My Least Favorite Piece of Writing Advice

So now that I've started this blog on a positive note, it's time to channel our inner anger and rage at the world and throw combustible lemons at our worst enemies' houses!

Okay, okay, I'll admit I'm exaggerating... a lot. After reading this post, there's no need to rage at the world (and do combustible lemons even exist?). But as you've probably guessed from the title, it's not going to be exactly like my last post (which you should totally check out, especially if you're a fan of the Bleach anime).

But by all means, keep reading! You'll definitely learn something new!

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And The Award For Worst Advice Ever Goes To...

Since I started writing seriously, which was quite some time ago, I have received a lot of good advice from my peers and instructors. For the most part, their advice has served me well; examples of their great advice are as follows

• Write on a consistent schedule

• Formulate a plan for your book

• Look at the work of other writers for pointers

• Ask your peers for advice

Sure, others may disagree on whether or not these pieces of advice suit them, but personally, they have fared me quite well in my writing career and I've managed to integrate them into my everyday life, not just my writing career.

But there's one piece of advice that, in my opinion, falls very short of being outright useless. And that would be:

"Just write what you know."

Now I know what you're thinking: "What's wrong with that advice, Izzy? If you're going to write something, shouldn't you stick to something you know a lot about?"

That logic can only go so far, though. It's one thing to know a lot about something, but it's another thing entirely to be passionate about something. And anyone who tells you to "write what you know" is most likely assuming that you're extremely passionate about what you're writing about, which isn't always the case; just ask any college student writing their thesis or some essay on something they don't like (trust me, I've been there).

Another thing that the phrase "just write what you know" doesn't take into account is that person's actual capacity to learn. To me, the phrase doesn't take into account (or intentionally ignores) the fact that people are always learning new things, which should absolutely be encouraged if we want certain stories to be told; we shouldn't just tell people to stay in their lanes.

So instead of just telling writers to just stick to what they know, encourage writers to learn about new subjects and ask for help if they don't understand something. We're human beings, after all. It wouldn't hurt to be a little more understanding.

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So, there you have it: my least favorite piece of writing advice I've ever heard. I do mean the least favorite because I know the people who say this aren't coming from a place of malice. It's just that there are some holes in that sort of advice that I can't help but notice.

But now that I've shared mine, I officially open the door to you: what's the least favorite piece of writing advice you've received? And do you find it completely irredeemable or is there a way to tweak it into something that works?

As always, thank you for reading another post from the Izzy Insider! If wish to support my work, feel free to continue reading my work, follow my social media (Instagram and Twitter right now), and buy some awesome health and beauty products from my shop: Izzy's Vitality Vibes! Stay tuned for the next post! You definitely won't regret it!