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I've spent a lot of time writing this past year. You'd expect nothing less from a full-freelance writer. But I've also spent quite a bit of time editing other people's writing, too. Some of it was good, some of it was bad. Some of it was downright ugly.
The best of it, though, came from writers who weren't afraid to sit down and work at their craft. Writers who took direction well, listened to what the voice of experience told them, and rewrote in order to accomplish their goal. Which, of course, was cranking out a book-length manuscript of publishable quality. |
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I use the phrase, "cranking out," for a reason. Writing is tough work. Or, rather, writing well is. Too many fledgling writers have the notion that writing a book involves sitting down, turning thoughts into words, and putting those words down on paper. When those words total 60 or 70 thousand, and the thoughts have all been expressed, the book is done.
Unfortunately, it's not that easy. Writing a publishable book involves creating a marketable concept, outlining the story, and then committing it to paper, one grueling sentence at a time. And then going back and tearing it all apart and re-writing it again and again until you're absolutely certain you can't possibly write it any better.
And then moving on.
There may be some writers who can slop something together and end up with a publishable work of book-length material. If there are, I've never met them. All the great writers throughout history have toiled over their craft, first to learn the principles of great writing, and then to learn the facets involved in executing them.
That includes editing your own work. Scrupulously.
So if you want to "crank out" a really great book this year, your best ever, here's my suggestion: do so.
If you run into a brick wall (i.e., "writer's block"), take some time off, step back, think about what you're doing and where the story is compared to where you want it to be. Write a letter to mom. Write a poem. Work on anything other than your book just to get the creative juices flowing again.
When you're ready to tackle the book again, sit down and read out loud the last chapter you wrote so your ears have a chance to hear the words and evaluate your literary voice. And then start crossing out, erasing, cutting and pasting, until you're satisfied with what you thought you were satisfied with yesterday.
Only when you've done that two or three or ten times with each and every chapter you've written should you venture forth with the next, following the same procedure until the book is complete.
Trust me on this. It works. Guaranteed.
Until then...
Smoke if you got 'em.
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