Best Onion article ever. Especially if you’re a writer.
Because then you know that, sadly, this is as true as it is funny:
“by Joyce Carol Oates”
I have so much sympathy for aspiring writers. Our profession is difficult to master, and the deluge of advice writers receive doesn’t make it any easier: “Write every day,” “Study the works of writers you admire,” “The essence of writing is rewriting,” etc. Such guidance isn’t wrong, exactly, but it certainly misses the big picture.