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A Facebook writers’ group I’m a part of put up a challenge recently: if you’re a writer, post a short piece about the best writing advice you’ve ever received. If you’re a reader, what do you look for the most in fantasy books?

I’m not much of one for listening to advice, but I’d like to have a go at answering both bits, if I may. As a writer, it’s pretty easy to feel bombarded by advice on how to write better, how to publish better, how to market better, etc. Quick tips and tricks abound on the internet, most buried deep in a post that is five times longer than it needs to be. Most of this advice is harmless, some of it is useful, and all of it guarantees instant success, which is to say it guarantees nothing at all.

You can make bad writing better, but you can’t fix nothing at all.

Receiving advice implies a level of support from others: someone who’s in the know, or whose opinion carries weight, and wants to share it with you. The funny thing is, I haven’t been much supported in my writing endeavors since my childhood, when my mother used to rave over my Star Trek fan fiction (it really was awful). Today I’d like to see myself as a ‘professional’ author, but my sales are in the double digits and my royalties not even enough to warrant being taxed. Because it’s not bringing money into the house, my immediate family doesn’t tend to see the value in what I do—other things have to take priority.

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