by Anne R. Allen
I see terrible advice in online writing groups and blog comments all the time. Sometimes I step in and gently disagree. But mostly I don’t. Arguing with people on social media is an exercise in futility.
So I get to express my opinions here.
It’s great to make friends on social media. That’s why you’re there. And it’s comforting and helpful to get to know other writers. But it’s good to be aware that, like people on the rest of the internet, writers on social media can be the source of terrible advice as well as good.
Here’s some terrible advice I’ve seen recently that had me shaking my head in despair.
Terrible Advice #1— Don’t Study Writing: Just Put Butt in Chair and Write!
I call this the Dunning-Kruger school of writing. Writers who are all confidence and no skills give us all a bad name. They make up a good deal of the “slush” in agents’ and editors’ inboxes and bring down the overall quality of indie books.
Would you give that advice to anybody in another field? “
- “Don’t study auto mechanics. Just take apart your car!”
- “Learn to be a great salesman by spouting sales pitches to your cat.”
- “Don’t bother learning a golf swing. Become a great golfer by spending your days hitting a ball with a stick around your backyard.”
Writing in a vacuum means repeating the same mistakes over and over. I’ve met writers who tell me they’ve written 6 or 7 unpublished books. They show me a sample of their writing and it looks like the work of a beginner. Because it is.
If phrases like “point of view” and “character arc” and “story structure” don’t mean anything to you, you need to learn. The way to learn to write is read books and blogs by contemporary writers. Take classes and workshops. Join critique groups. Get as much information as you can.
Note I said “contemporary.” Even if you’ve read every word Jack Kerouac ever wrote or memorized the entire Barbara Cartland oeuvre. What worked 70 years ago will not work in the contemporary marketplace.
Yes, put butt in chair and write. Then get feedback. Ignore half of it, write some more, and get more feedback. You need teachers and mentors, not just your own ego, to become a successful author.
Terrible Advice #2 — Quantity Matters More than Quality: Pump Out Those Puppies Fast
This advice makes me despair. Maybe it was true 12 years ago at the beginning of the “Kindle Revolution” when readers were filling up their brand-new Kindles. But no more. Readers are picky. They’re going to check the “Look Inside” and if they see navel-gazing drivel full of typos and head-hopping and confusing dialogue tags, they’re out of there.
If you’re going to succeed, you need a very good book to hook first-time readers. They’re not going to read a whole series if the first book in the series sux.
Terrible Advice # 3 — Don’t Self-Edit. It’s Unprofessional.
I see this terrible advice a lot. It can make any editor cry. Whether you’re self-publishing or going the traditional route, you need to send your editor or agent the cleanest copy you possibly can.
That means you must self-edit before you send off that manuscript to your editor.
If you think apostrophes are decorative bits you can scatter about your manuscript willy-nilly, you’re going to waste a lot of your editor’s time. (And your money!) You can learn basic grammar from a book or online class that is going to cost way less than standard editing fees. At least use some grammar-correcting software. (Although don’t depend on it. The current Word grammar check must have been written by some tech guy who flunked high school English.)
And you really don’t want to pay for the hours it will take your editor to figure out why the characters’ names change every three chapters.
Before you send it off to your editor, self-edit until you think that thing is perfect.
Don’t worry. It isn’t.
Terrible Advice #4 — UnFriend Social Media Followers if They Don’t Stroke your Ego.
These memes have been going around forever, and I saw two just last week — from authors who should know better.
They say something like: “You’re all a bunch of meanies who aren’t really my friends. If you don’t leave a comment on this thread right now, and post it on your page, I’ll unfriend you immediately.”
How old are you, five?
An author wants MORE followers and friends, not FEWER.
The silent people may be your readers and fans. You really want to get rid of them? Here are some reasons you’re not hearing from them
- They don’t see your posts. The algorithms are quirkier than ever. You only get to see the X-Twitter posts Elmo approves of, and you have no idea who Zuckerberg allows to see your FB or Instagram posts, or why.
- Lurking. They like to read what you have to say, but don’t have much to “share.” So?
- Having a Life. They’re not social media addicts.
Worried about “fake friends?” Be more careful when you accept friend requests.
Dismiss the loverboys/gals who plan to spark a fake romance followed by a series of dramatic catastrophes requiring major donations of cash.
Women get requests from “widowers” with two (sometimes three) first names, who claim to be in the military or work on oil rigs, and often include a photogenic child in their profile photos
Men get requests from lovely young women, often of the top-heavy variety.
These generally come from a relentless scam factory that lifts photos off other FB pages. They’ll groom you for scamming with a coy little “Hey” DM as soon as you accept the “friendship.” Or more recently, a phone call via FB messenger. Things will get steamy fast, followed by catastrophes, and demands for money.
Terrible Advice #5 — New Writers Should Start a Newsletter ASAP
A newsletter keeps you in touch with your fans. And it can be a great way to get ARC readers.
BUT: If you don’t yet have fans, a newsletter does you no good whatsoever.
A new writer needs to be out and about on social media meeting potential readers. Sending newsletters to your Gran’s cats won’t actually sell books.
It makes no sense to spam the people who are least likely to buy your book: the ones who already own it. Keep in mind that sending more newsletters will not sell more copies of the same book to the same people.
A newsletter is especially helpful if you write lots of books very fast. Your emails can announce new releases and provide freebies to your most loyal fans.
But if you’ve only got one title? Spend your time writing another book, not bragging about your fabulous vacation to a bunch of people who already own the book and will soon decide they never want to buy another.
And never send a newsletter to people who haven’t subscribed. It’s illegal as well as annoying.
Terrible Advice #6 — Forget Traditional Publishing. It’s on its Way Out.
Independent bookstores are thriving. Our local bookstore is doing more business than ever. And they carry local authors’ books.
There are lots of excellent reasons to self-publish, but doing it because you believe the publishing industry is about to collapse is not one of them.
If your writing dreams involve getting reviewed in major news outlets, seeing your book in the windows of big bookstore chains, or being interviewed on NPR, go ahead and try for the traditional publishing route. And don’t let anybody shame you out of it. Those dreams still do come true. New authors are getting contracts every day.
There are fewer agents these days, but there are new ones joining the business all the time. Subscribe to Erica Verillo’s blog for monthly updates on new agents.
And consider smaller presses that don’t require an agent. The Authors Publish newsletter lists vetted small presses that are open to unagented submissions.
***
You can find lots of great information about writing and publishing on the Internet. You can also find a lot of nonsense. Learn to tell the difference and your career will go better.
by Anne R. Allen (@annerallen) September 3, 2023
What about you, scriveners? Have you seen this kind of advice on social media recently? What other bad advice for writers are you seeing these days?
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After Princess Regina, a former supermodel, is ridiculed in the tabloids for gaining weight, someone tries to kill her. She suspects her royal husband wants to be rid of her, now she’s no longer model-thin. As she flees the mysterious assassin, she discovers the world thinks she is dead, and seeks refuge with the only person she can trust: her long-estranged foster sister, Rev. Cady Stanton, a right-wing talk show host who has romantic and weight issues of her own. Cady delves into Regina’s past and discovers Regina’s long-lost love, as well as dark secrets that connect them all.
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Great advice for this newbie.
Ellen–I’m glad it helps weed out the bad advice!
Anne— sober, sensible and clarifying as always. We are drowning in a tsunami of hype and bullshit. Thanks for cutting through the nonsense!
Ruth–There’s a tsunami of BS for sure! It makes me despair. I hope I can help a few people avoid it.
Hi Anne,
Your point “You can find lots of great information about writing and publishing on the Internet. You can also find a lot of nonsense. Learn to tell the difference,” could be generalized to, “You can find lots of great information on the Internet. You can also find a lot of nonsense. Learn to tell the difference.” SO very true. Discernment is a skill/talent we all need to develop. Thanks for another fine post.
CS–It’s true that misinformation is everywhere. I’ve just been looking for news of the disaster at Burning Man, and it’s phenomenal how much obvious BS is out there. But people believe it and pass it on. Ack!
Dunning-Kruger school. I like that, Anne. Happy Sunday to you and Ruth!
Garry–The Dunning-Kruger School of writing is out there. “If I have confidence, it’s okay I don’t have a clue what I’m doing!” Sigh.
Always nice to read your words of reason, Anne!
Advice #3 made me snort. Is that really a thing? I basically started self-editing in elementary school. Sure, you can edit a ms to death, but that’s a whole other problem than polishing what you wrote. (If Word makes you weep in English, don’t try writing in any other language ;))
Advice #4 is terrible for pretty much every aspect in life! Meaningless ego-stroking will never do you any good.
A blogger I follow regularly kicks people from his newsletters just because his software tells him they don’t read them. It makes me want to scream. Life happens, you know?! I tend to bulk-read newsletter instead of reading them every day, so I dropped of a few times without noticing. (Also: how creepy are you to dare control my mails?)
My personal principle is: If somebody says they know it all, they usually don’t even suspect all they don’t know.
Tina–Alas, the anti-self-editing brigade is out there. They attack whenever I share an article on self-editing. Some, I suspect, are readers who’ve read unedited amateur books. They don’t get that it’s not either/or, but both. (Sorry to hear Word grammar check is even worse in other languages.)
And you are so right about people who remove subscribers because they haven’t opened a newsletter or blogpost recently. I had a hospital stay a few years ago and was appalled at how many writers had unsubscribed me.
Yup. Pretty much all know-it-alls don’t.
This is all really helpful. I’m glad you admitted most self-published books aren’t up to par. People want to argue they are equal, but I read a lot and can see the difference in many.
Tonya–Some of the very best books are self-published. JK Rowling is self-publishing now, through Pottermore. But amateur self-published books give all indies a bad name. It makes me sad. Many of these books would be good if they’d gone through a the professional editing process. (And the author had learned a little more about writing before rushing to publish.)
The trouble with self-publishing is there is no gatekeeper. No one other than you and your mother deciding that your book is good. We used to call it ‘vanity press’ for a reason. But I love what you say about ‘don’t learn auto-mechanics – just take apart your car!’ And I would add “don’t go to dental school…”(you can fill in the rest!)
Melodie–Right. Everybody wants to go to a dentist who hasn’t gone to dental school. And fly in a plane piloted by a “self-taught” pilot. 🙂
Indies rail against gatekeepers, but as readers, we need them. Lots of great books are self-published, but lots of unreadable ones are too. Thank goodness for Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature. Although reading the first few pages doesn’t tell us if the book actually delivers at the end.
Along the lines of don’t self-edit is never edit while you’re writing your first draft. The warning is that if you’re foolish enough to edit as you write you’ll never finish anything. My blog of over 100 stories is online proof that this warning can be ignored.
Thank you for this helpful list, Anne.
Leanne–I’m with you on this one. I edit as I write. I go back and read the last chapter I wrote and edit before I start the next chapter. That’s worked for me for 25 years. But for people who obsess and nit-pick, the advice might be helpful. Congrats on writing 100 stories!
Great advice for sure.
As for you point #1, I sort of agree, but not completely.
I recall starting to write my first novel. I read several books on plot structure, point of view, tenses, etc. etc. Thing is, I was so confused by the time I started to write, I was second guessing myself all the time. Gosh, my inciting incident didn’t happen at the 15% mark, I’d better move it. Well, crap, that didn’t work. And what the hell is a pinch point?
Out of self preservation, I sort of fell into the glue my butt to the chair and write, then I could apply what I learned as I went along. My wonderful editor taught me what I didn’t know, or thought I’d learned, but learned it wrong.
So much advice comes across as absolutes, and other than punctuation, spelling, and such, nothing about writing is absolute. A hard lesson to learn.
Your other points are spot on. Thanks.
Brenda–For people who tend to get bogged down in rules, you’re absolutely right. Taking a class in creative writing can be the best way to start. But taking ten–not so much. And if you get caught up in the minutia of story structure, it can be like being caught in quicksand. Those rules are for editing, not creating, but most people don’t present them as such. Then you do need to shake it all off and just write. As Jane Friedman said in her first blog “There are no rules…” for writing. Just guidelines.
Hi, Anne. That is some great advice although I don’t think you really meant that a newsletter is only worthwhile for people who ‘write very fast’. I suspect that is not quite what you meant. I do want my newsletter to go to people who already have my novels so I can *hopefully* get them excited about buying the next one, even though I don’t write fast. After all, and I am sure you agree with this, that they bought my last one is no guarantee that they’ll buy the next one. My people on my newsletter list love when I ask advice on titles or what cover they like best. Then they are invested in the next one and even just a cover reveal will help them remember that they want to buy it. But you’re right. If you don’t have a novel out yet starting a newsletter won’t get you anything. I do wish I had started mine much sooner though.
JR–You’re absolutely right, and I’ve changed that line to say it’s “especially helpful” for people who write very fast. Using your newsletter or blog for feedback is really useful, and keeps fans engaged. I’m speaking to beginning writers here, who often obsess about newsletters before they have a reason to send one.
Thank you, Anne.
Fabulous post, Anne. If anyone is tempted to take Terrible Advice #1, I hope they never try to become a pilot. 😎
Kay–Haha! Yeah. A self-taught pilot might cure these guys.
Excellent advice Anne! I remember in 2012 getting ready to publish my first book and reading how we should always be pumping out books. Lol, I’m kind of glad that has passed. And, loved this, “You need teachers and mentors, not just your own ego, to become a successful author.” 🙂
Debby–Wasn’t that terrible advice? I tried to write more and more and I started turning out drivel.
#3: I changed the way I self edit about a dozen years ago. Instead of self-editing before writing new stuff, I now basically edit after printing each completed chapter, so by the time I’m actually done with the story, I have a/multiple three ring binder(s) filled with editing notes for the ultimate round in editing.
#1: I got my second wind with my writing the moment I started paying attention to other bloggers who were successful writers as their major side hustle, as well as those who were writing as their main hustle. Got a lot of great advice/tips that way over the years.
I think a piece of advice you could add here is for newbies to tread very carefully with those targeted ads on FB from “book consultants” who promise to help you get published with packages starting at $400 (although I’ve seen as the mid-four digit range for certain packages)
GB–You still edit on paper? Then that sounds like a good plan. It is good to print it out at some point, because each new format shows typos you didn’t see before. Author blogs are a great source of free advice. Most of it is pretty sound when it comes from authors who are actually selling books.
Those phony “book consultants” need their own blogpost. You’re so right. Those packages escalate to $4000 very quickly. There are so many scammy ads on Facebook, I don’t think it’s worth advertising there at all.
Great advice, Anne, all of it! I’ve learned so much over the years from your and Ruth’s posts. There is s ton to learn before you sit your butt in the chair and just “write”. And it’s never “just writing”. It’s telling a story that others will enjoy reading.
Patricia–Great point! We don’t want to “just write”–we need to learn to tell a story. A bunch of mind-dumps do not constitute a book.
Happy to say I haven’t even seen some of these (don’t self-edit???) All great points here.
DD–The anti-self-editing people hit me on a couple of posts on self-editing. These people didn’t understand I didn’t mean “don’t use a professional editor.”
I have always ignored this advice. It so depends on a writer’s personality and approach. I edit constantly as I write, go back and edit yesterday’s, last week’s, whatever. It’s integral to my writing practice.
Thank you for this helpful post, Anne, particularly the advice about newsletters. That’s the one I had felt guilty about not following, and now I realize I don’t have to!
And well done, Leanne!
Julia–The decision whether to edit as you go, or wait until you have a first draft finished is like the decision whether to be a pantser or a plotter. Both are “right” but, as you say, it depends on the author’s personality.
Newsletters are great for some writers. But lots of readers just delete them.
I might add that if you’re going to query, you don’t need to pay for a professional editor. Learn to do it yourself because agents need to know you can make the necessary edits when they take you on and sub. Jessica Brody’s got a good novel revision course and ProWriting Aid helped a lot with the line edits (if you already know your grammar rules because you’ll be making a lot of judgement calls).
If you’re self-publishing though, you need to invest in an editor.
And thank you for the newsletter thing. I hear that advice everywhere, that you have to start building your mailing list asap for marketing your book, but I’ve had a blog in the past and I know how much work it takes. I have no interest in a writer’s summer vacation or writing retreats. Just tell me when the book’s out, thanks. I have my domain but between querying my first MS and revising my 2nd, that’s enough on my plate. Besides, I haven’t take a summer vacation in years!
Laura–Thanks for bringing up an important point! Agents don’t want to see how well a professional editor shapes your novel. They want to see how well you write. Self-edit that puppy to death, but don’t bring in a third party. It will just confuse things.
I’m the same about newsletters. Tell me when you’ve got a new book. I don’t care what you had for lunch.
Vanity press and self publishing are different. You seem to be saying they’re the same. Vanity press is a publisher who will publish any book for a fee.
You can self publish without paying anyone for the publishing. Like KDP.
Of course, there are other things to pay for, like editing and formatting, but these are not done by the publisher when self publishing.
Many people who publish with a vanity press will refer to ‘my publisher’. You can’t do that when self published.
VM–Sorry about how the WP elves refuse to put some comments in a thread. I assume you’re replying to Melodie Campbell here. You’re right that there’s a world of difference between self-publishing and vanity publishing. Vanity presses are often scammers pretending to be traditional publishers. Self-publishing is how a good deal of books are published these days and many of them are very successful. After all, JK Rowling self-publishes these days. But rank amateurs self-publish, too, so it’s up to readers to be their own gatekeepers.
I agree, Leanne. I self edit as I go along. If I didn’t, some of the weird typos I find would make it impossible to understand what exactly I was saying at a (much) later date.
VM–I heard from a reader this week who found 4 typos in a bestselling hardback book from a Big 5 publisher. Any time I see a typo, I have to fix it, even if I’m working on a different chapter.
I absolutely agree. I write without worrying about the inciting incident, pinch pints, dark moment of the soul, and such.
I am currently working through my latest ‘finished’ WIP and adding a dark moment. It was all going too swimmingly for my protagonist.
VM–I figure all those plot point tips are great for editing, but they thwart the creative process. Tell the story first, then fix it. We do try to protect our protagonists, don’t we? 🙂
And I refused to eat, breathe, sleep writing to add to the masses. No regrets. 🙂
Debby–Yeah. Writing has to be inspired by experience. If you don’t allow yourself any experience but putting butt in chair and working your typing fingers to the bone, you won’t have much to say.
Fabulous advice as always, Anne. It’s funny you chose this subject. You should see the droves of aspiring writers with bad advice on TikTok. It’s one thing to share your journey, quite another to give “rock solid” advice while you’re still learning the ropes.
The woman who shocked me most calls herself “a publishing professional who helps you write better.” She’s over-confident, almost cocky, which immediately threw up red flags. So, for the heck of it, I clicked the link in her bio. She’s NEVER written a novel! She’s penned an MG book and nonfic articles for the same magazine (probably her own). She blogs about writing and has a podcast, where she picks apart the writing of popular TV series. Did I mention she hasn’t written a novel? Not one! Where is the confidence coming from?
Sue–I haven’t ventured onto TikTok, but I admire your TikTok videos. I didn’t know there was even more bad advice there, but I can believe it. People who set themselves up as publishing gurus–often charging big bux to join their “coaching” groups–are often out and out scammers. I found one through a FB ad who made my blood boil. She had never written a book either. It was like she Googled “how to write a book” and that made her an expert. New Writers need to be very wary of paying money to a “writing coach.” Some are great, but others are just scammers.
I think Amazon has done away with the “look inside.”
Patricia and Brenda–It’s true Amazon now has a button that says “read sample” instead of allowing you to click on the cover where it said “Look inside” on a little wing above the title. I haven’t run into any books without a “read sample” but I’d certainly be less likely to buy a book without a sample. I wonder what they think they’re doing–driving readers into b&m bookstores?
Sometimes the “look inside” appears like normal. Sometimes it doesn’t appear for a Kindle book but will for a paper or hardback. Often I see “read a sample” at the bottom under the cover picture instead of the usual place. And sometimes it is truly missing altogether. Gotta love the consistency.
I have noticed the absence of the “read sample” or “look inside” feature on pre-order books. Why? I have no idea.
Brenda–So it’s on pre-orders? That doesn’t seem like good marketing. I’ll have to look into it.
The worst advice I have received? Where do I begin?
1. Don’t use punctuation, it’s outdated and ugly. Especially quotation marks.
2. Don’t worry about spelling. All the cool people spell how they want to. Plus, young people abbrieviate everything anyway.
3. Dialog tags? Forget them. If your reader is too stupid to get what you are saying, that’s their problem.
And on and on…
Talk about making a novice writer look like an uneducated fool.
After a few horrid years of health problems, worries of homelessness, and a diagnosis of a learning disorder I didn’t know I had, I am taking it slow. I will be re-teaching myself basic grammar and writing skills. Social media often pushes publishing before learning to write. And, it’s not good.
Oops, forgot my favorite:
4. Don’t capitalize i or use periods (full stops). Some people find it hostile and triggering.
Melissa–This is shocking. Punctuation is “hostile and triggering?” Unfortunately I believe every word of it. I’ve seen the fruits of this kind of disinformation printed in actual books. I guess this stuff is born in those pricey MFA programs where people learn to write navel-gazing drivel nobody will ever read except maybe in an MFA program. It’s like art school snobbery where they’re so busy trying to impress each other they forget about creating anything that makes sense. I guess they all have trust funds, so they don’t have to worry about getting published or any of that bourgeois nonsense. I’m so sorry you fell victim to these nincompoops.
And as for the cart-before-the-horse self-publishers, I hear from them ten years on, when they’re still trying to erase that garbage practice novel from Amazon’s archives.
I’m glad to hear you’re taking it slow and learning the basics. Writer’s Digest has some solid basic courses and books that can help a lot. And I recommend Nathan Bransford’s book, How to Write a Novel. His blog is a great resource, too. I hope your health is improving.
I just checked on the JD Robb preorder. Maybe it’s because nothing’s been uploaded yet. That would make the most sense, I guess. For an established author no big deal, but for a new author, not sure. I guess they rely on social media for blurbs, snippets, and such. Not sure about B&N or the other platforms.
Thank you for the suggestion. No, I didn’t fall victim to anyone, I was too busy laughing hysterically at those people. I guess they never had to get a job in the real world. One guy in particular was extremely hostile to traditional grammar rules. He would write out stories one line at a time, with a dash before each sentence. Imagine a whole novel like that! And, he insisted his way was the way of the future, like he was going to be the next Noah Webster. No published books, but he was going to change the English language.
My whole life is much better now. I don’t have to work, so I hope to improve my writing and other creative talents. Maybe someday I will try to publish, but I’m in no hurry to do so.
This is terrific advice, and I thank you for sharing it. 🤍🌺
Very good points made here. I especially liked the part about don’t self-edit. You should do at least some of it yourself. It will make you a better writer. One of the biggest lessons you should learn doing self editing is “What belongs in a story?” Too many times, I like to put in little asides and while they might be cute or informative, do they add to the story. Doing self-editing teaches the writer to look at their stuff with a critical eye. You learn to see yourself as the reader will, and if that’s as a fool, then you have a chance to fix it.
FYI, the “All Amazons” link under the book doesn’t go to Amazon.
Kris–Thanks. This is the result of some bad advice I took a couple of years ago. People kept telling me I should use authl.it to make a link to all the international Amazon stores. But authl.it went out of business a few months ago and now every link on the blog has to be changed. Sigh. I have fixed this one now.