A Word to the Wise
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 Question of the day: If you could give only one tip of advice to those of us trying to get published, what would it be?
Easy: keep writing while being open to criticism. Maybe that's two tips but I'm combining them into one! :)
The first part: keep writing. I say this all the time on the blog but the only way, in my opinion, to become a better writer, and thus a published writer, is to continue to step up to the plate. I often tell the story here of my abysmal first manuscript, and how I try to improve my work with each book. There is NO CEILING on the learning curve in this business, and I don't care if you think your first book is a work of art - on the off-chance that it is, congratulations, I bet your next one could be even better. But on the all-too-common chance that it's NOT, the best way to turn your next book into a work of art is to actually write that book.
But how do you improve each time out? TAKE YOUR EGO OUT OF IT. The dirty little secret of this business is that very few of us are as good as we'd like to think we are. I'm not cutting on any of my friends, any of my work, any one at all. But if you start believing your hype - and this is especially true if you're unpublished and thus don't have an objective sounding board like an editor to tell you where you're going right and wrong - your ears (and brain) won't be open to hearing tips on how you can improve. I WELCOME constructive criticism from my editor, agent and trusted readers. I NEED that criticism because if I didn't have it, I'd be writing in a vacuum - all white noise against the mistakes, and yes, I make mistakes, that I won't be able to hear/see. When someone offers suggestions, don't take it personally. Consider his/her words. Digest them. Be willing to delete portions of your ms that maybe at one time, you deemed perfection. Or maybe you don't delete those portions but be able to defend WHY your ms cannot live without them. If you can't offer such an argument, then yes, consider the criticism again and perhaps embrace it. Every published writer I know goes through draft upon draft (remember my first tip, keep writing?) of a ms before it gets to the finished product, and those drafts all build upon each other using advice from outside sources.
So that's my one (two?) tip. Anyone else got one too?
Craft, Life as a writer
Reader Comments (7)
Heh, much easier said than done. But still worth attempting!
My first editor, upon presenting me with a glowing review in a publishing trade mag, reminded me that if I wanted to believe the good reviews, I was obliged to believe the bad ones, too.
I find that getting good and constructive feedback is often difficult even after you've been published. Editors, especially those at women's magazines, are loaded with work. For that reason, I feel they have little time and patience to groom a writer. Your work better be just about perfect when you press SEND, or forget about getting any other assignments. If I deliver something and it's accepted with no changes or feedback, I might as well be writing in the wind. I just take no news as good news, you know? That's at least a partial explanation for why I started a blog. Hopefully in time, it won't be a one-way conversation.
I think learning as much about the business as possible is also important. Subscribe to Publishers Marketplace and read about the books that are selling. Devour blogs like Allison's. Immerse yourself into the world of publishing so some of the mystery and intimidation factor disappears.
Okay, that was more than one tip ;)
Awesome life lesson -- not just for writing. As usually, very well put.
Wow, you nailed it on the head! Thank you for this awesome article and for the way you put it! If we didn't have people telling us to make changes or someone challenging us then how would we grow? What we go through and deal with make us the person we are today and sometimes we do need to stop and listen to the criticism. Face it, everyone has an opinion and at the end of the day it's what you do with those opinions that count... Great article, you're inspiring!
Lovely article! Yes, agree one must keep writing no matter what, even if you're writing for yourself and family. Criticism is valuable no matter good or bad. I stopped writing for a number of years after my first novel was published...life got in the way. It took a while for mind and fingers to connect again. I'm back now working on the 2nd novel, writing a weekly column for a small newspaper and a completley self-indulgent blog, "Just for the Hell of it."
Thanks much for putting advice out here!