How-To-Write books?

Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Is how the saying goes. But is it really accurate? Maybe in some cases. In writing, I don't believe it is. It seems like every self-published writer also tends to put out a book touting their success and instructing other authors how to reach that brass ring of success. Whether they're actually as successful as they claim is entirely up for debate, as just about anyone can slap a gold star on their book and there's a hundred ways of gaming the system to claim your work is a best-seller.

I'll be honest though, I've considered a few little booklets myself, collections of posts from this very blog where I've touched on how to write. I'm not actually conceited enough to think any of my advice is really worth paying for. I'm not really sure anyone else's is either.

Now, being an author isn't an easy thing. Lots more struggle through and never see any real measure of success than the ones that are making their house payments from their writing. So I can see the allure of trying to find ways to step up, and advice from the people who claim to have made it seems as good a source as any. Here's one of the things though, we can't see their finances. We don't know what bar they have set to claim success.

But I digress. I'm not here to tear down everyone who's ever written a how-to-write book. One of the reasons for this blog is to share the things I've learned on my own journey through the perils, highs, and lows of authorship.

I've read several books on how to write. I even have ones that I like and that I would gladly recommend. Stephen King's 'On Writing' is an awesome one.

But I've learned a few things about how-to-write books by reading them, and that's really what I want to share here. Completely free, you don't even have to download a separate PDF file or anything.

1. There are no hard and fast rules for writing a book.

Really. Half these how-to books contradict themselves, if not each other. Use Adverbs. Don't use Adverbs. Write out your whole plot, let the story write itself. etc. etc. If any one of these rules really held true, all these how-to books would say exactly the same thing, but they don't. All these books like to tell you if you follow everything they put forth, you'll find success, but how can that be true when not a one of these books agree on any single rule?

2. None of these how-to books are explicitly wrong or right.

Like I said, different people have different values to determine what success is. Likewise, every one of these books have different expectations for the ideas and suggestions they offer. As well, there isn't one single path to publication and different situations mean different outcomes. All this means that what works for one person might only work partially for someone else, or it might not work at all. Some of them have ideas that are worth exploring, but don't think you're going to get rich and famous following a single person's blueprint. Read them, think about what they say, but take everything with a grain (or shaker) of salt.

3. Very few of these books will talk about one of the most important aspects of finding success as an author. Luck.

I'm not trying to say that success might or might not happen no matter what you do. As the quote goes, "The harder I work, the luckier I get.", but to say that luck plays no part, or to not talk about it at all feels a little disingenuous to me. Some people get their manuscript in front of just the right eyes at just the right moment to get accepted. Some people might get their manuscript dropped on the desk of the agent who's already read several versions of that story that week. Their work might pop up in front of a very vocal critic or fan right when that person has time to read it and tell everyone about it. Why does one person's book find acclaim and success while another's languishes, even if they do everything the same?

There really is no magic formula to success as a writer. No how-to book is going to teach you everything and lead you to riches and fame, no matter what they might say or how successful the author claims to be. Read them, sure, but take everything with a grain of salt, and consider how much their advice reflects your own position and goals. In the end, everyone's journey is their own, and nobody else's, and no two journeys will be the same.

~ Shaun