By Holland Webb @WebbHollandLyle

You’ve heard the writing experts speak.

“Tell the truth,” they said, “eliminate extraneous verbiage, and (oh yeah!) build your platform.”

All good advice, I’m sure. But the experts don’t always get it right. Sometimes, ideas crop up, get repeated by experts, and then writers believe them uncritically — even when those ideas are wrong.

Today, let’s shoot some sacred cows.

Here are 15 pieces of popular wisdom about writing that might not be so wise after all.

Write short.

Somewhere on the internet, someone announced that science has proved — proved, mind you — that humans have the attention span of a goldfish. Writers, therefore, should craft really, really short pieces of prose. Fishy advice at best. No study has proven that humans have shorter attention spans than goldfish, and many bestsellers are door-stoppers. Better advice might be: Write until you’re done. Then stop.

Write what you know.

This pithy pronouncement seems unquestioned in the writing community. It’s terrible advice. Does Jan Karon know what it’s like to be a male Episcopal priest? No. Then how did she create Father Tim and the Mitford books? Did Charles Dickens know what it was like to be the Ghost of Christmas Past? No. Then how did he create A Christmas Carol? Write bigger than your own store of knowledge.

Write first; edit second.

Okay, this one isn’t universally bad advice. It’s only bad advice if it doesn’t work for you. Write and edit using a process that works best for you. If you enjoy editing every few paragraphs, do it.

Don’t use adverbs.

This maxim presents a good general truth as if it’s a hard-and-fast rule. True, you shouldn’t use adverbs as a crutch, so avoid using them as filler words or when writing speech tags. You should, however, use adverbs when you need them. They often work to help describe time and space, for example.

Write like you talk.

Only if you want to drive your readers bananas! We talk in half-completed thoughts, use filler words, and chase rabbits. Record yourself in a conversation sometime if you don’t believe me. When experts admonish us to write like we talk, they usually mean we should write in an informal, conversational style. That’s fine, but unless you are a persuasive and eloquent speaker, you should probably learn to talk like you write instead of the other way around.

Don’t worry about grammar or spelling.

No. Just no. Learn the basic rules of grammar, use Grammarly and spellcheck, and get yourself an editor. We all make mistakes — and we typically find them just after pressing the publish button. That’s life, and we can’t beat ourselves up over every misspelled word. We can, however, write within the bounds of orthodox sentence structure, grammar, and spelling.

Write what you’re passionate about.

Author and professor Cal Newport calls this the passion trap. “The more emphasis you place on finding work you love,” Newport says, “the more unhappy you become when you don’t love every minute of the work you have.” Write what you have the opportunity to write, not just what drives you. The discipline of writing what you don’t love will help you better communicate what you do love.

Start calling yourself a writer now.

A professor at the little college I attended used to have first-year students stand up in class and announce, “I’m a writer.” Apparently, this practice is a thing in other places as well. It’s basically lying. You are a writer because you write, not because you call yourself one. So if you want to be a writer, forget the psychological tricks, and go write something.

Add lots of little details to make your story interesting.

What do you call a house filled with lots of little trinkets? Cluttered, that’s what you call it. Even if each individual piece is attractive, the whole effect is overwhelming. As with decorating, so with writing. A few well-chosen pieces offer more aesthetic value than a lot of clutter.

Join a writing group.

Okay, this one can be good advice. Writers’ groups can strengthen, encourage, and challenge their members. If that’s the case for you, definitely use that resource. Unfortunately, such groups can also generate frustration and self-doubt, not to mention waste your time. If your writers’ group isn’t helping you, stop going.

Take all feedback seriously.

Not all feedback is created equal. Nice people will say only what they think you want to hear. Not-so-nice folks will take an opportunity to belittle you just because they can. These people are not helpful. Most readers, though, genuinely what to help, but they don’t know what to say. It’s a good idea to rely most on your coach and your editor, rather than beta readers.

Ignore all feedback except God’s.

I tread in dangerous theological waters, I know, but hear me out — unless you are writing under the pen of inspiration like the Biblical authors (and you are not), then what you are writing is not the word of God. Your work, therefore, is up for critique. Don’t try to spiritualize your way out of hearing hard words and having to do hard work.

Publish your work even if it’s not perfect.

I kind of agree with this one. Often, published is better than perfect. But don’t publish a work that you know contains imperfections or that could be better with a little more effort.

Show don’t tell.

This is the holy grail of writing advice. That’s because it’s true more often than not. However, showing emotions or events can grow long, boring, and even cartoonish. Sometimes, it’s best just to tell the reader what they need to know and keep the story moving.  

Don’t quit your day job.

I quit my day job, became a full-time writer, and make more money now than I ever did before. If you dream of writing for your keep, don’t give up on that dream. It could come true for you, too.

Keep writing well, my friends. You are doing good work!

Holland Webb is a full-time freelance writer and editor whose clients have included High Bridge Books & Media, Sweet Fish Media, Compose.ly, and RedVentures, and his articles have appeared in Focus on the Family, Influencive, Devozine, and Keys for Kids. With his friend Carlton Hughes, Holland co-authored Adventures in Fatherhood: A Devotional. Almost 20 years ago, Holland adopted two boys, both now grown, and he recently married for the first time at age 45.