There are three types of people trying to give you writing advice on the internet:
- People who seek self-validation
- People who seek external validation
- People who are trying to sell you something
Which kind is the most useful to find; and how can you even tell who is who?
First off, let’s figure out what each of these categories looks like.
People Who Seek Self-Validation
The core of their philosophy is to write for yourself, first and foremost. They don’t believe you should never get published; but their publishing advice centers around practical tips when putting yourself out on the market, and ways to ensure your story comes across clearly without compromising on your creative vision.
Simply put, the author comes first here. Writing is about passion, not attention.
And that doesn’t mean it’s wrong for you to want to make any money off your work, nor to earn some fans—but writing in this category is inspired by the love of the craft, not validation from the public.
Examples:
-Encouragement to write about whatever interests you
-Reassurances that you don’t have to follow market trends
-Explorations of different types of ideation and plotting methods, with an emphasis that every writer should find what works for them
People Who Seek External Validation
The core of their philosophy is that the success of your writing journey is solely, or at least largely, defined by commercial achievement. The most important factor in your writing is that your readers enjoy what you’ve produced. Creative vision must be molded to fit a palatable product; or, if you’re unwilling to compromise on that, then you have to pull out every trick in the book in order to get your story sold and justify your decisions.
This is where you’ll find the subset of people who insist authors can only call themselves as much if they’ve been published. In general, people tend to be trending away from that philosophy; but if you come across that kind of wording, it’s an instant sign you probably won’t find anything of use within that person’s content.
Examples:
-Declarations that particular types of ideation processes work across the board, and should be followed to guarantee likability
-Encouragement to learn genre and market trends to make sure your story checks enough boxes
-Reminders that the reader’s sensibilities come first and foremost*
*Quick reminder that this doesn’t mean content that could potentially offend readers. We shouldn’t be aiming to spread damaging rhetoric about any particular group of people. This just means the reader’s personal preferences, and being more concerned with pleasing an audience than anything else.
People Who Are Trying to Sell You Something
The core of their philosophy is that it doesn’t matter what a user ultimately ends up doing with their product, so long as the product is sold.
This is the category where you’ll find the highest promises of guaranteed and/or instant success—which is an immediate red flag in an industry where success is anything but guaranteed or instantaneous.
Examples:
-Clickbait-style headlines for posts and reels, such as “How to guarantee a 6-figure book deal,” “DON’T commit these amateur mistakes,” or “How to plot your story so it’s an instant bestseller”
-Heavy promises on what you can achieve, with an assurance that they’re basically guaranteed, so long as you use the dispenser’s product. (This is sometimes accompanied by a personal anecdote from the author, without giving any other examples of when the advice has worked)
-No actual advice is given in the content, but the posts and videos usually end with a link to click, or a word to drop in the comments to learn the promised content
I do want to note that the categories here can blend. There are well-meaning authors out there who want to help others through the sale of their products.
The difference, though, is usually in the end goal they’re trying to sell you.
For example, an author who has difficulty following a typical ideation process might offer an organizational tool that’s more suited to their style. Their intent is to help other authors enjoy the process.
Meanwhile, another author might offer viewers a course on how to execute the perfect plot to entice agents, charm publishers, and enchant audiences. Their goal is to get people to buy their products so they make more money.
I also want to note that there’s nothing wrong with trying to supplant your income. This post is more concerned with the context of finding useful advice. We’re evaluating whether or not someone with a sales tactic is actually trying to help you; not necessarily judging that person for trying to make a sale.
* * *
Now that we’ve established what these categories mean, let’s move on to how you should heed their advice.
People Who Seek Self-Validation
The advice they give may not completely apply to you, depending on the specific ways they work; but generally, people who understand the love of the craft have the most encouraging advice and useful tips. They want you to both feel good about your writing, and feel equipped to take on whatever path you choose—whether that’s keeping your work to yourself, or heading out onto the market.
These people have often done the work to unlearn any of their misconceptions, sloughing off the pressures of approval and popularity. They know that the joy you get from writing should be the primary reason you’re engaging in the craft.
People Who Seek External Validation
These people may love writing deep down, but they need to dig through layers of personal hangups, societal expectations, and misconceptions about the industry in order to reach the point where they can enjoy their passion themselves. But until they do, all they’ll be passing down are their own insecurities and biases.
There may be good nuggets nestled here and there in their content; but for the most part, their advice will be concerned with instilling in you the idea that external validation is the most important thing within the writing process.
People Who Are Trying to Sell You Something
Take their advice with varying amounts of salt. Their bottom line is to get your clicks, likes, subscribes, and/or money, so they’re not terribly concerned with how much of their advice will help you—just if you’re hooked long enough to give them a boost.
* * *
In order to properly analyze advice, you need to filter it through several different lenses—whether you and the advice-giver share the same philosophies; what you’re looking to get out of somebody else’s advice; and whether the dispenser is giving off any red flags that indicate their motives aren’t what they say they are.
Simply put, you have to know what you want, know what someone else is trying to give you—and then figure out if the two are compatible.
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