Writing Advice and Contradictions
Have you looked for writing advice online? If you have, you’ve probably seen something like this:
“Write what you want to read” in one post, and in the next “you are not your reader.”
Can both be true? Is one fact? Or are they both wrong? Let’s talk about it.
On first instinct, it’s perfectly sensible to look at the contradiction in the two statements and then write them both off. But, any writer or editor worth their salt would look at either statement on their own and see that there’s real value there. “Write what you want to read.” If you struggle with ideation, it’s often easiest and most productive to pull inspiration from something that you already enjoy. After all, if I am bored by or dislike historical fiction, it’ll be difficult to dedicate anywhere from 6-24 months of continuous concentration to create something good.
“You are not your reader.” This is particularly useful when putting on your marketing hat. It’s important to temper preconceived notions on what the audience or a potential reader would want to see in your story, or in an ad. Writers are a peculiar breed - and I say this as I count myself in that group. We are great at imagining new worlds and people, filling out conversations that never happened, and properly depicting a hypothetical person’s thought process. However, many writers struggle to put themselves in the reader’s shoes, which is where that nugget of advice came from.
Both are important and equally true. In stunning clarity, it reveals a core issue with all writing advice. Most writing advice, especially the unsolicited kind, seems to ignore the unavoidable truth that the recipients of said advice are at different stages of their writing careers. It’s simple, but that critical caveat is so often missed. Without it, confusion, annoyance, or the outright dismissal
An experienced writer likely doesn’t suffer from a lack of ideas - usually it’s the opposite; and a new writer who is struggling to put together their first book likely isn’t yet concerned with the myriad online tendrils of marketing a book in 2026.
So what do I do for next time?
I can hear you asking that already. That answer comes in two parts.
One, take in everything but don’t absorb everything. Think critically on what you learn. Is it truly insightful? Is it bad advice or just poorly timed? You cannot avoid advice because there is bad advice out there, but you cannot survive on advice alone.
Which dovetails nicely into the second part. Hire an editor. Who could have seen that coming?
Writing is an independent act, and for the vast majority of people - so is publishing. This tends to force the writer to look inward. Almost no one can do it alone; YouTube tutorials and Substack tutorials only get you so far. Build relationships with competent individuals who can add to your success. We would like you to choose ProjectKPub, but if not we hope it is with someone that you can return to. Build a relationship with an artist who could support you with cover design and maybe social media content generation.
It’s critical that the people who surround you know where you are in your journey; this way you get advice and insight that is relevant and timely.