However, there is a caution to anyone else who may be new on the scene or simply getting overwhelmed by everything that they read in these communities. There is a dark side to it. It is perfectly alright to mute and block people who are unhealthy to your creativity or punch down at you because they feel like since they are published they have a right to tell you that your approach is wrong.
I think the biggest one that I see is the battle between Independent and Traditional publishing. People go back and forth over what is better. There is no clear answer, it depends on what works for you. Some people want total control (I am one) while others just want to write and not worry about all of the publication process.
Then there are the gatekeepers. These folks have already published and will be the first ones to curate lists of advice that YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST FOLLOW OR YOUR BOOK WILL SUCK. These are the ones who get on my nerves the most. They have created often silly rules that really have no bearing on the quality of your work or the odds of you getting published. My personal favorite is that you need at least 10,000 followers on social media or agents won't even consider your work. Runner up is that you need to pay an editor to edit your book before submitting to an agent. Both of these tidbits are complete bullcrap. Many agents will say they want to see YOUR work, not an editors. Also, if your manuscript gets accepted by a publisher their own editors will polish your script the way that the publishing house wants. Agents could care less about your follower count. Publishers could care less about your follower count. That is something that will billow naturally as your work starts to find an audience.
There are the people in the communities who tell you that they will only support you or consider your work if you follow them. A lot of people don't have issues with that but understand you aren't alone if you don't want to hop on the Quid Pro Quo highway. I prefer not to. It leads to very one sided relationships that you will likely gain absolutely nothing from. Why? Because those people have built a following by doing things like that. They are likely now on muted lists for spamming advertisements or writers lifts, etc. So, of their 5k-10k follower count their 'support' of you in whatever posting or retweeting form may be seen by a grand total of 20 people...and they won't follow you back because the ratio is more important to them. That's the point of offering support for follows in the first place.
So, new writer, what is the best writing advice for your new journey?
Take absolutely everything with a grain of salt. Realize that there are no magic steps, no secret to success, just hard work and believing in your craft. Do try to make it the best possible but don't let a bunch of nonsense spewed by 'professionals' pollute your work. Get feedback from people who like to read the genre that you write. That's your audience. If they love it then it doesn't matter what some high and mighty writer thinks.
Like with any other subject on social media, you have to learn to ignore the disinformation. Not everyone is an expert -- no matter how professionally they may present themselves.
If I had encountered some of the horrible advice and gatekeeping before I had already began my book it may have made me stop writing. It breaks my heart to think there may be other people out there in the same boat or thinking of quitting because of what they read in these communities.
Chin up. You are going to succeed. Even if there are times you feel like an impostor or don't believe in yourself, I do. Now hold your head up high and let the words flow. You're a writer.
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