Sometimes I feel like a sham, giving out writing advice. Maybe it’s because I haven’t achieved much through writing lately. Or maybe I’ve been relying too much on goat sacrifices rather than actual skill.
Who am I to tell people how to approach their art, am I right?
But what I can do, however, is tell my younger self what to do. And perhaps by doing so, I can inspire you to reassess your writing as well.
So today, I present you, the unsolicited writing advice I’d give myself if I had to start over with writing.
1. It’s not your work, it’s your mood
Sometimes the work you feel is the best to ever leave your head turns out to be crap the very next day. That happens often if you enjoy writing drunk. And boy did you love getting drunk, oh young Stuart.
Conversely, you could read a piece you wrote five years ago and think wonder how you were able to write so eloquently then.
Moral of the story? Don’t waste your time judging your own work.
You won’t know this yet, but you’ll feel differently about your work during different times of the day, let alone throughout the years. That’s because you’re human. And you’ll feel very different after working out compared to, say, doom-scrolling Instagram for an hour.
Which is why it’s always best to work on yourself. Cleaning your house, exercising, eating right, and sorting your finances may seem like distractions, but they all help grow your self-worth.
And no amount of bad prose can stop someone who’s feeling unstoppable from reaching their literary goals.
So always take care of yourself.
2. Always be shipping
Sharing is important. Not just for the instant feedback, but so that you learn to put out complete products on display.
Because you can’t share half a poem, right?
Seth Godin has this phrase: “Ship often. Ship lousy stuff, but ship. Ship constantly.” I know this is tough to do as a writer, especially when nobody is watching, but ship anyway.
You’ll write a novel you think is complete crap, and you won’t think it belongs in the writing competition you’ll send it to. But you’ll be a published author solely because you shipped your work.
So don’t let your stories just float around in the digital ether. Actually put them up somewhere, even if it’s just on your Facebook profile.
3. Speed isn’t bad
The writing industry is governed mostly by deadlines. And thanks to this, you’ll learn just how quickly you can write. Your record will be about two thousand words a day. With research. While on the road. For 16 hours. Daily.
This is when you’ll also learn that most of your income would come from these last-minute stories. The work you delay till the eleventh hour, then scramble to put together one hour before deadline.
Yet the editors seem to like these stories. They get published without a hitch. This includes the short stories you write and send in on a whim.
The ‘art’ you’ve spent years working on, however? You complete them only to find zero appreciation for your work.
I know that you appreciate the artistic side of the craft, young Stuart, but sometimes, you can’t judge your work by the time it took to produce them. Because others can’t too.
So don’t disqualify your art just because it only took you ten minutes to create.
4. It’s not all art
So you want to write a novel. Do you even know how many words you need? Right, at least 80,000.
I know that the life of an author may seem romantic to you, but spending your time creating memes about how hard it is to write isn’t actual writing. And you’ll have to reach 80,000 words somehow.
While writing is a right-brained pursuit, you’ll still have to employ your analytic skills to the craft. Because you don’t complete a manuscript by diddling around with three sentences a day.
Break down your goals. And don’t squint your eyes the way you’d do when looking at your bank account either. Actually face reality and plan a way to dig yourself out of that hole.
That means 80,000 words can be broken down into 1,000 words per day. And by doing that, you’ll have a first draft ready in three months.
Can’t do that? Maybe try 500 words and double the time. Can’t do that either? Well then you’re just leaving things to chance. And you’re being a dreamer instead of someone who’s actually working on their goals.
So don’t just wish for your goals to fall into your lap. Create a real plan and stick to it.
5. One small step is still a step
Having lectured you on having a plan, it’s also important to remember that not every day will be the same. You’ll get sick sometimes, and you’ll totally be swamped with work in some phases of your life.
But it’s important to remember that during these times of low productivity, it’s still possible to take one step towards your goals.
Maybe you can’t write as many words today, and that’s fine. Because you’re still one step closer than you were yesterday. And on most days, it’s that tiny step that’ll nudge you into running your marathon for the day.
6. It doesn’t matter (Part I)
Throughout your career, you’ll spend tons of money trying to find the perfect writing instrument. Because in your mind, having a sleek new laptop helps with the word count.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Still, you’ll keep purchasing fountain pens, mechanical keyboards, premium paper, word processors, and freaking easels, in the name of ‘improving your craft’.
But in the end, it’s all about the words. And you’ll write as well on a Blackberry as you would through voice dictation software.
Don’t take your process so seriously that you forget what the main goal is. And that’s to simply share your stories with the world.
So focus on your art. Not the paintbrush.
7. It doesn’t matter (Part II)
When you stop to think of it, you’ve basically made a living out of arranging words on paper. That’s all there is to it.
Writing isn’t a life-or-death vocation. You don’t lose your literary privileges just because you published a typo in the newspapers. Putting out ‘terrible’ writing doesn’t change who you are as a person.
All the worst things that can happen to you won’t change you either. You could lose your blog. Get cancelled. Get fired from your job. And you know that you’ll still continue to write.
And in the end, that’s all that matters.
So don’t let your fears stop you from doing what you really want. There’s nothing else you’d rather do anyways.
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Stuart Danker 
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