This is absolutely not a list of things I think you as writers should do, nor is it advice, though if something here resonates with you, great! This is something I am writing to the person I will be in a few weeks time; mired in writing, struggling to get published and probably losing hope. I thought it would be good to share here in case any of you find it interesting, or even better, have things you’d like to add!
1. Writing a book is more than writing the first draft
When the first draft of “Twenty Years Later” was finished and printed it out, I literally clutched it to my chest, breathed in deep and thought “That’s it, I’ve finally written my first novel!” But I was fool. I had only written a first draft. That is not writing a novel. Really writing the best novel I can involves frustration, fear, slaughter, tears and angst. Sorry. Maybe that will improve in time, but I don’t think it’ll change any time soon.
Take home lesson: This means the first draft can be pants, as it’s not the final book, right?
2. Useful editing happens at least two months after the writing
I have yet to perfect my editing process, but it goes something like this: write first draft. Do spelling and grammar check. Read aloud to my (long-suffering) husband to hear if it sounds good (On Paperback Jack’s blog I likened this to feeling recently cut wood – it enables me to “feel the rough bits” in my writing – and especially the dialogue.) Leave alone until the next time I think the book is finished and do a deeper edit. Repeat until almost clinically insane. I’ve heard of other more structured processes, so that is on my list of things to investigate.
Take home lesson: Leave it to sit a while before sanding down.
3. Even better editing is done by other people
I gradually got enough distance from the book to be able to make dramatic edits, and tough decisions, but ultimately, it would have been impossible for me to get it into the shape it is now without the help of others. This has mostly been family and friends admittedly, but all of them said such helpful things that helped me realise what was wrong with it.
Take home lesson: Let others see it, no matter how scary that is.
4. The really sexy editing is done by professionals and is called “Developmental Editing”
If my freelance business takes off, I am so going to Alan Rinzler and I will beg him to be the developmental editor on the next book. I paid a significant amount of money (to me anyway at the time) for something that was closer to a bit of light editing and a spell of mentoring, but it wasn’t the kind of editing I really needed at the time – most probably because I was utterly clueless and had never even heard the phrase “developmental editor”. But now I know what one of those is, I know what to save up for!
Take home lesson: Earn enough money to employ Alan Rinzler sooner rather than later.
5. Family and friends can only tell you so much
We’ve all heard it before; just because you’re Mum, Sister and pet rabbit think your book is great, it doesn’t mean it is. I don’t think it’s simply a matter of them not having distance personally – I got some tough feedback on early drafts that I was very grateful for. No, for me I think the problem was that I have an amazing group of friends who love the same kind of stuff as me, they have the same pop-culture background, the same level of education in most cases. That means that they are likely to have a similar mindset to me, so some ideas may be more meaningful to them than readers who are from a totally different headspace.
Saying that, Mum and I are very different and she loved it. (So it must be good, right?) I’m joking, there’s no getting away from the fact that their opinions will always be biased in the kindest ways.
Take home lesson: Try to get more diverse people to feedback – the critique forum at Editor Unleashed is a great place.
6. Don’t send it off until it has been edited and rewritten to the point you can’t stand the sight of it anymore.
I submitted it far too early – after the first draft (hangs head in shame.) I knew nothing then, and seeing as the publisher almost took it on at that stage, I may have got a deal if I had waited. Hey ho.
Take home lesson: Next time, sit on the egg longer.
7. Keep reading other books
Early in the writing of the first draft, I placed a reading ban on myself as I found that sometimes the style of the book I was reading influenced what I produced. At one point all my metaphors started to sound Homerian as I was reading the Iliad at the time.
"As gale-winds swirl and shatter under the shrilling gusts on days when drifts of dust lie piled thick on the roads and winds whip up the dirt in a dense whirling cloud- so the battle broke…"
Sounds great in the Iliad, but the style just isn’t quite right for a modern, post-apocalyptic YA book! Reading widely is so important for my development as a writer though, so I have a new policy of reading as diversely as possible, and a regular book club helps immensely.
Take home lesson: Keep reading widely, Future Me! even when writing is in full-swing, it means I won’t be too influenced by one style.
8. Don’t be afraid if it doesn’t go where you planned
I started with a rough chapter by chapter outline, but in the early drafts my characters would sometimes simply refuse to do what I told them! I distinctly remember writing a scene with Titus in it, watching it like a film in my head only to have him turn and face me. “There is no way I would do something that stupid,” he admonished. “But my chapter outline says you have to, for plot purposes!” I protested, but those violet eyes would not release me until I agreed. “You’re right,” I said, “I’ll change the outline.”
Take home lesson: Trust your characters, Future Me, they know what they should be doing.
9. What you think is the shape of the book at the beginning may not be right – and that’s ok!
When I finally started to write “Twenty Years Later” there was so much story, so many threads and plot hooks that I really struggled to find the right shape of the book. The serious re-writing took care of that in the end, but it was scary sometimes.
Take home lesson: Remember to hang in there, even when the bridges feel rickety.
10. Keep connected with other creative people
I find it hard to believe that I wrote that book in a creative vacuum. I started this blog during the last deep edit of the book and I am so glad I did! It keeps me sane, it connects me to other people who really genuinely understand what this like and it puts it all in perspective.
Take home lesson: It’s ok to admit that I’m struggling sometimes; I don’t have to wait until I am feeling better to write a post. We all struggle. It’s ok for others to see that too.
I’m so glad to be going into Book Two with all of you by my side. Have any of you sparkling creative ones had any experiences that you can add to this list? I’m aiming to build up a devastating array of weaponry to fight the dreaded Writer Fear when it hits. Here, I'll pour some tea whilst you think about it.
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Writing offers us many wonderful lessons, not just about writing, but about our thinking and our lives. You demonstrate great courage, openness, flexibility and creativity. What wonderful gifts your writing has given you, and now us! Thank you for sharing your experience!
These are brilliant! Excellent lessons to learn. And sometimes "the hard way" is the only means of learning a lesson and having the learning stick.
Glad that you know you're not alone, 'cause you're not.
And even if no agent and/or publisher ever wants TYL, you have still succeeded. Why? You will have done something that perhaps 50% of the population yearns to do, but never actually does.
You have written a novel.
This is not an insignificant achievement. Celebrate!
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Hi Ruth, welcome! Thanks for reassuring me that others might find this useful, it felt kind of odd doing this, but I'm glad I did. You're right about writing lessons and life lessons going hand in hand, it's just remembering them, isn't it?
Hey Christy – you were one of the people I imagined standing next to me at the end of that post. You're doing so much to keep me going, thank you. I am thrilled I finished the novel – after so many years of being so stuck, to finally do it is hugely satisfying.
These lessons also apply to life don't they? I especially like "Don’t be afraid if it doesn’t go where you planned." Isn't that the truth! Also the shape of it may not turn out like you thought. Asking for help earlier on ("A good beginning makes a good ending"). All life lessons.
My favorite is "Keep connected with other creative people." And not just in your field. Other creatives – musicians, writers, poets, dancers – allow me to view my art (and myself) from a different angle.
If I were going to add anything it would be "Don't be afraid to FAIL utterly and completely (and don't take it personally)" You can fall smack on your ass and there's something about the human spirit that takes that as a challenge to try again, even harder this time.
Diana's last blog post..This Old Man came rolling home
This is such a brilliant list Emma – I'm sure it will resonate with lots of people. What might I add? Be kind to yourself (I say that to everyone, most everyone needs it
) Keep writing!
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Hmmm. Lovely cuppa, Em. Liked the lessons too. I'd definitely second all the ones about the first draft and the need for edits, feedback and perspective.
There's one I'd add that I (embarrassingly) only discovered recently and that is that doing up-front work on your characters – who they are, what their back-story is, what their motives are, what they look like, how they speak, and so on – really pays off. It's also a great way to get the story moving again if it stalls. Just step away from the manuscript and work on some more details of the characters. It immediately sparks all kinds of new ideas and clears away all kinds of confusions.
It works with the historical background to the situation too. I write sci-fi so filling in more details of the political, technical, social, or whatever, future history can also help enrich the context of the story and suggest other ways in which the characters have developed in their lifetimes. It's actually lots of fun but not as effective as filling out the characters.
Take-home lesson? In the end, it's all about the characters.
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@Diana – you know, I went back through the list and most of them are. Weird. Yes, I agree on the not being afraid to fail, that's a great one to add.
@Joanna – oh yes, too true! It's so easy to beat ourselves up. Not meeting word count goals, not doing this not doing that and the big stick comes out. Added.
@Graham – Yes, yes yes! I lived with my characters for years before I found a way to write them down, so I know them inside and out, but they still suprised me. They are absolutely central – if the characters are not thought through, they're not convincing. Characters that I can't believe in are a huge barrier to my enjoyment of a novel.
1. One of my good friends, author Jonathan Maberry, told me recently that he revised his first published novel 13 times. He polished his last one, his 4th, in three trys.
2. 4-6 weeks is a good rule of thumb.
3. Every writer needs an honest First Reader, and a select group of honest, fearless reader editors with the time and chops to help the process.
4. Unless you’ve got the money to pay a freelance editor you can trust, this happens less and less. Actually the less the better as far as the publisher is concerned. They want the finished product to be perfect.
5. and 6. Agreed.
7. How about this? While writing, continue reading, but stay away from your genre. Once the first draft is complete and you’re in that period where you’re staying away from your manuscript, read EVERYHING in your genre from the most popular titles on down. This will keep your head clear of outside influences in the genre while writing the story, but serve to better inform your work in a good way once you start the revision process.
8. Agreed. It’s important to have a story outline, even if it isn’t exactly a chapter outline, but you can revise it every ten minutes if you want. They key is to keep plowing forward with the STORY and damn the writing. That’s what revisions are for. First draft is all about story. Revisions are all about craft.
9. and 10. Agreed and agreed.
Happy Friday. Have a great weekend and keep on plugging away.
Don Lafferty's last blog post..Jonathan Maberry and Harvey Finkel
Hi Don, thanks for such a considered and detailed response! 13 times – wow… I think I put TYL through about 5 major revisions and I don't know how many tweaks and fiddles in a line by line basis. Was your friend sick of it by the end?
I couldn't agree more with you about the first draft being the story first, everything else second. I found that if I worried about anything else, I would just grind to a halt. If I allow the first draft to be story oriented, it sweeps me past the internal censor before she can get her claws in.
And that's a great tip for the wider reading, thank you.