Advice vs. Advice vs. Advice

We are bombarded by advice for every aspect of our lives. Advice for raising children, or cooking chicken or curing ingrown toenails. Seriously, there is so many well-written sagely memes, what can one person do? How to shift through all the words?

I haven't even touched on the words given for better writing or editing. Every writer's conference I go to, I come back with pages of amazing notes that appealed to me. A week or so later I go through my notebooks and write a few blog posts to help me remember what I needed to learn. I shift through the words and pick the ones that still stand out to me. I think that is how we can shift through advice: pick and choose.

Last week I opened that spoke of losing a loved one. I loved that author of the email honored her friend by sending the friend's best writing habits out into the writing world. For me, there are a few good reminders, new ideas and aha moments. I hope you enjoy them!

From Beth @ Writers etc

So today, in honor of Billie, I'm going to indulge my melancholy
and share the top dozen writing habits I learned from Billie.

1. Write early. She often told me she awoke at 3am. Since she

couldn't sleep, she'd write. While I'm never awake at that hour, I

tend to make writing my first priority when I awaken.

2. Write often. Billie always had a pen and pad nearby to jot down

ideas. I never felt the need to do this, but since cancer invaded

my life, I've found my memory isn't quite what it used to be. I

carry that pad of paper now.

3. Experiment. My goodness, that woman was fearless when it came to

trying new markets. She wrote whatever struck her fancy, sometimes

using a pen name when she experimented with subjects that

conflicted with her primary focus.

4. Be fearless. Don't be afraid to try new writing techniques. Play

with new subject matter. Approach the familiar from a new angle.

Dance with new ideas and splash them on the paper.

5. Be easy to work with. Billie understood the economics of

publishing. She submitted polished manuscripts, allowed our editors

and designers to do their work minus any drama, and didn't second

guess every step of the process. I loved working with her... and

her projects largely met with success.

6. Support local literacy programs. Billie often donated her

royalties to the local library. I always thought that was

super-lovely.

7. Embrace new technology. Billie was one of the first people I

knew who created book trailers for her Youtube channel. They're

awesome. They may not have had a gazillion views, they certainly

helped sell her books.

8. Embrace reality, but treasure fantasy. Billie knew she was

dying, yet she never mentioned it. When we spoke, we always talked

writing, plans, the future. Living in reality created her life. The

fantasies she explored gave meaning to that life. That's awesome.

9. She nurtured young talent. Waaaay back when my son was in Junior

High School, he created a silly little blog about his dog's "wacky

adventures." Of course, Billie found it and was his first

commenter, encouraging him to keep writing. That's how we met.

10. Work with various publishers. Billie had books with ebook

publishers, she published some herself, and she had traditional

book publishing contracts. I think she was wise to keep her work

diversified.

11. Learn to market. I was delighted when I was asked to critique

sales letters for a firm helping writers learn copywriting. I was

even more delighted when one of the first letters I got to critique

was written by Billie. She was always learning new writing

techniques. She wasn't afraid to stretch her wings and master some

persuasion methods as well. I admired that.

12. Lastly, Billie taught me the importance of sitting still.

Writing is a solitary profession, and that's exactly as it should

be. We're not flashy. We the quiet back ground noise that nobody

notices, until we're gone. We're the documenters of our age. We're

the quiet social commentary whispering, "Why?" "What if?" "Are you

sure?" We probably spend too much time wandering our own heads, but

that's who we are.

Ah, a life well lived is certainly something worth celebrating, eh?

My hope for you is that as you ponder Billie's life, realizing what
you just read was written by someone whose life could very likely
be cut short due to cancer (mets are fairly common), that you take
your own writing seriously. Please write today. Please write
tomorrow.

We live in an age when we need thoughtful communicators more than
ever before. After all, writing isn't a profession. It's who we
are. And no matter how hard you try to "fit in" with polite
society, the fact that you are a writer will never change.

Onward and upward,

Beth



 Enjoy a little sunshine today :)