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Margaret talks about writing
If you want to become a
successful writer you need to go the extra mile. You have an idea for a story,
you write it, send it off to a publisher, then wonder why it wings its way
back.
OK, some authors get their
first book accepted with very few changes, but re-writes are normal. We all
think our story is perfect - after all we’ve spent hundreds of hours working on
it - but editors see things that we don’t. We are too close to our precious
piece of work to see where it’s not working.
The wisest course of action
is to put your precious finished manuscript to one side for a few weeks. It’s
amazing what a difference it will make. When you re-read it again you’ll see
things that weren’t obvious before. Even if you’re self-publishing it’s still
important to go the extra mile and make your book the very best you possibly
can.
So very true, Margaret. I once read that writers should never say, 'That'll do' because that means they are being satisfied with less than their best.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how any writer could do that. I know I couldn't.
DeleteI'm going the extra two years to get my WIP in the best shape possible. It still will need more vetting from crit partners and beta readers.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely correct, Margaret. I've read books that were rushed out, and I'll never buy from those authors again.
We all learn by our mistakes and that's what will happen to writers who rush out their books. As you say no one will buy that author again. What has happened to pride in one's work?
DeleteMy goal is to get one of my current WIPs finished in first draft by this Wednesday (when my kids start their Christmas break) so that I can put it aside during their vacation and come back to it in January when they go back to school.
ReplyDeleteThe longer you can distance yourself from your manuscript the better it is. You need that space to be able to see things that you got wrong or missed. Holidays are good for this.
DeleteI'm always so impatient. I'll set a project aside for about a day, and then I go back to it. When I get to that point, I'm just eager to get it finished and sent out. I probably should let it sit longer.
ReplyDeleteWe all work differently. I've sent work off to my editor too quickly in the past, so I guess I don't always practise what I preach.
DeleteMy WIP is on its 3rd re-write and there is at least one more waiting in the wings. I'm learning a lot from doing this, a lot of it thanks to my wonderful CP friend. It's slow going for me and I'm desperate to see it finished, but I know it's going to be worth it.
ReplyDeleteIt will definitely be worth it, Carol. Your CP friend will see things that you don't. I have a CP and I sometimes can't believe what she has picked up and I haven't seen. It's all part of the fun of writing.
DeleteI agree. I've learned so much on how to write POV, not use repetitive dialogue tags, layer emotion, build conflict. There is so much to master. It's fun when I look back and feel a sense of "I get that now!"
DeleteThe really good authors make it look easy. It's not.