Is There a “Correct” Method for Writing?

Do you pants? Outline? Write in the morning? Evening? Spin around three times religiously before sitting down at your keyboard or grabbing a pen? If you were to believe everything you see on social media or the broader Internet, you might think that somewhere in what writers do, there’s a golden-ticket method. If you can just find it, the thinking goes, then agents and publishers will clamor over you, a multi-million dollar publishing deal will fall into your lap, and readers will adore you FOR-EV-ER.

Looking for formulas isn’t new

This line of thinking is familiar to me. I see it all the time in the professionals I write for. They’re completely obsessed with routines for success, thinking that there’s some shortcut or rulebook for winning that they just have to decode. I can’t tell you how many articles I’ve read (and helped experts produce upon request) about 3:45 wake-up times, meditation rituals, and what to put in your lunch to optimize yourself.

You’re unique, so write like it

If I’ve learned one thing from writing for others and also observing writer discourse, it’s that there are as many correct ways to write as there are writers. Why? Because we all have different emotional, cognitive, social, and biological needs, and our experiences are unique. What works for one writer can infuriate another.

So, if you pants, cool. If you outline, cool. If you eat cheese at the beginning of every chapter, more power to you. But don’t tell other writers what’s right. Don’t criticize them because of their cheese. Just let them write.

Focus on freedom, expression, and finishing the writing, not the correctness of the method

I offer this advice because writing is a tough-arse job, especially given the current state of the industry. Because the role is so difficult, and because every writer is their own distinct being, the focus can’t be on dictating how to work and creating division through the insistence you know the “right” way to participate in the craft. The focus has to be on freedom, expression, and doing whatever the hades needs to be done to get the words on the page. The correct method is simply the one that works and gets the post, book, email, or whatever other content you’re creating into the world. Someone else’s method might be completely different than yours, but that’s part of the miracle of the craft. We can all take our own path and experience the same joy of finishing and sharing. Let’s celebrate that miracle.