There’s no one-size fits all way to write. Still, there’s no shortage of advice on how to do it. And some of the most common writing advice may be holding you back. It can derail you for months, maybe years. Advice about things like reaching a certain word count per day. Or crafting your story with an ideal reader in mind. Or outlining before you’ve felt your way into your story. So, today I’m going to counter some of the most common pieces of advice I hear over and over and give you another perspective.
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Here’s a glance at this episode:
[2:27] Why measuring progress by word count is the wrong metric.
It’s true that the more you write, the better you get over time. It is good to write a lot, and write consistently. But measuring progress by how many words you write is not the best way to measure your progress. In this episode, you’ll learn a better way to gauge your progress.
[9:01] Why writing with an ideal reader in mind is dead wrong.
The best writers write for themselves first. Focus on delighting yourself and you’ll delight your reader. That said, you do want to write with the reader in mind. Learn what you need to know about your reader. Hint: it has nothing to do with demographics.
[2:13] Should you outline first?
If you’re a plotter, you may feel like you need to get the structure of your story down first before you commit it to paper. You might even believe plot is the primary requirement. This is a personal choice. But it backfires for most writers. That’s because we don’t know what we have to say until we write it.