A while ago, a friend asked for how-to-write advice for a book of writer quotes she was compiling. What I gave her was way too long for her book, but I just found it in a file, and I still think it’s true, so I’ll cast it out into the blogosphere, instead. 🙂
Don’t take anyone’s writing advice too seriously, including mine. There is no one way to write; there’s only what works for you. When a writer tells you to do this or that, what they’re really telling you is that doing this or that works for them. It might or might not work for you. Even if the advice comes from someone whose work you adore and whose books are all bestsellers, it doesn’t matter — there is no single approach that works for us all. Your voice and your process are as individual as you are. Try everything, but only keep the things that help you. Don’t apologize for throwing away all the rest. You’re on a quest for the best way to tell your stories, not anyone else’s, and if it takes a bit of trial and error to get there, that’s fine, too.