The Best Writing Advice by Steph Beth Nickel

So many writing adages . . .

• Write what you know.
• Show don’t tell.
• Write every day.
• Write to market.
• To be a writer, you have to write.
• Write what you want to read.
• Write what you need to read. And so on and so on and so on.

All these pieces of advice have their place. But do they apply to every writer at all times? Do any of them apply to any writer at all times?

My response: a categorical no.

The most insightful piece of information I’ve ever come across is this: Each writer is unique and must find their own best practices.

Following an A-Z list of How to Become a Successful Writer might be appealing, but there are too many variables that are beyond our control.

Plus . . .

Would any of us like to think there was a guaranteed formula that applies to every writer?

While there are times such a formula might be useful, for many of us, it would eliminate—or at least minimize—our favourite part of the process, creativity.

Likely the most challenging element of accepting ourselves as unique individuals is to commit to trial and error to see what works best for us.

Most of us would agree that writing only what we know has its limits. Using our knowledge and interests as a jumping off spot, however . . . That can be super helpful and may very well get the creative juices flowing.

While showing rather than telling adds depth to both fiction and nonfiction, there are times simply telling our readers a fact is the best option.

Some writers must write every day, if even for a few minutes. Others cannot commit to doing so for a wide variety of reasons.

The idea of writing to market has its upside and its downside. Each of us must weigh the pros and cons of allowing oft-changing market trends to determine what we write.

We are writers when we’re writing—and when we’re not. Writing involves so much more than putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.

It’s helpful to enjoy what we’re writing. However, most of us can find a plethora of books that we enjoy, that motivate, encourage, and entertain us. So, enjoyment alone is rarely enough reason to write—unless we’re writing for our eyes only.

Writing what we need to read may be a more powerful motivation. Plus, we may very well find holes in the market, whether the information is outdated or missing a unique perspective that we could bring to the subject. 

As I said, all of the above adages have their place, but I would encourage you to embrace your uniqueness and explore what works best for you at this point, knowing that what worked yesterday may need tweaking. And what will work tomorrow? That remains to be seen.

Graphic Credit: Tips Tricks And - Free photo on Pixabay

Steph Beth Nickel is the former Editor of FellowScript and the current InScribe Contest Coordinator. Steph is an editor and author and plans to relocate to Saskatchewan from Ontario to be close to family in this year or next. (Headshot Photo Credit: Jaime Mellor Photography)