Hey everyone!

 Today I’ll be talking about writing advice I wish I was told earlier because it took me way too long to figure it out myself. I’ve been “officially” writing for about 5 years now (not including the countless stories I attempted to write as a kid *cough*), and even though that’s not exactly a long time, I’ve picked up on some things throughout my writing journey. And honestly, there’s some things that seem kind of obvious that I didn’t really realize until recently. So now I get to pass them on to you guys! Here are the main three pieces of advice I wish I’d been told sooner: 

 1. YOUR FIRST DRAFT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT

 This one feels obvious, but honestly I didn’t really accept this one until recently. (And do I still feel like it has to be perfect sometimes? Yes. Yes I do.) When I first really started writing, I always had someone who was going to read it almost immediately afterward. That pressured me into trying to make the first thing I wrote down as perfect as possible. And while that doesn’t mean that you can’t have anyone read your first draft, having someone looking over your shoulder while you’re writing (literally or metaphorically) can really affect your progress if you’re too worried about making it readable. That’s not what the first draft is for. It’s called a “rough” draft for a reason— it’s just a way to get your story onto paper (or onto a document), and then from there you can try to make it make more sense. 

 2. BE AWARE OF WHO AND WHAT YOU’RE LISTENING TO 

 As a writer, when people tell you what they think of your writing, it’s easy to fall into two traps— listening to everyone’s opinions and trying to please them, or not listening to anything they say at all. I’ve tried to do both, and it doesn’t really work. So what is the problem with both of these? 

 The issue with the first one is that trying to change your novel to fit everyone’s preferences can slow down your progress significantly or even stop it completely. When I first started writing, I tried asking a lot of people for their opinion on my story. They all had different preferences and opinions, and when I tried listening to everything they had to say and tried incorporating into my novel, it didn’t work and I almost ended up ditching that story entirely. In the end, I decided that I would stop showing my work to everyone and only have a select couple to read my story, and writing became much easier after that. 

 Of course, there’s also the issue of not listening to others at all. Sometimes you need someone to critique your novel in case there’s a mistake that you overlooked or a plot hole that you didn’t think about. It can be easy to think that you know best and ignore others’ advice, but after a while you may realize that you actually needed it. I know this has happened to me a lot, so if you feel like you’re struggling to accept other people’s critiques, you’re not alone! (Something to note: there is a difference between critiques and straight up criticisms of your novel, so be careful which ones you listen to.) 

3. YOU’RE STILL A WRITER EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT WRITING CONSTANTLY 

 I’m not someone who writes every day. I can go weeks without writing, whether because I’m busy or I’m struggling from writers’ block. Some days I can write a couple thousand words, other days I barely write a sentence.

 On the days I can’t write, it can be easy to question whether I’m really a writer at all. But it’s been almost 5 years since I started writing, and I’m still here. Why? Because I love writing. Even if I don’t write for a month, even if it drives me crazy, I still love it. And in the end, I think that’s what truly makes you a writer. It doesn’t matter how often you write, it just matters that you haven’t given up on it yet. 

 And sometimes you may just need a break. Let yourself take a break without stressing over the fact that you should be writing right now, and come back to it afterward. 

 It also doesn’t matter how much you write at one time. Some people can pound out thousands of words per day, while others only write a couple hundred. Not everyone writes at the same pace. All that matters is that you love your story. 

 So those are the biggest three pieces of advice I wish I’d been told earlier! I’m sure there’s more, but these are the most significant ones that I’ve learned throughout my writing journey. 

 Thanks for reading! – Em