Have you ever picked up a writing how to book and followed the tips only to find they don’t work?
Before you go blaming the author for giving you worthless advice, think about this…
Think about something besides writing that you wanted to learn.
Drive a car, learn to ski, play the guitar…
Did you pay for lessons, followed along with the teacher but still couldn’t get the hang of things? Then one day you tried your own way and presto, everything fell into place?
I’ll admit, I’m a rebel at heart and usually end up doing most things my way, including writing.
There’s one thing I always tell all of my students whether they’re taking a class from me or I’m coaching them one on one, and that’s I’m going to tell you what I do, what’s worked for me, but that might not be right for you.
Give my way a try and if it doesn’t work out then figure out what works best for you. It’s that what works best for you element that’s eventually going to kick in and when it does, you’ve found your Eureka writing moment.
A good example is the whole plotter versus pantser thing. Some people can’t write a single word until they have everything worked out while others are happy to wing it through an entire manuscript.
Is one way better than the other? No, and one way might not be better for you and your writing style and even your personality. Some people like to be more organized in all aspects of their life and that spills over into everything they do including writing. That person might find plotting a breeze, while you, the sort of person who hates to even hear the word organized, gets lost after trying to plan chapter one. We are, after all, human beings first, writers second.
Bottom line is, try an author’s tips and advice for writing but if it doesn’t work, don’t call them useless or call yourself useless either. Tweak them to fit into your own style or move onto another set of tips that might better suit your personality.