My Best Writing Advice: Find Your Secret Ingredient

I moved to the US from Peru when I was four, and though I quickly picked up on the language and many of the customs here, my family made sure that my sister and I never lost sight of our country’s rich culture. One of the ways we did this was through food; in my house, a “typical” dinner might consist of ceviche, lomo saltado, or papas a la huancaina. My idea of an “exotic” dish was pizza or hamburgers.

My mother's cookbook may not dish out writing advice, but it still taught me a lot about being a writer.

So before I moved here from Miami last year, my mom gave me her cookbook. It’s a newer edition of the cookbook she brought over from Peru 22 years ago—a thin, yellow collection of recipes called Qué cocinaré hoy? (What will I cook today?) that for as long as I can remember, was tucked into our kitchen’s main drawer. Now in possession of my own edition, I thought I’d be able to make all the dishes just like my mom had made them.

I had all the ingredients, I had the step-by-step recipes, but as much as I tried to duplicate my mom’s cooking, it wasn’t the same. Over the years, she’d added her own personal touches to the recipes. She’d started eyeballing many of the ingredients instead of measuring them exactly. The cookbook wasn’t a rulebook—it was a guide, and what made her a great cook was the fact that she made each recipe her own.

The Recipe for Great Writing

We are all looking for ways to improve our writing. We read books on it, visit blogs, subscribe to writing magazines, maybe even take a course or get an MFA on the subject. It can feel overwhelming at times because there is so much (often contradictory) writing advice out there:

Write at the same time, every day. Write X amount of words a day. Write what you know. Write what you don’t know. Read, read, read. Outline on index cards. Start by developing your characters. Start with a plot. Make sure you know your beginning, middle, and end before your write. Just start writing, and see where it takes you.

The list goes on and on…

The thing is, this is all great advice, but it’s no secret ingredient. There is no one-size-fits-all, step-by-step guide to becoming a better writer. It’s different for every single one of us.

Does this mean we shouldn’t bother with other people’s writing advice? On the contrary. Absorb as much of it as you can. Listen to everyone, then explore what works for you and what doesn’t. Follow the recipes, then break them. Mix things up and experiment with new ingredients. Learn as much as you can and then use that confidence to take things into your own hands. Make each recipe your own.

Corny as it might sound, we each have a secret ingredient. We just need to get in the kitchen and find it.

How do you add your own flavor to the writing advice you receive?