Hi everyone and welcome back! My prediction was correct, and I will be finished coloring my cards today. I'm really excited to be able to say that, this was all a long time coming and to see the fruit of my efforts is really neat. Plus I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do with the copy of the Moon I'm going to keep for myself. It'll likely end up somewhere at work, but we'll see!
Today I was going to talk about all sorts of things, but Robert Brockway at Cracked summed it up pretty nicely. Please go read that, it's all wonderful advise for all writers, not just new ones. So I decided instead to let him have his well-deserved spotlight and talk about what it means to give writing advice as a whole.
Now anyone can give advice, and people do it all the time. Sometimes it's welcomed, other times not so much, and sometimes people will ask your advice regarding something you have absolutely no idea about. You'd be surprised how many times I've been asked legal advice, and also how much 'I have no idea what you're talking about or how to guide you' doesn't actually make that go away. Let's just say it's super awkward and it never gets better.
The point I'm trying to make is that it's not just experts that will try to help you out. I have never said I was an expert, and if I ever said or made it seem like I was, I'm sorry. However, the people who are giving the advice tend to be ones with some kind of experience in that field. Whether it be an instructor who's been teaching for 35 years to the person who has written one book and has seen the other side of the coin when it comes to writing. The important part is that when you pay attention to what they are telling you it resonates with you in a way that you can use it for your benefit.
You can take advice from anyone, though sometimes you want to make sure there's some level of knowing what they're talking about before actually implementing it. For instance, you likely wouldn't take a fiction writer's advice on the best way to go skydiving unless they write a ton of action/adventure/science fiction pieces that involved a lot of sky diving or something very similar to it. If that's the case, they likely have done it themselves and obviously really liked it. Just like how you wouldn't take my advice when it comes to handling stuff legally (seriously, just go to your lawyer, that is what they are there for), but I would like to think I am fairly knowledgeable when it comes to certain types pf mythology and supernatural elements.
The point I'm trying to make is that just because someone is giving you advice about writing doesn't mean they're instantly an expert, but it also doesn't mean that they need to be ignored. The things we are doing are hard, and sometimes looking at how someone else handled something is the only way to get through it. New writers who run into writer's block for the first time know that it feel like a wall in front of them that not even dynamite can break through, but it also happens to experienced writers. Others may need to do some research and need advice on where to turn, it can happen with anything. The important thing you take from it is to do what works for you, because not all pieces of advice are going to, but that doesn't mean that none will.
Thanks everyone for stopping by today. Remember I won't be around on Friday due to getting things ready for the fair at a time that no one should be awake. Yes it's only a little bit earlier than my normal time, but it's EARLIER and that's terrible. I'll be back on Monday though with a full report, so I hope you all have a great rest of your week and weekend until then!
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