Something I try to keep in mind is that for every piece of advice, there is an equal and opposite piece of advice. Good behavior can go wrong by doing too much or too little of it. This is not new. Aristotle discussed it in his Nicomachean Ethics.

I was reminded of this when considering Heinlein’s Rules for Writers:

They’re great rules, I try to follow them, but is there opposite advice? Yes, if you’re making the right mistakes.

1. Take your hands off the typewriter and say hello to your wife and kids.

2. Enough with the 12-book epic series, go write some short stories.

3. Fix the typos and grammar flaws before you show it to anyone.

4. Don’t sign just any contract that offers money.

5. If no one wants it, shove it in your trunk and write a different story.

I think the original five rules tell us what the aspiring writers hanging around the Mañana Literary Society were like.

Note that Heinlein behaved in accordance with the anti-rules. He took breaks from writing, wrote stories outside his Future History, did multiple drafts of stories, sent “Life-Line” to a different market than the contest that inspired it, and trunked “Free Men” among others.

Wise behavior means sticking to a middle course. You can err by doing too much or too little of something.