5 Nasty Habits That Hurt Your Writing (And How to Overcome Them)

Every writer is guilty of cultivating some habits that don’t serve them well. Here are 5 nasty habits that may be hurting your writing. 

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1. LETTING YOUR AUDIENCE DICTATE YOU

It’s okay and even helpful to take suggestions from your audience. Taking all of their advice and trying to fit them into your work is a different story. At that point, it is your audience that becomes the writer of your story, and it means that you're losing your identity. While it is important to listen to your readers as to what they want to read, be careful not to sacrifice your ideas, and more importantly, your voice and writing style. Learn to chew the meat and spit out the bones. Make sure to draw the lines so you maintain your authenticity and authority. Remember that your unique voice is what really serves your readers, not the other way around. If you’re thinking that you might lose some readership just because you choose not to incorporate all of their suggestions, don't worry—you’ll always have the real ones who believe in you. The point is, writing is not chasing the number of views; it’s being true to your core and expressing what truly matters to you. 

2. Being Closed to Criticism

This is the exact opposite of the first one. While it is important to maintain confidence in your work, it also doesn't hurt to be open to suggestions. Not allowing your work to receive criticism at all prevents your growth as a writer and hinders work improvement. You may become so myopic that you miss some inconsistencies in grammar and plotlines. You need others to help you fill some gaps and polish your piece.  Your readers can be the other eyes to manage your blind spots and challenge your biases and assumptions. When you open yourself to valid criticism, you become a wiser and better writer.  

3. Not Writing Things Down

One of our very human flaws is our pride. We always think, “I’ll remember this,” but more often than not, what you remember will not be as great as the first one. Besides, your muse may not always whisper the same things twice. Write ideas down wherever you can, then organize and rewrite them later. It doesn’t matter if the idea seems fleeting or small; the best thing is that you take note of it so that you can improve it later on.

4. Dismissing Ideas

No idea is too silly or too irrelevant to be thrown away. Writers are often in the pursuit of originality, but at this point, original ideas are reinventions or modernizations of ancient concepts. Do not let anyone else say that your idea has been done before. Every writer has their own style and who knows, your writing style may improve a classic tale. And even if the idea that comes to mind seems so otherworldly, just give it some chance and be open to where it may lead you. It’s the same thing with the simplest concepts you may have thought of.  At times, the best creative output comes from the most basic prompts. 

5. Overthinking

Overthinking kills. It kills ideas and motivations. It brings us to the end of the line, when in fact there’s still the rest of an idea maze to explore. Don’t let overthinking and overanalyzing paralyze you. It’s okay to not have everything figured out immediately. Start by writing ideas down, no matter how disconnected they may seem. Once you have a general scope of what you want to happen, start to fill the gaps and reorganize your thoughts. This way, you are honoring your creative juices and making progress. In the end, you’ll find yourself celebrating the process as much as your achieved goal.

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