I know once in a while I throw a few tid-bits of advice out. And, since it’s my blog, I use a lot of “shoulds” and “should-nots.”
Most of what I say comes from my own learning experiences, the rest of it I parrot. But I parrot it because I think it’s right.
I don’t claim to be an expert on writing fiction. How can I? As a currently-unpublished writer, I don’t have enough successes to say for certain that my way is the right way. All I can say is I think it’s right, and often I feel in my gut that it’s right.
I want to be straight forward about where I’m coming from, because I’ve seen plenty of newbies try to give advice on their blogs. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I don’t. Either way, it’s usually harmless. But occasionally it’s not.
So, when I look for advice, I always look at the source. If the advice is in the form of a crit, it can usually come from anywhere. No one has to be a published author to tell you if a story works or not, because really, when you crit you become a reader, and readers don’t need credentials. They really don’t.
But, when you get down to the nity-gritty of the bizz, it helps to know who’s saying what and why. Even when general writing advice is given, it’s good to know what kind of authority the individual has, so you can better judge how to interpret the advice.
The most dangerous thing I see is people giving advice about the publishing business and basing it on credentials that have little to do with the reality of the industry.
For instance, a degree in writing does not give you any authority on how to tell a story. It really doesn’t, which is a shame when you think about it. I feel the same about someone telling me they have an English degree as an agent or publisher does: So what? A degree and hard-earned experience aren’t the same thing.
I’m far more impressed by people who are experts in their subject matter. Writing about science fiction and have worked in the hard sciences? Cool, I’m there reading your science advice. Have a degree in psychology and use it a lot in your humanitarian work? Cool, I’m there hoping to glean what I can in order to improve my character development.
Now, does this mean that newbies can’t give sage writing advice? Absolutely not. That would be the same as saying young-adults don’t have worthwhile opinions because they haven’t lived as long as other people. Life experience doesn’t always equal wisdom.
But it always helps me personally to be able to gauge why someone thinks they have the authority to give advice. If I agree with their opinion, usually it doesn’t matter to me who said what. It matters more when I disagree, and it helps me dissect my own thought processes when I try to understand why their opinion is different from mine. Sometimes I think they have valid evidence to support their views, sometimes I don’t.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, take my advice with a grain of salt. If you agree, great, if not, that’s ok too. All I can give is what I know, and when it comes to the publishing industry all I really have at the moment to back me up is research. Lots and lots of research. If that’s good enough for you, great! If the fact that I don’t have anything published yet worries you, don’t listen to me.
I’m just here to provide my perspective, not the end-all be-all of what it means to be a writer.
How do you guys feel about newbies giving advice? Do you ever listen to it? Scoff at it? Wish you could save a newbie from herself? Let me know! I’m dying for comments. ;-)
~Marina
Goal to date: 34/100
