Why you shouldn’t listen to writing tip blogs 100%
This probably sounds strange coming from a person who HAS a writing tip blog, and who posted this on said writing blog, but this in itself is a tip for every writer who has ever checked out a blog for writing tips.
WARNING: I’M NOT DISSING WRITING-TIP-BLOG-THINGS. I MYSELF HAVE ONE, OBVIOUSLY. I’M JUST TRYING TO MAKE A POINT ON SOMETHING.
Now. Onward we go.
- EVERYONE’S WRITING STYLE IS DIFFERENT
I like having everything planned out ahead of time, hence my lists and outlines, which is why most of my tips entail using an outline. I write my tips based around the assumption that everyone else does the same, which isn’t true. At. All. But I don’t write randomly (not as much as I outline, anyway), so it’s hard to tailor posts and tips around something I don’t actually do myself. So, my tips may not work for non-outliners, and you may want to keep that in mind when going to any writing tip blog. Are they outliners? Are they not? Are their posts tailored to one group and not the other? Is there anything I can take from this that will benefit my style of writing? - I’M LEARNING TOO
Even if I post these writing tips, I’m still learning, too. Tips I used a few months ago may not apply to how I do things now, but that’s not to say they aren’t good tips still. Just because I post a tip, doesn’t mean I follow it 100%, which leads me to my next point. - JUST BECAUSE I POST A TIP, DOESN’T MEAN IT IS THE END ALL BE ALL
If anyone has ever said, “this is the only way to do ______,” then they are idiots. There is no guaranteed way to do anything. There are ways that work, some better than others, but they aren’t guaranteed. Sure, my editing techniques work for me, but some people edit better in silence. Sure, I chose indie publishing, but that doesn’t mean I’m guaranteed to make gobs and gobs of money, but same goes for traditional publishing, too. Take each tip with a grain of salt. - TIPS ARE JUST THAT: TIPS
Tips are just tips. Like I said before, they are not guaranteed to work for everyone, and you certainly don’t have to follow the tip 100%. You may agree with some points, and you may disagree with others. Take what you think will best help you, then move on. Writing is subjective (in my opinion). Some people like certain aspects of writing, while others won’t. That’s why there are so many different publishers out there because there are so many different kinds of books, styles, and writers. What doesn’t fit with one pub, may be perfect for another. That’s the beautiful thing about writing. - MY TIPS ARE BASICALLY MY JOURNEY
Like I’ve said before, I’m learning just like everyone else, and tech is constantly changing, even in the world of writing. Every tip I write is basically an aspect of my journey to publication. They might not be perfectly timed, but they were points during my journey that I felt someone else would like to hear about. How crappy I did, what I did wrong, what I did right, what I friggin’ rocked out: all of it. That’s how I make up these posts.
I probably repeat myself a lot in this post, but I’ve noticed a growing trend. When bloggers post tips, a lot of writers continually believe it to be an end all be all. I get plenty of emails a day asking about how certain tips have helped me, and whether I think certain tips will work or not. I’m not sure if I look like a professional, but I’m not. I’m probably the farthest from a professional you can get. Once again, I’m not saying tips aren’t great. I’ve found plenty of golden nuggets across the wonderful writerly blog-verse, but I’ve only found nuggets. But before I go into another redundant spill, time for questions.
How many tips have you learned from blogs? Do you swear by certain blogs? Have you used any of my tips 100%? Do you agree with my points? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below.
Thanks for reading!
-Lissy
Have a request for a blog post topic? Just wanna ask a question? Go to my Home page, fill out the contact sheet, and shoot me an email! I look forward to hearing from you.
Want to help me out? Check out my Poll page when you get a chance. All of the answers help me out.
Great hook! As a writer whose blog is half writing tips and half my own writing journey, I had to read this post. I agree with you – there is no right or wrong way to write, but I think we can share what we know in the hope that someone may find it helpful.
I would like to apologize, first off. For whatever reason, your comment was sent to the spam folder and has been lost there ever since. So I’m sorry for the late response.
Now, with regards to your comment, I agree whole-heartedly. The reason I started this blog was so maybe, just maybe, somebody would stumble upon a post and find some kernel that helped them or kept them writing. 🙂 Thank you for the comment.