Not All Writing Advice is Going To Apply To You, And Your Work

There's a metaphor I've used several times since I started this blog most of a decade ago, which is comparing the writing process to going to the gym. However, while this comparison works on multiple levels, I feel that one aspect I haven't touched on is, quite simply, there's no such thing as universal exercise advice. Something that works perfectly for one person isn't going to work at all for someone else; it all depends on who you are, where you're starting, what your end goals are, and a thousand other factors.

So please, keep all of this in mind whenever you start looking for things to improve your writing regimen.

Not all exercises are for every regimen, after all.

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Different Sports, Different Bodies, Different Goals

For those who need a visualization.

Too often, people just assume that every kind of writing is the same sport. Not only that, but they assume that writers are all the same kind of athlete, and that what works for one person will just as easily work for another. If you've ever tried to write something, though, you'll quickly learn that is definitely not the case.

For example, some authors are long-distance runners. Their prose is a journey, and they focus on steady progress toward that eventual goal. Other authors are sprinters, and they focus on pieces that are economy of motion; all killer, no filler, as it were. Some authors are power lifters, focusing on heavy worldbuilding, and others are cage fighters, focusing on heavy-hitting action or deep emotional impact. And as you can see from the sample above, taken from Bored Panda, all of these sports and areas of focus require different kinds of peak physiques, different kinds of training, and different areas of focus.

It's useful to think of writing advice in this context. Because just like how there's some general advice for exercising that can be used by everyone, there's also some general writing advice that will work for all authors. But the more specific the advice gets, the higher the chance there is that it's not going to work for you and your style or project.

And just like how dieting advice meant for long-distance runners is going to be the opposite of what power lifters need, and how a regimen for a fencer isn't going to be great for a wrestler, there's a lot of advice out there (including the advice on this very blog) that isn't going to work for you.

The most important thing to remember is that you know yourself and your style better than anyone on the Internet. So while I generally recommend trying various methods, and listening to the different approaches other writers use, you're the final arbiter of what's good for you and your style. Just remember that when you open your ears to other folks' approaches and suggestions, and remember that they don't know you personally, so they can't tailor their advice/recommendations to you specifically.

It seems obvious, but I felt it needed to be said.

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That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

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