〖 Bad writing advice 〗
Bad writing advice
Bad writing advice
Writing advice is everywhere. Some of it might even be good! But we were interested in the bad. We asked seven writers for the worst writing advice they were ever given. Bad in general, or bad for them in particular. Bad advice about writing discipline, bad advice about self-expression and bad advice about the audience. For the authors we spoke to, the worst bad advice was given by established writers & rich people, while the best bad advice backfired into good advice.
☞ Mansoura Ez-Eldin: « You should always think of your readers while writing. »
☞ Ralph Tharayil: « Never listen to people’s opinions on your ongoing work »
☞ Ido Nahari: « Just tell her how you feel, she’ll understand. »
☞ Rebecca Rukeyser: « Humanity lies only in the details. »
☞ Sytske van Koeveringe: « People want a clear story, to be taken along. »
☞ Khaled Alesmael: « Write only in Swedish.»
☞ Samar Yazbek: « Let yourself be carried away by the madness of inspiration.»
We asked seven writers for the worst writing advice they were ever given. Bad in general, or bad for them in particular. Bad advice about writing discipline, bad advice about self-expression and bad advice about the audience.
It took me a long time to understand that writing a book is not a solitary process. Sharing your manuscript, making yourself vulnerable, is part of the quality. Initially that was very scary for me because you’re putting everything on the line, even maybe a friendship sometimes. But the risk is worth taking, usually. I published a novel early in 2023, and that work depended on a lot of people reading it. I have a core group of people I share work with, amongst them fellow writers, but other friends too, not from the field, and I was very careful in choosing those people. I’m looking for a balanced level of criticism, because in the end I’m always scared that they might see something in the text where they’re like, Oh, this is actually who you are, this is how you reveal yourself, and I really hate who you are.
Ralph Tharayil is a Swiss writer of South-Indian descent; his debut novel Nimm die Alpen weg (Take the Alps away) was published with Voland & Quist in 2023.