5 Reasons Not to Let Others Control What You Write

There are many reasons why you should take advice from the people around you. When it comes to writing, it’s even more important that you have a solid group of people that will tell you when a character doesn’t fit, or when a scene doesn’t make any sense. You need people when you plan to publish. You can’t do it alone, no matter what you think.

But have you ever been in the position where people are trying to come up with your story ideas for you? Or making suggestions for what should happen in the next book of your series?

If so, here are 5 Reasons Not to Let Others Control What You Write

You’re The Author

Plain and simple, you are the author. You are the one who is writing the stories, right? You have control over what you put in them.

People will come and suggest what you should write next, but you don’t need to feel like you have to follow those suggestions. Yes, be polite, nod, thank them for their idea, and yes, actually consider their idea. But you shouldn’t let someone pressure you (even unintentionally!) into writing a story you don’t want to write. Write the stories that come find you! Let your friends write the story ideas they keep telling you–encourage them to try their hand at writing.

You Need to Figure Out Your Own Story

Most writers are still figuring that out—even if they’ve had years of practice! Sometimes even after an author has published a book, they still learn things about that story they hadn’t fully figured out while they were writing it. Also, when starting a new story, it’s best you test the waters with random ideas on your own. That way, if a crazy idea occurs, only you know you had that idea.

It Damages Your Own Creative Process

If you depend on other people to tell you what you should write, how you should write it, and what should happen in the story, you’re no longer being creative yourself. You NEED to exercise your brain. To come up with more ideas, The best thing to do is write. By writing you get your creativity flowing again. Find a writing prompt each day if you must. They can be great for your imagination, and they force you to rely on yourself to create the prompted story. I love writing prompts, and they’re sometimes great for starting a new novel.

It’s YOUR Novel

Who’s writing the book? You, or them? Do they know the theme of the book? Did they create the characters? Do they even know what the plot of your book is about? Probably not. Let your imagination flow. Become creative enough to make up your content yourself.

You Need to Push Yourself

Come on! Get up and write! Push yourself to write something that no one told you to. You can’t expect to succeed if you’re always depending on other people to give you ideas. When you push yourself to become creative, it’ll be easier the next time you do it. When you push to write creatively once a day, even if only for half-an-hour, you push your mind to become more imaginative as a whole, and you’ll write more—faster.

So that concludes the five reasons you shouldn’t let people tell you what to write. But let me say: do not be afraid to take suggestions. Yes. I’m telling you the exact opposite of everything I just told you. Not really, but just remember, even though it’s best to become more creative yourself, the people around you CAN have a great input in what you write. It’s often GOOD to let people offer ideas when you write. Just be sure you can say no to an idea someone else might have for your story.

Happy writing!