«Let yourself be carried away by the madness of inspiration.»

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〖  Bad writing advice  〗

Bad writing advice

Bad writing advice

Writing advice is everywhere. Some of it might even be good! But we were interested in the bad. We asked seven writers for the worst writing advice they were ever given. Bad in general, or bad for them in particular. Bad advice about writing discipline, bad advice about self-expression and bad advice about the audience. For the authors we spoke to, the worst bad advice was given by established writers & rich people, while the best bad advice backfired into good advice.

☞ Mansoura Ez-Eldin: « You should always think of your readers while writing. »

 Ralph Tharayil: « Never listen to people’s opinions on your ongoing work »

☞ Ido Nahari: « Just tell her how you feel, she’ll understand. »

 Rebecca Rukeyser: « Humanity lies only in the details. »

 Sytske van Koeveringe: « People want a clear story, to be taken along. »

 Khaled Alesmael: « Write only in Swedish.»

 Samar Yazbek: « Let yourself be carried away by the madness of inspiration.»

We asked seven writers for the worst writing advice they were ever given. Bad in general, or bad for them in particular. Bad advice about writing discipline, bad advice about self-expression and bad advice about the audience.


On a rainy day, I met one of my favorite writers in Damascus. I was somewhat preoccupied, bidding him farewell as I explained that it was time to delve into reading hours. It was the year 2002, and I was about to publish my novel, Child of the Sky. He looked at me, intrigued, and said, « Are there designated times for reading? » I replied candidly, « Yes, and for writing too. » He smiled a bit and responded, « That would kill creativity! Writing is an entirely free act, It thrives on chaos! And lack of discipline! »

Let yourself be carried away by the madness of inspiration, and the writing will come. It was one of the worst pieces of advice I received. Writing demands discipline and work. Sitting at my desk, daily, at designated hours, allocating specific times for writing and reading — even if I penned just one sentence, the daily engagement with the text was paramount. The idea that a writer had to be free from any form of structure was popular at that time. In contrast, I held and still hold the belief that writing is the product of labor, sculpting language, inventing metaphors.

For quite some time, I pondered what my writer friend had said, and I examined my attempts to organize my writing schedule, to segregate it from my work hours that earned me my livelihood. It was also my conviction that writing emerged intrinsically from reading. They were interlinked, often intertwined. I realized he was partly right. Having books and words as my closest companions would make me somewhat solitary.

Eventually, I told myself that his advice might have been sincere, but it was still undoubtedly the worst a writer could think of. From that day forward, I resolved not to offer any writer advice, for each writer possesses their own wondrous realm.


Samar Yazbek is Syrian writer and journalist. She launched Women Now for Development, an organization aimed at empowering Syrian women economically and socially, and at educating children. She has written novels, short stories and non-fiction; her books are translated in over twenty languages.

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