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advice they can find. Books at the library with the words, "improve your writing" anywhere on the cover will be immediately checked out and perhaps never returned.

The truth is, however, that not all books on writing contain good advice and not all suggestions given by others are worth pursuing. I've read a lot of books on writing, as have most serious students of the craft, and must confess to falling into this trap. I figured that, if this person was good enough to write a book about writing, then he must have the answers for which I was eagerly searching. It was a tough lesson to learn when I discovered this is not necessarily the case.

In reading these volumes, you might be surprised at all the conflicting advice and "Rules for Success" one encounters. Some of them instructed me to sit down at the computer and write frantically, not thinking about what I was writing and not stopping for spelling, grammar, punctuation, or potty breaks. Others recommended setting out a plan and approaching the book from a more analytical standpoint. Two very different approaches, you might say, and you'd be write, I mean, right. A very confusing fork in the literary road for a sincere student.

Critics are the same way. Not all of them are experts and not all know the answers to every writing problem. Attempt to follow every piece of advice you hear or read and you will end up getting pulled in so many directions that you will have difficulty establishing both a rhythm and unique style in your writing. Your writing will either take on a sense of fragmentation or a cookie-cutter feel.

Gradually, I had to learn that each critic, each author of a how-to book on writing, was giving me advice and instruction based on their own personal experiences. I came to the realization that it was my job to take all the advice and sift through it with as open a mind as I could muster and find what worked for me. A piece of advice might be brilliant, in and of itself, but might not work for you individually. It may, in fact, turn out to be detrimental.

I actually stopped writing for some time and was spurred back into it, after two or three years, by a friend. Although I've experienced periods of self-doubt and deep discouragement, and still do on occasion, I can look back and see how much progress I've made over the last three or four years since I once again took up writing. While I know that I have much yet to learn, I'm encouraged when I see my writing gradually change and evolve as I begin to apply the principles I discover that do work for me. It's an awesome thing to witness and more than worth the effort.

Learn more about this author, Craig Hart.
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