I’ve been reflecting recently on some of the best writing advice I received over the last fifteen years, and I realized that five main ideas came up over and over. All five ideas have one thing in common: I ignored them and ended up learning the hard way. I’d love to save you some of that trouble.
So whether you’re an aspiring author or just curious about a behind-the-scenes look at my writing life, I hope you find something valuable here. And as a bonus, I’ll also share the one piece of advice I took to heart, which has played a big role in where I am today.
1. Write the Next Thing
It’s tempting to revise one project endlessly, constantly tweaking and perfecting it. But it’s more helpful to simply do your best, finish it, and then move on to a new project.
Think of an amateur painter. Is it better to spend years reworking their first painting over and over, or to finish one piece, learn from it, and move on to the next? Usually, they’ll improve faster by creating many pieces and learning from each one.
Writing is the same way. The more projects you finish, the more you grow as a writer. Allow yourself to experiment, even if the project doesn’t turn out how you hoped.
2. Story, Voice, and Character Matter Most
The more you write, the more you develop your unique voice and style, and that’s what truly matters. It’s how you learn to evoke emotion and create memorable characters and stories.
When I first started, I obsessed over tiny details: commas, adverbs, formatting, etc. That’s not to say these things don’t matter, because they do. But if you perfect all of those little things but your story is fundamentally flat, readers will move on, often without even knowing why. Prioritize story and character and try to nail those first.
3. Maintain Work-Life Balance
This one should seem obvious, but if you’re a workaholic who loves what you do, it’s easy to lose sight of balance. I’ve been guilty of this myself.
Time management is about quality over quantity. It’s not about how many hours you spend at the keyboard, but the quality of what you write. Focus on that. And take care of your mind, body, and relationships. Without them, you won’t have the energy or creativity to write.
4. Build a Platform
In today’s world of traditional, small press, and indie publishing, authors often handle their own marketing. Find out where your readers are and focus on one or two platforms to connect with them.
I only half-followed this advice. Social media has real value—it helps authors get their books in front of new readers and can create a space for authors to connect with an incredible community.
I’ve been fortunate to have a community like that, especially on Facebook. Interacting with readers and hearing their thoughts often reminds me why I love telling stories in the first place.
Early on in my career, though, I leaned in too hard and found myself spending more time scrolling than writing. These days, I try to keep a healthier balance by dedicating enough time to my writing while still staying connected with readers.
5. Fall in Love with the Process
It takes time to get good, to learn the business, build connections, and develop your ideas and voice. Success rarely happens overnight. So try to enjoy the process and don’t compare your chapter one to someone else’s chapter twenty.
Like bankruptcy and falling in love, career progress often happens slowly, then all at once. I spent over a decade writing without much success, publishing under different pen names, figuring things out as I went. Then I began writing The Thomas Austin Crime Thriller series. By that point, I had a stronger grasp of the publishing world, my voice, and the kinds of characters I wanted to write. Less than a year after publishing the first book, the series took off and became the number one mystery series on Amazon.

My earlier books weren’t as good, and looking back, it made sense why my career didn’t take off until the Austin series. From the outside, it might have seemed sudden—and in some ways, it was—but I’d been writing and learning for over a decade by that point.
To quote Joyce Meyer, “Patience is not simply the ability to wait—it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.”
Bonus: The Best Advice I Followed
The best writing advice I ever received came from Robert Dugoni: Immerse yourself in the craft and business of writing. This sounds simple, but it changed everything for me.
I knew I wanted to eventually be able to write full time, and I knew I had to take my writing seriously. So I did. I spoke with other authors, attended writing conferences, joined both writing and publishing Facebook groups, and soaked up all the knowledge I could.
Looking back, I wish I had listened to more advice earlier, but we often learn by making our own mistakes. No matter where you are in your writing journey, I hope you’ve found something valuable here. In the end, what matters most is showing up and writing your story.
You can check out my Thomas Austin Crime Thrillers or FBI S.W.O.R.D. series on Amazon, or pick up signed copies on my website here.
2 Responses
This all rings very true. If you recall that point where you were finally settling down and implementing this stuff, probably in the months you were figuring out the characters and back story for TA, that’s where I’m at now. Trying to wrap up my older works, hitting that million words written mark… It feels like it was all practice for what comes next. Thanks for showing the way!
Glad to hear it resonates, and congratulations on reaching a million words. That’s an incredible achievement. Best of luck with everything you have planned next for your writing. 🙂