WritingThoughts

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There’s an old saying: what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

Basically, it means that if something works for one person, it should also work for another.

It’s a nice saying – but it isn’t always true.

I’ve found it to be particularly not true when it comes to advice given out on the Internet.

You see, I love to read Internet advice and often I learn something from out. I’ve even doled out some of my own advice.

My attitude toward Internet advice, however, has been to pick and choose. If the advice applies to me, then I make use of it. If it doesn’t fit, well, then I don’t use it.

I would pretty much expect anyone reading one of my posts to apply the same type of discernment.

Lately, however, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. Some advisors have become more aggressive – suggesting that their advice is the ONLY correct to do things. Sometimes, they even become disparaging and downright rude.

Once in while, they are right. Sometimes there is only one correct way to do something. Most often, however, they are not right. My situation differs from that of many other writers and often advice given with a specific scenario in mind doesn’t apply to me at all.

All this to say – be wary when following writing tips. Keep your own writing business in mind. Use found advice when it makes sense, when it doesn’t ignore said advice (even if it’s mine 😉 ).

Contents (c) Copyright 2009, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.