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3 Terrible Pieces of Writing Advice You Should Steer Clear Of
Asking someone for writing advice is a lot like asking people to bring food to a potluck. Some people might bring homemade macaroni and cheese that melts in your mouth, but others show up with a store-bought fruitcake.
Writing advice works the same way — depending on who you ask, you might end up with a lot of useful wisdom or useless garbage. If you’re a new writer, you might think you’ve been handed a nugget of gold, but it’s just a shiny rock.
As someone who spent too long collecting those shiny rocks, I’m ready to share all the terrible writing advice I’ve received or seen over the years. Here are three pieces of terrible writing advice you should steer clear of:
You Can’t Use Passive Voice
Whether it’s a novel you’re working on or an article you’re writing for a client, most people will tell you that passive voice is a big no-no.
For anyone struggling to remember the middle school grammar lesson on passive voice, here’s a quick definition.
In English, you’ve got active and passive verbs. When you use an active verb, you’re performing the action. I threw the ball. I ate the pizza. I danced to the song…
