Bad Habits All Writers Should Avoid

By: Malissa Stidham

Ask a hundred writers what they think is the one thing a writer should avoid, and you will probably receive a hundred different answers. No two writers have the same style of writing, nor do they face the same difficulties in writing.

When I had been asked that very question, my quick reply was, “Avoid not using spell check.” However, after giving the question considerable thought, I found there are actually five things writers should deflect when it comes to their writing.

So in retrospect, I have listed the bad habits writers should avert.

The first thing a writer should dodge is admitting to experiencing “writer’s block”. I am a strong believer the only limitations a person has, are the ones he allows his mind to put in place. With that said, we must learn never to place limits. No writer actually faces writer’s block. There is always something to be written, be it a letter, a recap of your day, or even a couple of simple thoughts.  The point being is to just keep on writing. By jotting down the simple things or rambling thoughts, we may find a couple of great ideas hidden in the written words.

Thinking that an idea or thought is too meager to consider scribbling down is the second thing I feel a writer should elude.  Every successful written piece came from a mere thought at some point in time. A good practice is to learn to record your thoughts and ideas and review them on a regular basis. You never know when one of those simple thoughts will generate a new project.

This third tip on things to duck as a writer is one I feel is of great importance. I cannot count all the times that I have seen a writer “throw out” or “discard”  a piece of work, for no  other reason than he didn’t have enough confidence in himself as being a writer.  Therefore, he deems his work as being unacceptable.  Anything that a person has taken the time to write is something worth saving. By discarding such work, you could be throwing out a future best seller.  Evading the destruction of your “unwanted” or “unusable” materials, may let you find you have a greater want for them at a later date.

Just as no two writers have the same style or techniques, no two readers has the exact same interest in the material they read.  For instance, if a person who favors mysteries reads a novel based on comedy, he may find it to be distasteful, and he may become cynical of the author’s work.  In return the author may become cynical of readers, and therefore, limit his field of a target audience.  The fourth tip a writer should consider is to discipline oneself to shun stereotyping your readers.

Abstaining from the practice of developing “comfort words” is the fifth and final tip I have to offer, and probably the most important of them all. Comfort words are a set of words or phrases a writer has become too familiar with, and uses then repeatedly in his work.  Using the same words and phrases on a regular basis in your writing curves your creativeness and often causes your work to read much in the same way time after time.

Writing is a noble profession, and often deemed as being a gift or talent. However, a writer must develop and fine tune his ability. By not developing “bad habits” such as, placing limitation on yourself or stereotyping readers you become able to explore new areas to increase your audience.  Jotting down thoughts and ideas, saving undesired works, and avoiding comfort words expands your creativity universe.  Although there are many writers, it is up to each individual to discover his own writing style. Keeping these tips in mind, will assist you on your journey of becoming the writer you desire to be.

Ask any writer, and they will admit that at some point in their writing career, they had reached a stage know as writer’s block. It is the unconditional state of staring at a blank page before you, and finding you don’t have a clue on what you should write.