Writing advice for non-absolute beginners

[inkdust]

Amend the click-bait style title to add "...if you already know what you're doing." I was pleasantly surprised by this list because it seems to articulate some of what we've said about writing advice (I know at least I've said it) - that so much is directed toward total beginners, stated as utter absolutes, and ends up running counter to our instincts as storytellers. This list is intended as an antidote.

"The Ten Worst Pieces of Writing Advice You Will Ever Hear" [if you already know what you're doing]

What do you all think?

Comments

[ljwrites]

I bookmarked the essay, thanks! I read bits and pieces of this advice in other parts of the web, such as Really and Truly Hating the Adverb Hate, but there's stuff I haven't seen before and it's nice to see them collected under the heading of advice that might actually be harmful for those who no longer make the most blatant beginner's mistakes. Stein on Writing had a lot of these chestnuts (such as cutting adjectives and adverbs), and it took me a while to realize it was okay to use the occasional adverb. It goes to show there are no absolutes in the craft.