Most of us tend to learn things along the way and can recognize mistakes that we made in our pasts.

So thinking back....what advice would you give yourself that's related to writing? Maybe you would remind yourself to write more often or to ignore criticism. Or maybe there was a piece you never finished writing, but you should've, etc.

What would you say? Again, keep this mostly to writing-related topics, but if there's general advice that would've impacted your writing, you can include that! Your advice to your younger writer self might be current advice that someone else here could benefit from!

When I was younger, I thought I knew so much and wouldn't take advice from other people. For example, I decided not to go to college so that I could concentrate on my writing. A lot of people advised me against that and one of my old man's friends, an architect even offered me to teach me architecture and hire me once the hands-on training was done but I rejected that offer.

It took me years to get some footing as a writer but even that didn't last long forcing me to go back into the country and try my hand at farming.

For any young person thinking about being a writer, please go to campus, learn something that will earn you money and pursue your dream to be a great writer as a side-venture.

1. You can't evaluate and create at the same time. That's like working out while eating a burger, coke, and fries. It doesn't work out. Be creative. Be awful. Make a safe space where you can just be the worst and most awful writer in the world, because that is still creative. Then you can evaluate whether it even is bad or good.

2. There is no perfect piece of writing work. Maybe a description goes on to long in one part, maybe the dialogue is wooden at another. It's all down to personal taste and finding your own voice...and a supportive readership.

3. Take a break from writing. The pressure is making you miserable, and you're more attached to the idea of the result than the process. When you want to write for its own sake, the means to do so will still be there. Your creative instinct has been damaged by the environment that you're in, and you need some you-time to repair it.

4. Don't throw away and delete what you've written. Really, don't. It's not that bad! Seriously, you're just in a bad spot now and hyper-critical of yourself, but when you look back on this story you'll feel that it's really the best that you've ever thought up but there were too many words to remember them all and rewrite, so don't throw it away. Do not do this thing--!