Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda
Monday, October 18, 2010 Question of the day: Did you ever not follow a piece of writing advice that you wish you had?
Wow! This feels like a huge question, but I'll try my best to answer! :) In general, I have to say - and I don't mean this in any sort of self-satisfied way - but I'm really pleased with the advice I've gotten, what I've chosen to listen to (and just as importantly, what I've chosen NOT to), and where my career has gone. I don't look back with too many "wish I'd done THAT" moments because, well, as I've articulated on this blog time and again, even my mistakes lead to learning experiences which have then lead to where I am now. (Not to sound too sunshiney about it or anything.)
But that said, if I could go back and tell my younger self something, it would be to be less cocksure of my first manuscript. To keep revising even when I thought it was good enough. As you may have read here in the past, this manuscript got me an agent but ultimately failed to sell because, well, it was atrocious, but I didn't realize it at the time. So it's not that I got advice to keep rewriting, but the truth is, I should have. Actually, that's not true - some of the agents who turned me down did indeed tell me it wasn't good enough, but since I had one agent tell me that it was, I listened to her. (And frankly, I wouldn't have done this any differently because we all know that agents are subjective and you only need one to tell you yes. How could I have known that the others were actually the right ones here?) :)
Anyhoo, the lesson that I learned - via good advice or not - is that even when you think you're done, you very well may not be. I'm learning that lesson even today. I thought The Memory of Us was basically finished. My editor came back to me and said, "Um, no." I wasn't initially thrilled but then I remembered that the goal here is to make the best. book. possible. Full stop. The shortcuts that my younger self would have taken aren't acceptable any more. So I rolled up my sleeves and guess what? I'm revising again. Could the previous draft have been published? I think so. Will the next draft be even better? It damn well better be.
So I don't know - is this advice that I disregarded way back when? Kind of. Either way, it's still a good lesson learned and one that I won't ever forget.
Craft, Life as a writer
Reader Comments (8)
Yes! I think if I broke down all the different authors' success stories I've read/heard the central theme would be--NO SHORTCUTS. I appreciate reading in your blog and from other authors that there's no magic formula, no "overnight" success. The one thing you all have in common is the willingness to work hard. I'm trying to follow in those footsteps, even if that path is very long.
Ditto what Nina said. And really, NO SHORTCUTS is kind of reassuring. In this day and age, everyone is looking for the quick route to success. But maybe if we all took a deep breath, smiled, and then worked at our own pace, we would be happier and healthier and produce better work. :)
(Haha, talk about sunshiney... But then, I am a rather positive, glass-half-full kind of gal. ;))
I like what you say about mistakes leading to learning. Sometimes I feel like so much of the advice to writers warns against making any mistakes. But, no matter how much we prepare and take advantage of available information, we will make mistakes that also teach us.
I've got to agree with Nina as well.......No Shortcuts seems to be the lesson I hear most from authors. Thanks for this post Allision!
Great post and timely advice for me. I'm at a point that I *could* start sending queries and hoping for the best - and would probably be doing it if not for the fabulous advice I've been getting on blogs like yours, Allison - but I know my ms isn't ready yet. I got some great advice/criticism recently from the one amazing agent I've actually sent my ms to, and I'm taking that criticism to heart and going fast and furious on creating a better book. I won't launch it from the nest again until I feel confident it can fly.
Yes, yes, yes! It's so tempting to tell ourselves that our work is good enough as it is, all the time knowing it could be better. That's probably why agents are inundated by submissions that look more like first drafts than polished manuscripts. Thanks!
Thanks for saying this. The shortcuts seem so damn easy, and the thing is that many times you'll still get published. But it's up to you (and hopefully your agent) to stand back and say, no, this doesn't work and I can't accept it in its current form. It sucks to hear it, but it's worth making the effort to revise and make it perfect.