OPEN THREAD

The Best Writing Advice You’ve Ever Gotten

Highlights from our April open thread

A few weeks ago, we asked you: “What’s the Best Piece of Writing Advice You’ve Ever Gotten?” We wanted to create a space for writers to share advice that resonated with them and maybe even pick up an additional tip or two.

We’ve highlighted a couple of them here, and you can check out the full list in the original thread. See if anything applies to you, note it down, and take it with you on your writing journey. While you’re at it, you can also share some advice you’ve received over in the original thread. We can all learn from one another and help each other grow.

— Elvina Fan, Operations @Medium

Persevere

Success is no accident. It is hard work, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing and the patience to keep doing it. — Josep Ferrer

Focus on the journey

It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. Eventually, I decided to publish and see how it went. I think success is best learned through experience. Instead of remaining in that phase of fear, I decided to take a leap of faith. — Jasmine Abriel

Just keep writing

“Just keep writing.” Many people stop before they should. Sometimes people delete the words they wrote when they don’t like what they see. Don’t delete it, but keep a copy. Keep writing new words in another article. At a later time, go back to the article you didn’t like and take a look at what you think is wrong. You may remember why you wrote the piece, and you also may think of a way to polish it up. Then publish it on Medium. — AP Carpen

Keep a notebook handy, you never know when inspiration will hit

Always carry a note book where you write your random thoughts down. They may one day form a great story. — Christopher Morara

Dig deep down

Write what scares you. Whatever it is you are afraid to put down is exactly what you should put down — even if it doesn’t fit neatly into a square box. — Adrienne Gibbs

Get that first draft out there

Some of us (at least me) have a tendency to auto-criticize ourselves and we keep writing and deleting and looking for synonyms and trying to avoid word repetition repetition repetition. Basically, we worry too much and we get scared too easily. Just write from the heart, let grammar aside for a moment, and leave the editing for another day. — Alex Blackmeer

Write when the timing is right

Write when the spirit moves you — Llewellyn (Lew) Daniels