Writing

The Most Common Writing Advice Isn’t that Helpful

Here’s why

Photo by Tabreez on Unsplash

Writing is an interesting profession.

It occupies a funny place as it is an activity done by both amateurs, hobbyists, and professionals.

Often the lines are blurred between the categories.

It is also an activity that everyone has a lot of experience with between school and writing emails, work correspondence, and social media. So everyone can make a claim to being a writer at some point.

This also means that there is an abundance of advice bandied about by both seasoned professionals and amateurs alike.

This isn’t to say that one needs to be a professional writer in order to give advice. There are scores of amateurs and hobbyists that are incredible writers, and there are professional writers that should never give advice of any sort other than how to fail upwards.

It’s also a bit of a trick that one learns when they first endeavor to begin a writing career. It’s easy to get some early success writing articles about writing.

I’ve seen writers who haven’t written for more than a week already giving advice.

I’ve seen people whose first work is an ebook about writing.

This isn’t to say that one can’t develop in the shadows and come forth with a glorious font of useful and practical knowledge but it’s rarer than a blogger who doesn’t overshare.

I believe this is the reason that the same writing tips seem to float around the Internet like a escritorial phantom.

Is escritorial a word?

Oh well it is now.

Write Every Day

What a gem.

This bit of advice always makes me laugh.

Imagine that.

Write every day.

Do you think people tell farmers to farm everyday?

Sometimes things are so obvious that ceases to be advice and is just something you do.

It’s like saying advice for life: breathe in and out.