On August 11th, 2025, ALLi asked: What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever received?

For me, it was being told to write in a style that wasn’t my own.  The advice was clear: don’t write what you want, write what others want to see.  To me, that’s the quickest way to kill a writer’s voice.

If I forced myself to fit into someone else’s mold, I wouldn’t just lose my authenticity—I’d lose the spark that makes me want to write at all.  Readers can tell when something is genuine versus when it’s shaped to fit a trend.  And honestly?  I’d rather have fewer readers who connect with my true voice than more readers who are drawn in by something that doesn’t reflect me.