How Not To Write

In a world where so many stories exist, be they true or fictional, it only makes sense that plenty of them are written down somewhere. Because of this, there are several tutorials out there to help aspiring writers, well…write.

What about what not to do when one is writing, though? From process tips to basic etiquette, writing how-to guides will sometimes cover actions to avoid when writing. However, they won’t necessarily go in depth into doing so. This article will — or at least, attempt to.

Please note that I cannot fully guarantee that you will achieve your desired results in the craft of writing after reading this piece and using its advice. That being said, I hope you can find my article of some use.

Don’t Write

The first thing to avoid when writing is to avert writing altogether.

No, this doesn’t mean it isn’t okay to get writer’s block every once in a while. We all do — including me. However, giving up on writing completely and keeping all your vague ideas locked in your head will not help matters either.

Your brain is not a literal limb. It cannot literally write things it doesn’t have fully formed down, no matter how much you subconsciously want it to. The only way to truly start writing is to get a keyboard and/or paper and a writing tool and write.

Write Under Excessive Influence

We all have our good days and bad days. Some of us might have more of the former than the latter or vice versa, but the fact of the matter is that one won’t always be in the mood to do time-consuming work.

That being said, it’s one thing to be stressing out about meeting a tight deadline. It is another for one’s cognition to be significantly disrupted. Whether through drugs, certain mental health issues, a simple lack of sleep taken to an extreme or a combination of the three, poor cognitive faculties due to one being under the influence are not conducive to quality work.

It might be possible to be a little euphoric or somewhat drowsy and still be able to pull off writing a decent first draft of something. However, excessive detachment from reality is not good for proper writing.

Never Proofread

After finishing a written draft, it’s important to double check what one actually wrote down. This can involve rereading, grammar checkers, and even peer and colleague feedback as well.

Without proofreading, you are likely to have at least a few noticeable mistakes in your work. Whether these are grammatical and/or spelling errors, formatting issues, or outright problems with your concepts, it is probably going to look like you barely tried if you refuse to proofread your work.

Now, finding people to check over your story is also something you need to be somewhat careful about. While many people will happily give you honest feedback, some may try to take advantage of you.

Conversely, giving your work to close friends can be a double edged sword. They might know and trust you, but there is a possibility they may hold back out of fear of ruining their relationships with you.

Overreact To Feedback

As you give your writing to others for them to see, you’ll notice that not everyone who sees it will react positively. While some may praise you, others might either constructively critique you to help you improve your craft or even attack you as a person if they’re particularly salty.

With that being said, it’s important to be able to properly distinguish constructive feedback and hate comments. Not everyone that doesn’t gush over you wants to destroy you personally. If your critics are simply targeting your work based on actual things in your writing and not going after your own personal character, there is no need to victimize yourself.

Even if you do have legitimate haters, you don’t always have to call them out aggressively. Sometimes, that is what they want. Your best bet with trolls that don’t have much power over you is to just ignore them.

…

There are plenty of dos and don’ts when it comes to writing. If you pay attention to them, you’re on the right path.

Any other thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments!

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