Three of my most hated tips for writers.

I’ve discovered an anomaly; there is dissidence between knowledge and application.

Without wishing to be a depressive, it is apparent, that in a global sense things are not very good: there is an Exodus from terror states; poverty is on the rise, there are great inequalities in the world, a shortage of natural resources and a butchering of the land. There’s a bunch of other bad things too, but I don’t need to labour the point.

All of these bad things were created by humans,  humans that have vast knowledge in all realms including various mathematically calculated dimensions. Knowledge is in abundance; yet there is dissidence between the knowledge and the application of knowledge.

While humankind continues to make a complete mess of the planet; and of being kind humans we preoccupy ourselves with shallow attempts at perfection and self improvement. We swallow this information in the same bite sized hints and tips I refer to when creating canapés.

The internet and the book shop are heavy with how to’s:

How to make a hologram (I looked it up the other week)

Five Tips for glossy hair.

Top Tips to half your household chores.

A Woman in your own Right: Assertiveness and You.

RULES FOR WRITERS.

Hints and Tips for writers are nearly always written by authors I have never heard of who recommend practice that is achievable only if you are a bored aristocrat in danger of sliding into some over indulgent languor.

Here in descending order are three of my most hated tips:

Write it down

On the face of it this seems like a good rule. However ideas don’t always arrive fully formed, a formed idea should be written down, when convenient. I don’t recommend writing down your good idea about the aftermath of a house fire when the sausages are burning. I do have lots of pens and note books all over the house. I don’t know which idea is in which note book and feel that ideas need to be thoroughly mulled over prior to finding the notebook.

Keep writing

Practice makes perfect, but writing and writing is not the answer, editing is the answer. It’s all very well writing 1000 words in an hour or 4000 a day, but if they are badly organised then no one will want to read them. Editing sounds a lot less impressive, it can mean three hours removing ten words, replacing six and adjusting punctuation, but it gives a much better result.

Stick to the routine.

This must be for those writers with a place of their own and no other occupation. How do you stick to a routine when there is a parent’s evening? Or you have a lesson to plan for? If for example Haruki Murakami were to make an appearance at my local community centre (in your dreams Freese) am I supposed not to turn up because it clashes with my routine? I feel better advice would be to write when you can.

A writer writes because they must, a mother nurtures because she loves, a teacher teaches because of potential. We are all more than the sum of one thing, and we have to do our thing, when we can, to our own rules: rules that work for us.