself.
Number Two (2): Rapid release is the way to go. The rapid release method is often proclaimed as
the number one option for indie writers. Rapid release is exactly what it sounds like. It means
you release books very quickly, often multiple books a year. Some rapid release authors release
as many as twenty books a year. This method works for a lot of writers for obvious reasons. It's all
about quantity, the more books you have out the greater opportunity you have for sale. However,
from my research, it does seem that a lot of rapid release novels appeal to serial
readers. These are readers who gobble up as much content within a particular genre as
they can regardless of who wrote it. If that's your goal, knock yourself out. But my goal was
to create a vibrant and loyal readership. Additionally, rapid release also tends to
focus on quantity over quality which is something I'm just not comfortable with.
Number Three (3): Create a routine. Creating a routine is pivotal for a vast majority of writers.
A writing routine is essentially where you create a daily or weekly routine where you're expected
to write a certain number of words, or write for a certain amount of time, on each day or within that
week. I highly recommend doing this. If I could, I would. However, due to the unique nature of my
lifestyle, I can't. Not only am I a full-time writer, I am also a caregiver. My partner is
disabled and suffers from a chronic pain condition known as CRPS. CRPS is extremely unpredictable
which makes maintaining a routine pretty much impossible. Thus, I have to plan my schedule on a
week-by-week basis, and work it around his current health status. Thus, creating a consistent writing
routine for me would always result in failure. Instead, I assess how Cliff is doing, and then
plan my week around that. I'll locate the days where he doesn't have doctor appointments, or he's
mostly independent, and those will be my writing days. If you're in a similar situation this might
work for you, but if you're like most writers, creating a writing routine is the superior option.
Number Four (4): Your workspace shouldn't be the same as your resting space. I understand
the reasoning for this. If you work in the same place as you rest, then when you're resting,
you'll probably start thinking about working. For a lot of people this is valid and thus
writing in an office makes sense. But I'm not a lot of people. I'm a cyborg bitch. Ultimately,
the more comfortable I am, the easier it is for me to write. And what's the most comfortable place in
my house? My king-sized bed. When I'm writing in my studio, or outside, or even on my couch,
I'm not as productive because all I can focus on are my sensory issues. But when I'm in bed,
the words flow, I'm calm and my ass is cradled by comfortable goodness. Has it affected the
way I sleep? Fuck if I know, my sleep patterns were messed up long before I became a writer.
Number Five (5): Channel your muse. For a while, there was a popular piece of writing
advice floating around that encouraged writers to see their talent and inspiration as a gift
from their muse. If they had writer's block, blame it on the muse. If the book sucked,
blame it on the muse. The idea was essentially to use this muse as a way to alleviate pressure.
They're not in control, some other worldly entity is. While I can see the benefit of this mindset,
there isn't a single universe where this would work for me. First of all,
I'm a control freak, I need to feel in control in order to be productive. I also
feel that passing off mistakes as the fault of a muse relinquishes accountability and writers
should be accountable. We're creating art for an impressionable audience. We should feel a
duty to our readers. Basically being in the driver's seat is a comfortable place for me,
and leaving the ownership in the hands of an imaginary muse isn't gonna fly.
Number Six (6): Write out of order. If you're inspired to write a scene, even if it occurs
sixteen chapters later, write that scene. Follow your heart, lead with your creative mind. Listen,
this advice sucks. I'm just gonna say it. I understand the intention. If you're really
excited about a scene, it's very tempting to write it in full. And don't get me wrong, I sorta do an
adjacent version of this. If I have dialogue or a fight scene, lingering in my mind, I'll
write it out in shorthand. Then I'll shove that shorthand into my outline so I can elaborate on
it once I reach that chapter. But writing entire scenes out of order is a recipe for disaster. One,
because your story changes as you write. Even if you have an outline, things will change,
your story isn't set in stone. I've never followed my outline to a T, there was always something new
that happens. Two, because your talent grows as you write. That means if you write chapter
sixteen before chapter one, chapter sixteen is probably gonna be your worst chapter. And three,
your characters grow throughout the story. Your MC is gonna be a different person by the time
you reach that scene. Will their actions and reactions even make sense by the time you get
there? With those things considered, every single time I wrote a scene out of order,
I had to rewrite it. Take from me, write it out in bullet points and use it as a guide for later.
Number Seven (7): Don't make your book available for pre-sale. This is a common piece of advice
for indie authors who: A, don't plan to do much marketing. B, have a smaller audience. And C,
want to hit number one on an Amazon bestseller list. If all of these points
apply to you, then not making your book available for pre-sale is a logical idea.
None of these points apply to me. Well, one kinda does but still. I'm a marketing nut,
if I'm going to be releasing a book, I'm going to do as much marketing as possible. Additionally,
I'm fortunate enough to have a large audience. You know why? Because of all that marketing I
did! Because of these two facets, my books have consistently hit number one on multiple
Amazon bestseller lists. Thus, there isn't much incentive for me to skip the pre-sale
step. A pre-sale window simply means more orders, and I'm not gonna say no to that.
Is that right? Is that right, you cute little girl.
Number Eight (8): The villain is always the hero of their own story. Historically speaking, plenty
of villains have been the hero of their story. They see their goal as a betterment for society,
and if that's the idea behind your villain, have at it. My issue is with the word always. Do all
villains see themselves as the hero? Hardly. Most villains throughout history were acting
on elitism, entitlement and greed. They knew they were making choices that could hurt a great deal
of people, but they’re goal took precedent. So claiming that all villains should see themselves
as heroes is simply bad advice. Now it may depend on your definition of the word hero.
If you mean ‘hero’ as in the main character, then yes, villains definitely see themselves as the MC,
after all, that's how entitlement works. But if you're looking at ‘hero’ based on its definition,
which is more or less a courageous good guy with noble intentions, then no,
not all villains see themselves that way. Beware of writing advice that speaks in absolutes.
Number Nine (9): Write every day. Have you ever noticed this advice usually comes from men? Men
who have wives to handle all the childcare and household duties. And if a woman says this,
they're usually either single or financially supported. Or they're
none of those things and their lives are in absolute shambles. Just sayin’. You don't
have to write every day. I don't write every day. Sometimes writing advice is full of shit.
And Number (10): Pantsing is the only way to be a real writer. Cue the angry pantsers. I wanna make
a note. Pantsers get mad at me all the time, just because I encourage writers to consider outlining.
You don't realize my advice is that law, right? You can do whatever you want. Your hands are
not tied. I just don't get it. When I read advice encouraging people to pants, I don't get offended,
I just think “Welp, this advice isn't for me.” It's not personal. Anywho, for those who don't
know, pantsing means writing by the seat of your pants. You don't plan beforehand, you just kind
of go with the flow. For some writers, this is the only way to go. If they can't pants a book,
it's not going to get finished. And that's fine. But I started my journey pantsing,
for a decade. And I never finished a single book, because inevitably the same thing would happen.
I’d write myself into a wall, and I'd have no idea what to write next. Because I didn't
have a plan. That's when I finally started to implement outlining. And lo and behold,
I was finally able to publish a book! And then another book, and then another book, and
then another book. Then I mingled in the writing community and learned that outlining or planning
in some way is the majority outlook. It's not the only practice, but it's the practice that works
for most writers. Not all writers, pantsers do what you want. Stop crying, you're scaring my dog.
Butters, you got a smile. Look at you.
Ultimately at least in novel format,
pantsing doesn't work for me. So it's a piece of advice I usually ignore.
So that's all I got for you today. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel. I post
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as I upload, ring that bell. Shut Up and Write the Book is available in ebook, paperback,
hardback, and audiobook. It's available at all major retailers. So if you need a step-by-step
guide to writing your novel from plan to print, definitely check it out. If dark fantasy romance
is more your vibe, check out The Savior's Champion and The Savior’s Sister. They are also available
at all major retailers. And you wanna get on it soon, before The Savior's Army comes out.
And be sure to follow me on social media. I'm on Instagram, TikTok,
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