What’s worse: a new writer droning about their current writing method, or a new writer authoritatively stating their current method is best?

I get it, though. Being a writer is hard work, but not in the sense that roofing, nursing, etc. is hard work. Add maintaining a social media presence, a blog, and maybe sometimes actually writing? Hoo boy.

And if you don’t have a book to market, a course to shill, or a service to offer, you might as well talk about how you write. It’s easy! Just use all the usual points picked over by your critique group, other writers you follow on Twitter, or in whichever writing book some TikTokker raved about.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the world needs more folks expounding on the life-changing advice “write shitty first drafts”! Christ! You only see this advice in writing. Can you imagine a baker stating a shitty first proof is OK; you’ll fix that loaf in the oven?

No one but other struggling writers care about your dream board for your characters, or how you apply color theory to the Circle Method or the Hero’s Journey.

The only time the writing process is interesting to discuss is when it hits one or more of the following:

A. Successful. At the end of your process you have a completed manuscript, completely done, ready for readers to buy;

B. Repeatable. You’ve used this before, a couple of times, ten or twenty short stories all finished with this method;

C. Tested. You kept notes on what worked in the process and what didn’t, and what happened when you made adjustments.

That’s it.

Let me read your story. Let’s get that thing published and out in the world. Where’s your bibliography on your Gothic romance, because that would be interesting! It’d be worth discussing both for readers and writers.