Bad Writing Advice

We’ve all received bad writing advice at some point or another. Usually, the advice starts with one of the following: “always do this” or “never do that.” I actually work with someone who tells her students that they should “never use the word ‘that'”. Anyone who has followed this blog for a while knows THAT I don’t believe in limiting our choices when it comes to expression. I think it’s best to know how and why certain words, literary techniques, literary devices, etc. are used so that we CAN use them when it’s appropriate or when it serves our artistic purposes. So, to help battle against all the bad advice out there, I’ve made a list of literary “TRUTHS” that aren’t actually–well, true. Here’s the list of bad advice:

• Never use personal pronouns when you can use a characters name
• Don’t end a sentence with the word “it”
• Never use digression
• Never use flashback
• Every character should be well-developed
• Never place a comma after a prepositional phrase when it begins a sentence and is under 5 words
• Never use an oxford comma
• Always use an oxford comma
• Always use the word “and” before the last item in a list
• Never use sentence fragments
• Never use dialect
• Spell everything “correctly”
• Don’t use a “hard” period
• Don’t write in short sentences
• Don’t write in long sentences
• Don’t ever use flowery language
• Avoid using plain or simple language
• Don’t be repetitive
• Always describe your settings in detail, so the reader can see what it looks like
• Don’t ever bore your reader by describing the setting. Let them picture it for themselves
• Always attribute your dialogue so the reader knows who is speaking
• And most importantly, don’t ever use the word “that”

Well, I hope this list is helpful, and the next time you hear someone sharing one of these literary truisims, don’t be afraid to question them: “Why can’t I do ‘THAT'”

EJO