12 Terrible Pieces of Writing ‘Advice’ You Need to Erase From Your Memory

1. Don’t worry — it gets easier. (It really doesn’t — well, some parts do, but not all of them.)

2. Publishing a book isn’t a big deal anymore because anyone can do it — aim higher. — Eh …

3. If you don’t have a huge social media following, you’ll never “make it.”

4. Write what you know. — I mean, I get where they’re coming from with this one but … don’t put yourself in a box.

5. Only write when you “feel” motivated to write.

6. Write what’s popular. Eh.

7. If a story is too “overdone” it’s not worth writing. — If you’re creative enough you can pull it off.

8. Do what you love and you’ll never work again! (Writing is ALWAYS work. Stop it.)

9. If you’re “smart,” writing can get you rich fast and easy. I’m sorry, what?

10. As long as you’re good at writing, you’ll be fine. — Also, you need to be able to work well with others … etc.

11. You’re not a real writer until you’ve … — just stop there. Stop.

12. If you don’t like what you’re writing, quit. — I mean, I don’t like my day job sometimes, but …

Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is a staff writer with The Cheat Sheet, a freelance editor and writer, and a 10-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food and nerdy things.