The Problem with Generic Writing Advice

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Abstract

A perfectionist writer doesn’t need to hear that focusing on quality is important. It will just paralyze him even more. A sloppy writer doesn’t need to hear that quantity trumps quality. He’ll just get blacklisted by editors and curators for inundating them with garbage. A writer struggling with procrastination doesn’t need to hear that taking time off inspires creativity. It will just reinforce his laziness. And an overstressed anxious writer with typing injuries doesn’t need to hear that one needs to suck it up and write. He’ll just collapse into a miserable puddle of tears.And yet, even though what you need is personalized advice, you’ll be hard-pressed to find it. Anyone publishing advice online is writing for more than one person and has to make some generalizations. So, unless the advice you’re getting is specifically directed at you, be suspicious of it. It may not apply to you. It may even be counterproductive for your specific

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circumstances.For example, flooding a platform like Medium with content when it is still fairly new may help early adopters scoop up lots of readers, while once the platform has been around for a while you have to compete with armies of established writers and quality plays a much bigger role.So don't blindly follow writing advice and don’t follow it to the letter. Those people writing that advice are just ordinary people, like you and me, who may believe that a particular strategy has helped them. That doesn’t mean that their strategy really was the best they could have chosen and it doesn’t mean that it will work for you. Not only are you a different writer, but what has worked in the past may no longer work now.Want more fun illustrated essays on writing? Then <a href="https://pages.davidbclear.com/ohsoclear">subscribe to my newsletter that's all about online writing</a>!</article></body>

You’re not a generic writer (duh!)

You’re not a generic writer. Generic writers don’t exist. You’re a specific writer with specific tendencies and abilities living under specific circumstances and who has specific goals and dreams. Thus, what you need to hear is not generic advice, but personalized advice.

After all, for any particular advice, there are some writers who need to hear it and others who need to hear the exact opposite.

A perfectionist writer doesn’t need to hear that focusing on quality is important. It will just paralyze him even more. A sloppy writer doesn’t need to hear that quantity trumps quality. He’ll just get blacklisted by editors and curators for inundating them with garbage. A writer struggling with procrastination doesn’t need to hear that taking time off inspires creativity. It will just reinforce his laziness. And an overstressed anxious writer with typing injuries doesn’t need to hear that one needs to suck it up and write. He’ll just collapse into a miserable puddle of tears.

And yet, even though what you need is personalized advice, you’ll be hard-pressed to find it. Anyone publishing advice online is writing for more than one person and has to make some generalizations. So, unless the advice you’re getting is specifically directed at you, be suspicious of it. It may not apply to you. It may even be counterproductive for your specific circumstances.

For example, flooding a platform like Medium with content when it is still fairly new may help early adopters scoop up lots of readers, while once the platform has been around for a while you have to compete with armies of established writers and quality plays a much bigger role.

So don't blindly follow writing advice and don’t follow it to the letter. Those people writing that advice are just ordinary people, like you and me, who may believe that a particular strategy has helped them. That doesn’t mean that their strategy really was the best they could have chosen and it doesn’t mean that it will work for you. Not only are you a different writer, but what has worked in the past may no longer work now.