When you go on the hunt for writing advice, it’s sometimes hard to tell what’s good advice and what isn’t, at least at first glance. Writers, myself included, operate with good intentions when they try to help others. But sometimes we go about giving advice in a way that isn’t quite as helpful, or encouraging, or inspirational as we’d like it to be.

Here’s a quick guide to help you spot good writing advice, and a few examples for the kinds of writing advice you should approach with caution.

Good writing advice is …

• Specific, yet broad
• Applicable to different types of people
• Helpful and detailed
• Based on personal experience

In short, “good” writing advice is actionable. Anyone reading or listening to it should be able to go away on their own time and apply it, which means it should be explained well. This also means writing advice should never…