Happy Thanksgiving! Or at least, yesterday was Thanksgiving here in the US. I’m actually on the road, staying with family as I’m writing this. I’m always behind, but this time I blame Ofelia Gränd/Holly Day, who has lured me onto TikTok which, while I’m still learning my way around—hashtags are the bane of my existence—it is completely addicting. LOL

This month Read Around the Rainbow has decided to talk about writing advice! I started writing in early 2014. And, like so many others I know, it started with the Goodreads MM Romance Group anthology event. So, eight years later, I can say that I’ve received a lot of advice, often conflicting, and sometimes from the same people.

So, I was thinking about this topic—I always overthink everything, that is my way—and decided I’d write about the three writing tips I’ve heard the most over the years, and my thoughts on them all this time later.

So, let’s get into it!

Read Your Reviews!

This was one of the first pieces of advice I was given. Writing is art or at least artistic expression, but at the same time, when you release it into the world, it becomes a product. The logic here, and I get it, is that you need feedback on your product to improve it.

Don’t Read Your Reviews!

I actually for got this one the first time from the same person who said to read your reviews. LOL And it’s pretty easy to understand. Bad reviews can be upsetting. They can hurt your feelings and make you “gun shy”.

Write Fast, and don’t look back!

I’ve heard this many times, from many people. If you write fast and push to the end as quickly as possible, you don’t have enough time to question your choices.

So, eight years later, which have proven to be good advice for me, and which do I take with a grain of salt? Let’s rate them!

Read Your Review! Dude! No. Like I said before, I see the logic, but it’s not for me. The truth is, one reviewer will love your story, one reviewer will hate it, and the next will say it didn’t make sense at all.

I—and I suspect a lot of writers—am already the most severe critic of my work. There is rarely anything brought up in a review that I haven’t already thought about. And in my opinion, the only thing that will truly improve your “product” is to write. A lot. And read a wide variety of authors, genres, and styles. Write and read, and focus on your craft. Opinions can vary too greatly to help form a ruler for judging your own work.

Like I said before, I started writing in 2014 as part of the Goodreads MM Romance Group anthology, which is kind of like growing up on television. The world saw me at my greenest—having never written a story in my life—and twenty books later, I’m still learning.

Keep improving your craft, write the stories you want, and your audience will find you. They are out there somewhere.

Rating: 🧂🧂🧂

Don’t Read Your Reviews! Let's be honest, you are going to read your reviews. I think the best you can do is read them as little as possible. And if you truly love a story, let that be armor against the negative stuff.

Rate: 🧂🧂

Write-Fast, and don’t look back! Yes! This! One hundred percent, this! If I don’t fly through a manuscript—which I rarely do—I find myself questioning the choices I make along the way. I start worrying about how those choices will be seen by readers. Etc. It’s best to save all that until the second draft.

This is always my goal going into a story. I’ve got a long way to go, but I hope I’m getting better,

Rate: No Salt

The truth is, no one piece of advice will work for everyone. Some writers swear by planning and detailed outlines. Others are seat-of-their-pants. I am somewhere in between. Always take advice with a grain of salt—yes, even the write-fast one—because everyone is different. Every story is different. The most important thing is to create what you want, in a way that works for you. It will take time, but you’ll find your own unique way.

Make sure to check out the other Read Around the Rainbow authors and see what advice they’ve run into over their careers. I’m curious myself!