Ian Dawson's Blog - Posts Tagged "self-awareness-in-writing"
Writing Tip of the Week: Becoming a Self-Aware Writer
Most writing takes place in a state of solitude. It’s us – the writer – versus the blank page in an epic battle to create a compelling narrative that will leave future readers or viewers spellbound and wanting more. It’s great to have the mindset that what we are creating is exceptional, but we also have to give ourselves the opportunity for reflection and self-awareness when it comes to our own work.
Self-Awareness, Not Self-Criticism
Being self-aware as a writer means having the ability to write something, step back, and find the issues that need fixing. It doesn’t mean beating yourself up or telling yourself negative things about your writing skills or you as a writer.
It doesn’t matter what level of writer you are; the ability to look at your work and make the changes necessary to craft a stronger narrative is a skill that can assist your quest to become a better writer.
This is not a skill that can be achieved overnight but can be learned over time. The more you write, the more you’ll sense when pacing is off, dialogue isn’t working, or there’s a lack of conflict or stakes in the chapter or scene. It’s easy to see these issues in other people’s works, but utilizing this skill with your own work is a must in your writer’s toolbox.
Self-Awareness and Your Subconscious
Have you ever written something, walked away, and a few hours later began to deconstruct what you wrote and found problems with the story or a character’s actions? That is self-awareness, and it’s your subconscious telling you that there are potential changes to be made.
Don’t get upset or frustrated. This is where the growth and writing magic can happen.
Your mind is still writing long after your fingers have quit tapping the keyboard. Your subconscious knows your story, knows your characters, and knows where the problems are. Don’t get discouraged when these red flags pop up. Your brain gives you clues as to what to fix to make your work stronger.
As long as you take a proactive approach to the changes and don’t stop writing, these moments of creative clarity can profoundly impact your writing and subsequent drafts of your project.
Self-Awareness from the Start
As you craft your outline, you may start to internally ask yourself questions about various aspects of your story. That’s good. Write these questions down. Will they be answered later in the story? Are the questions related to structure or character? Keep a list of these questions as you work on your outline and see if they are questions worth exploring once the outline is completed.
It’s often better to have most of the answers related to your story resolved before you start writing to avoid any hang-ups during the drafting process. While drafting, you may come across other issues, but answering questions that pop up while working on your outline will get many structural problems fixed before you begin.
Self-Awareness Makes for Better Writing
Your writing reflects you and reflects who you are as a writer. If you think that your first draft is perfection with no need to edit or even have a trusted person read it before you publish, you lack self-awareness as a writer.
Every good writer takes the time to hone their craft and make revisions when necessary, and they almost always are necessary to some extent. Yes, you may have written a short story that is 100% perfect on your first draft, but novels and screenplays will often have issues that need to be fixed before they are taken to the next stage.
Start by walking away from your draft for a week or two, then come back with fresh eyes. Maybe your subconscious has been gnawing at you for the past two weeks about issues in the story, and you’ve written them down to address them later.
Now start at page one and read – don’t skim – every sentence, paragraph, and chapter with fresh eyes and a new perspective. You will see some glaring problems, maybe a few typos, and other things that definitely need tweaking.
And that’s great! You are making a better product and making yourself a better writer.
Final Thoughts
Being a self-aware writer means that you care about the work you are producing, and you respect your completed work’s potential reader or viewer. By taking this step and putting in the effort to make your writing better, you further your goals of being a more productive and confident writer.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Self-Awareness, Not Self-Criticism
Being self-aware as a writer means having the ability to write something, step back, and find the issues that need fixing. It doesn’t mean beating yourself up or telling yourself negative things about your writing skills or you as a writer.
It doesn’t matter what level of writer you are; the ability to look at your work and make the changes necessary to craft a stronger narrative is a skill that can assist your quest to become a better writer.
This is not a skill that can be achieved overnight but can be learned over time. The more you write, the more you’ll sense when pacing is off, dialogue isn’t working, or there’s a lack of conflict or stakes in the chapter or scene. It’s easy to see these issues in other people’s works, but utilizing this skill with your own work is a must in your writer’s toolbox.
Self-Awareness and Your Subconscious
Have you ever written something, walked away, and a few hours later began to deconstruct what you wrote and found problems with the story or a character’s actions? That is self-awareness, and it’s your subconscious telling you that there are potential changes to be made.
Don’t get upset or frustrated. This is where the growth and writing magic can happen.
Your mind is still writing long after your fingers have quit tapping the keyboard. Your subconscious knows your story, knows your characters, and knows where the problems are. Don’t get discouraged when these red flags pop up. Your brain gives you clues as to what to fix to make your work stronger.
As long as you take a proactive approach to the changes and don’t stop writing, these moments of creative clarity can profoundly impact your writing and subsequent drafts of your project.
Self-Awareness from the Start
As you craft your outline, you may start to internally ask yourself questions about various aspects of your story. That’s good. Write these questions down. Will they be answered later in the story? Are the questions related to structure or character? Keep a list of these questions as you work on your outline and see if they are questions worth exploring once the outline is completed.
It’s often better to have most of the answers related to your story resolved before you start writing to avoid any hang-ups during the drafting process. While drafting, you may come across other issues, but answering questions that pop up while working on your outline will get many structural problems fixed before you begin.
Self-Awareness Makes for Better Writing
Your writing reflects you and reflects who you are as a writer. If you think that your first draft is perfection with no need to edit or even have a trusted person read it before you publish, you lack self-awareness as a writer.
Every good writer takes the time to hone their craft and make revisions when necessary, and they almost always are necessary to some extent. Yes, you may have written a short story that is 100% perfect on your first draft, but novels and screenplays will often have issues that need to be fixed before they are taken to the next stage.
Start by walking away from your draft for a week or two, then come back with fresh eyes. Maybe your subconscious has been gnawing at you for the past two weeks about issues in the story, and you’ve written them down to address them later.
Now start at page one and read – don’t skim – every sentence, paragraph, and chapter with fresh eyes and a new perspective. You will see some glaring problems, maybe a few typos, and other things that definitely need tweaking.
And that’s great! You are making a better product and making yourself a better writer.
Final Thoughts
Being a self-aware writer means that you care about the work you are producing, and you respect your completed work’s potential reader or viewer. By taking this step and putting in the effort to make your writing better, you further your goals of being a more productive and confident writer.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Writing Series of the Month: The Self-Aware Writer
Hello, and happy June! I’m excited to be back with you once again. Over the next month, I’d like to explore the concept of being a self-aware writer. It may sound deep and metaphysical, but all writers can become stronger in their craft through introspection and looking at their work from different perspectives.
Whether you are a new writer or a seasoned one, I intend these discussions to assist you in all aspects of the creative process, outlining and writing, accepting positive and negative feedback, and more.
These posts will be brief and to the point and provide a few quick tips you can implement immediately.
As always, having fun with the entire process is important, and I look forward to sharing my thoughts and ideas with you over the next several weeks!
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Whether you are a new writer or a seasoned one, I intend these discussions to assist you in all aspects of the creative process, outlining and writing, accepting positive and negative feedback, and more.
These posts will be brief and to the point and provide a few quick tips you can implement immediately.
As always, having fun with the entire process is important, and I look forward to sharing my thoughts and ideas with you over the next several weeks!
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
The Self-Aware Writer - What is Self-Awareness?
We all possess the conscious ability to be self-aware in our lives. Whether it’s related to how we interact with others, how we perceive ourselves within our world, or having the insight to better ourselves, self-awareness can positively impact our lives. While we are also presented with daily examples of politicians, celebrities, and social media videos that show people lacking in self-awareness, having this trait is a definite plus when attempting to exist in the world.
According to PsychCentral.com, “When you look at yourself and are able to recognize and connect emotions, core beliefs, thoughts, and traits — including weaknesses and strengths — you’re practicing self-awareness.” Emotions. Core beliefs. Traits. Weaknesses and strengths. Those definitely sound like areas of oneself a writer and utilize.
If we dig further, we find that the Harvard Business Review (HBR) identified two types of self-awareness. The first, “internal self-awareness, represents how clearly we see our own values, passions, aspirations, fit with our environment, reactions (including thoughts, feelings, behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses), and impact on others.” Again, these are all interesting aspects that can impact our writing and our ability or inability to write.
HBR’s second type of self-awareness was external self-awareness, which “means understanding how other people view us, in terms of those same factors listed above […] people who know how others see them are more skilled at showing empathy and taking others’ perspectives.”
When we write or create, we use internal and external self-awareness to influence what we write, how we write, who we write for, and how we interact with those who read what we’ve written. Self-awareness is a powerful tool that can be used to empower and help us grow as writers and creative people or can cause us to freeze and cower in fear from our own negative thoughts.
Self-awareness in your writing should be the ability to create and allow your imagination to run free, but also the ability to step back and make changes to the work for the better when the time comes. It’s the ability to write fearlessly and not hold back when expressing what you want to say through your characters and story while listening to feedback and making necessary changes.
I know it’s a lot to think about, so we’ll take a whole month to discuss it. Next, we’ll discuss utilizing self-awareness when creating story ideas and getting the writing process started.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Sources:
https://psychcentral.com/health/self-...
https://hbr.org/2018/01/what-self-awa...
According to PsychCentral.com, “When you look at yourself and are able to recognize and connect emotions, core beliefs, thoughts, and traits — including weaknesses and strengths — you’re practicing self-awareness.” Emotions. Core beliefs. Traits. Weaknesses and strengths. Those definitely sound like areas of oneself a writer and utilize.
If we dig further, we find that the Harvard Business Review (HBR) identified two types of self-awareness. The first, “internal self-awareness, represents how clearly we see our own values, passions, aspirations, fit with our environment, reactions (including thoughts, feelings, behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses), and impact on others.” Again, these are all interesting aspects that can impact our writing and our ability or inability to write.
HBR’s second type of self-awareness was external self-awareness, which “means understanding how other people view us, in terms of those same factors listed above […] people who know how others see them are more skilled at showing empathy and taking others’ perspectives.”
When we write or create, we use internal and external self-awareness to influence what we write, how we write, who we write for, and how we interact with those who read what we’ve written. Self-awareness is a powerful tool that can be used to empower and help us grow as writers and creative people or can cause us to freeze and cower in fear from our own negative thoughts.
Self-awareness in your writing should be the ability to create and allow your imagination to run free, but also the ability to step back and make changes to the work for the better when the time comes. It’s the ability to write fearlessly and not hold back when expressing what you want to say through your characters and story while listening to feedback and making necessary changes.
I know it’s a lot to think about, so we’ll take a whole month to discuss it. Next, we’ll discuss utilizing self-awareness when creating story ideas and getting the writing process started.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Sources:
https://psychcentral.com/health/self-...
https://hbr.org/2018/01/what-self-awa...
The Self-Aware Writer - Self-Awareness & Ideas
You are an endless supply of ideas and stories. You’ve lived life, have had good and bad experiences, and have grown from those situations. How you interpret what’s happened to you can influence how you react in future situations, and this self-awareness and hindsight can help you create and develop stories.
Creating grounded characters and situations that others can relate to is a way to utilize self-awareness as a writer. This is where your internal self-awareness comes into play by exploring and analyzing real-world events and emotions from your own life. You can discover relatable moments that readers can connect to that will keep them glued to the page.
The key phrase here is connection. You aim to create characters that allow the audience to empathize and sympathize with them and their struggles or triumphs. Even in fantasy stories, we are drawn to characters who have relatable emotions, goals, and setbacks. While we all may not go on a journey like Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, our Hobbit hero’s emotional arc allows us humans to relate and connect with him.
This week, take the time to sit and write down five or six events from your life that could be the inciting incident of a new story. Take yourself back to those moments. What was going through your mind at the time? Feelings? Thoughts? What was your emotional journey through each of your chosen events?
These don’t have to be tragic; you can also utilize positive moments. The key is to explore the realness of each situation. How can those emotional beats be part of your protagonist’s larger character arc? How would an audience empathize or sympathize with your character?
Only some ideas will hit, and only some life events are worthy of being committed to paper. As you develop a keener self-awareness as a writer, you’ll gain perspective on when an idea isn’t worth pursuing over one that is.
It’s all part of the creative process, the ability to prioritize ideas worth your time, effort, and energy over those that aren’t right now.
By digging into your life and past, you can mine stories that aren’t carbon copies of the latest bestseller or Hollywood blockbuster.
Once your story idea and characters are locked in, you can take the following steps: development and drafting. We’ll talk about those in the next post.
Happy Creating, and I’ll see you next time!
Creating grounded characters and situations that others can relate to is a way to utilize self-awareness as a writer. This is where your internal self-awareness comes into play by exploring and analyzing real-world events and emotions from your own life. You can discover relatable moments that readers can connect to that will keep them glued to the page.
The key phrase here is connection. You aim to create characters that allow the audience to empathize and sympathize with them and their struggles or triumphs. Even in fantasy stories, we are drawn to characters who have relatable emotions, goals, and setbacks. While we all may not go on a journey like Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, our Hobbit hero’s emotional arc allows us humans to relate and connect with him.
This week, take the time to sit and write down five or six events from your life that could be the inciting incident of a new story. Take yourself back to those moments. What was going through your mind at the time? Feelings? Thoughts? What was your emotional journey through each of your chosen events?
These don’t have to be tragic; you can also utilize positive moments. The key is to explore the realness of each situation. How can those emotional beats be part of your protagonist’s larger character arc? How would an audience empathize or sympathize with your character?
Only some ideas will hit, and only some life events are worthy of being committed to paper. As you develop a keener self-awareness as a writer, you’ll gain perspective on when an idea isn’t worth pursuing over one that is.
It’s all part of the creative process, the ability to prioritize ideas worth your time, effort, and energy over those that aren’t right now.
By digging into your life and past, you can mine stories that aren’t carbon copies of the latest bestseller or Hollywood blockbuster.
Once your story idea and characters are locked in, you can take the following steps: development and drafting. We’ll talk about those in the next post.
Happy Creating, and I’ll see you next time!
The Self-Aware Writer - Self-Awareness & Story Development
When it comes to story development and outlining your story, I feel it’s best to put self-awareness on the back burner for the time being. I know it’s crazy that I’m saying this since this is a series about using self-awareness as a writer. However, it’s just as important to know when not to use it as when it is.
Let’s talk about it!
Story Development – Creativity Unleashed
Once you have an idea that you feel is strong enough to develop into a longer story, it’s time to put everything on the table. Every idea, story beat, inciting incident, and plot twist should be up for grabs to get your idea out on the page so you can breathe life into it.
This means your characters should have free reign to do what they want, when they want, and how they want in pursuit of strong character arcs, relationships, and growth throughout the story. Don’t hold back, and don’t be afraid to have your antagonist do things that are off-the-rails crazy. Your goal is to create a compelling and interesting story at this stage. This version is for your eyes only, so have fun, and don’t let the inner critic throw up roadblocks that show down your creativity.
At this point, you’ll want to start crafting an outline that allows you to place your story and characters in some sort of coherent order. You want to work through the story from start to finish, giving yourself a rough roadmap of how your story will unfold and the characters will develop and change.
Implementing Self-Awareness
Now that you have a story outline, it’s time to review it and utilize self-awareness to strengthen your writing. This is a good point. Take a step back as the writer and look at your story outline as a reader.
What aspects of your story sound too familiar and could be altered to be different than what has been done before? What are the strong points of your story? Are there weak story points or characters that deserve another look? Are there parts of the story that could be cut that don’t impact the narrative? Do all the subplots tie into the main story somehow? Is your main character interesting? Are they actively involved in the story?
I like to complete an outline draft and then walk away, allowing my brain to reflect and subconsciously pick out parts that might need a second look. I jot down notes on my phone or paper as possible changes to strengthen the story outline.
It can be tempting to barrel through with a subpar outline, but that can lead to issues later in the drafting phase that can grind your progress to a halt. And while changes are inevitable, having a strong outline going into the rough draft phase can save you a lot of time and a lot of headaches down the road.
Up Next…
Once you’re ready to write, what aspects of being a self-aware writer are best to use during the rough draft phase and beyond? We’ll talk about it.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Let’s talk about it!
Story Development – Creativity Unleashed
Once you have an idea that you feel is strong enough to develop into a longer story, it’s time to put everything on the table. Every idea, story beat, inciting incident, and plot twist should be up for grabs to get your idea out on the page so you can breathe life into it.
This means your characters should have free reign to do what they want, when they want, and how they want in pursuit of strong character arcs, relationships, and growth throughout the story. Don’t hold back, and don’t be afraid to have your antagonist do things that are off-the-rails crazy. Your goal is to create a compelling and interesting story at this stage. This version is for your eyes only, so have fun, and don’t let the inner critic throw up roadblocks that show down your creativity.
At this point, you’ll want to start crafting an outline that allows you to place your story and characters in some sort of coherent order. You want to work through the story from start to finish, giving yourself a rough roadmap of how your story will unfold and the characters will develop and change.
Implementing Self-Awareness
Now that you have a story outline, it’s time to review it and utilize self-awareness to strengthen your writing. This is a good point. Take a step back as the writer and look at your story outline as a reader.
What aspects of your story sound too familiar and could be altered to be different than what has been done before? What are the strong points of your story? Are there weak story points or characters that deserve another look? Are there parts of the story that could be cut that don’t impact the narrative? Do all the subplots tie into the main story somehow? Is your main character interesting? Are they actively involved in the story?
I like to complete an outline draft and then walk away, allowing my brain to reflect and subconsciously pick out parts that might need a second look. I jot down notes on my phone or paper as possible changes to strengthen the story outline.
It can be tempting to barrel through with a subpar outline, but that can lead to issues later in the drafting phase that can grind your progress to a halt. And while changes are inevitable, having a strong outline going into the rough draft phase can save you a lot of time and a lot of headaches down the road.
Up Next…
Once you’re ready to write, what aspects of being a self-aware writer are best to use during the rough draft phase and beyond? We’ll talk about it.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
The Self-Aware Writer - Self-Awareness & The Drafting Process
Last time, we talked about utilizing self-awareness as a writer when crafting an outline for your story. Today, we’ll discuss the best way to use self-awareness during the drafting process.
Let’s get started.
Drafting, Drafting, Drafting
Many writers are intimidated by the drafting phase of the writing process. Taking an idea that has been fleshed out into bullet points in an outline is one thing, but to actually WRITE chapters and a coherent narrative that’s tens of thousands of words? Madness!
No matter your feelings on the subject, writing that first draft is an essential step in getting to the final draft, but this is another case where you want to put your self-awareness tool to the side and let the creativity flow with as much passion and uncensored glory as you wish.
Hey, it’s a rough/first draft. It’s for your eyes only. No one will see this version, so why not take the brakes off and let your imagination run wild. Stick with the outline you’ve crafted, but if a character or story point takes you somewhere new and more compelling, go there.
Give yourself the freedom to play, to explore, to run free. This is the time to do it.
I’ve been working through an outline before and realized that I hadn’t given my subplots much consideration, so I’ve taken some time to explore their characters and situations. It helped strengthen the overall story and enhanced the main character’s arc. If I hadn’t deviated from what I had outlined, I never would have discovered these new aspects.
Once you’ve played around and written THE END on your rough/first draft, it’s time for the kid to take a nap and the self-aware writer to take over.
Revising with Self-Awareness
Now is the time to take a step back and look at your draft as both author and reader. This is when any sense of “I’m an artist, and everything I write is gold” must be locked away so common sense can take the helm.
After all, you want to make sure as you make revisions that the story makes sense; the characters grow and change; that dialogue is realistic for the story you’re telling; that descriptions paint and clear picture for the reader; and that your main story and subplots have a clear beginning, middle, and end.
This can be a lengthy process that shouldn’t be taken lightly. This is where the story really begins to take shape. It’s where themes are solidified. It’s where you can fix the story’s pacing, cut aspects that don’t work, and add things that will improve the reader’s experience.
Part of being a self-aware writer is knowing when to cut things – even if you love them – to improve the story. Realizing that maybe a plot point that worked in the outline causes the story’s momentum to fizzle once it’s fleshed out in chapter form. Your self-awareness enables you to detect these issues and fix them.
Again, this is a process that is rewarding once you have crafted a story and characters that are exactly what you intended when you set out to write this book.
Next Time…
You’ve done it. You’ve revised, cut, added, moved around, and re-chaptered your story. You’re on your ninth or tenth draft and feel pretty good. It’s time to edit; self-awareness can help you with that, too!
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Let’s get started.
Drafting, Drafting, Drafting
Many writers are intimidated by the drafting phase of the writing process. Taking an idea that has been fleshed out into bullet points in an outline is one thing, but to actually WRITE chapters and a coherent narrative that’s tens of thousands of words? Madness!
No matter your feelings on the subject, writing that first draft is an essential step in getting to the final draft, but this is another case where you want to put your self-awareness tool to the side and let the creativity flow with as much passion and uncensored glory as you wish.
Hey, it’s a rough/first draft. It’s for your eyes only. No one will see this version, so why not take the brakes off and let your imagination run wild. Stick with the outline you’ve crafted, but if a character or story point takes you somewhere new and more compelling, go there.
Give yourself the freedom to play, to explore, to run free. This is the time to do it.
I’ve been working through an outline before and realized that I hadn’t given my subplots much consideration, so I’ve taken some time to explore their characters and situations. It helped strengthen the overall story and enhanced the main character’s arc. If I hadn’t deviated from what I had outlined, I never would have discovered these new aspects.
Once you’ve played around and written THE END on your rough/first draft, it’s time for the kid to take a nap and the self-aware writer to take over.
Revising with Self-Awareness
Now is the time to take a step back and look at your draft as both author and reader. This is when any sense of “I’m an artist, and everything I write is gold” must be locked away so common sense can take the helm.
After all, you want to make sure as you make revisions that the story makes sense; the characters grow and change; that dialogue is realistic for the story you’re telling; that descriptions paint and clear picture for the reader; and that your main story and subplots have a clear beginning, middle, and end.
This can be a lengthy process that shouldn’t be taken lightly. This is where the story really begins to take shape. It’s where themes are solidified. It’s where you can fix the story’s pacing, cut aspects that don’t work, and add things that will improve the reader’s experience.
Part of being a self-aware writer is knowing when to cut things – even if you love them – to improve the story. Realizing that maybe a plot point that worked in the outline causes the story’s momentum to fizzle once it’s fleshed out in chapter form. Your self-awareness enables you to detect these issues and fix them.
Again, this is a process that is rewarding once you have crafted a story and characters that are exactly what you intended when you set out to write this book.
Next Time…
You’ve done it. You’ve revised, cut, added, moved around, and re-chaptered your story. You’re on your ninth or tenth draft and feel pretty good. It’s time to edit; self-awareness can help you with that, too!
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
The Self-Aware Writer - Self-Awareness & Editing
Last time, we discussed the best way to use self-awareness during the drafting process. Today, we’ll explore the best ways for self-aware writers to edit their work to make it the strongest it can be.
The Self-Aware Editor
This is one area of the writing process where you want your powers of self-awareness at full power. Once you’ve completed a draft of your manuscript that you feel is the best version, you’ll want to give yourself a little break – maybe a week – and return to it with fresh eyes.
This distancing will help you focus more on the technical task before you: Editing the manuscript.
Editing is a multi-layered activity, so taking your time is important. Don’t skim through the manuscript. You’ll want to read each sentence, paragraph, and chapter with an eye for spelling and grammar errors, continuity issues, plot holes, and parts of storylines you cut that you missed.
One good way to stay focused is to read the manuscript aloud. This will help you stay in the story and also help you detect any issues with the flow of the writing. If it’s hard for you to read a sentence out loud or it doesn’t make sense, then it would be difficult for a reader to comprehend. These are things you’ll want to change.
When you do find yourself losing focus, take a break. Attempting to edit a novel in one afternoon is definitely not recommended. You want to ensure you are awake, focused, and uninterrupted.
Consider carving out time and limiting how many pages you edit per session. If you have a 500-page manuscript, only edit 50 pages daily or less. The key is to give your mind the energy and focus it needs to weed out any issues that can detract from the reader’s experience.
Self-Aware, But Too Busy?
The ability to be self-aware enough to know you won’t be able to give the manuscript the attention it needs at this stage is also the sign of a mature writer. You understand that while editing needs to be done, you can’t give it the time it needs.
In this case, you can outsource it to an editing company. These resources offer various services, from basic spelling and grammar editing to more in-depth manuscript edits. But please be aware: these can cost a lot of money, so shop around.
But, if you can, find the time to do it yourself, even if it’s a few pages a day. After all, only you truly know and understand your story, and you’re the best person to make the necessary edits.
Up Next…
You did it. The edits are done. You’re tired, and your brain feels like mush, but you have cranked out a solid draft of your story that you are proud of. The time has come to let another set of eyes read your work. To give your baby to another who can provide you with feedback on what you’ve written.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
The Self-Aware Editor
This is one area of the writing process where you want your powers of self-awareness at full power. Once you’ve completed a draft of your manuscript that you feel is the best version, you’ll want to give yourself a little break – maybe a week – and return to it with fresh eyes.
This distancing will help you focus more on the technical task before you: Editing the manuscript.
Editing is a multi-layered activity, so taking your time is important. Don’t skim through the manuscript. You’ll want to read each sentence, paragraph, and chapter with an eye for spelling and grammar errors, continuity issues, plot holes, and parts of storylines you cut that you missed.
One good way to stay focused is to read the manuscript aloud. This will help you stay in the story and also help you detect any issues with the flow of the writing. If it’s hard for you to read a sentence out loud or it doesn’t make sense, then it would be difficult for a reader to comprehend. These are things you’ll want to change.
When you do find yourself losing focus, take a break. Attempting to edit a novel in one afternoon is definitely not recommended. You want to ensure you are awake, focused, and uninterrupted.
Consider carving out time and limiting how many pages you edit per session. If you have a 500-page manuscript, only edit 50 pages daily or less. The key is to give your mind the energy and focus it needs to weed out any issues that can detract from the reader’s experience.
Self-Aware, But Too Busy?
The ability to be self-aware enough to know you won’t be able to give the manuscript the attention it needs at this stage is also the sign of a mature writer. You understand that while editing needs to be done, you can’t give it the time it needs.
In this case, you can outsource it to an editing company. These resources offer various services, from basic spelling and grammar editing to more in-depth manuscript edits. But please be aware: these can cost a lot of money, so shop around.
But, if you can, find the time to do it yourself, even if it’s a few pages a day. After all, only you truly know and understand your story, and you’re the best person to make the necessary edits.
Up Next…
You did it. The edits are done. You’re tired, and your brain feels like mush, but you have cranked out a solid draft of your story that you are proud of. The time has come to let another set of eyes read your work. To give your baby to another who can provide you with feedback on what you’ve written.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
The Self-Aware Writer - Self-Awareness & Feedback
Last time, we talked about how self-awareness can help you edit your manuscript and get it to the best version possible. Today, we’ll explore how to use self-awareness when receiving feedback from others on your work.
Let’s get started.
Feedback: Self-Aware, Not Self-Absorbed
Everyone needs feedback on their writing. It doesn’t matter what it is; if you intend to publish it, you’ll want to take the time to have another person – or other people – read it and get their honest feedback about the work.
Being a self-aware writer is knowing that there are areas of the writing process that are your strengths. Still, others are weaknesses that you need to improve upon. Getting feedback from others can help you pinpoint these weak areas so you can improve them before you send the manuscript out to the next reader.
These initial readers should be people you know and trust who will be honest with you about any problems they find. This is where being a self-aware writer comes in handy. You want to make it clear to the reader that you want them to be truthful with you about anything they find that needs work. You can’t make it better if all they do is shower you with false praise.
You’ve given them the manuscript for a reason, and you want to make sure that what you need from them is what you get.
Feedback: Know What You Want
Two words: BE SPECIFIC. “Let me know if you like it or not” is not a good way to get strong feedback. Before you send your manuscript off to anyone, think of aspects you want them to focus on and look for. This will ensure they stay engaged since you’ve given them a task related to the book.
Some questions you could pose to your reader include:
• Is the main character’s story arc strong enough?
• Does the story keep them engaged?
• Is there any place during the story where the energy dies or the pacing slows?
• Were there any parts that were confusing or hard to understand?
• Did any of the subplots cause you to lose interest?
• Was the villain’s motivation strong enough?
• Did the conflict keep you invested?
Then, when you meet with them after they’re done, they have clear and specific answers that will help you improve the manuscript going forward.
Feedback: Know What You Don’t Want
This is where picking the right people to read for you is key. You should ask people who will actually READ the manuscript and provide you with the feedback you need. There’s nothing more frustrating than asking someone to read your manuscript only to have them say they haven’t even started it a month after you sent it to them.
You also want to do all you can to get detailed information from your reader. “It was good,” “I didn’t like it,” or “It wasn’t my type of book” are not helpful feedback statements. This is why giving your readers clear direction can make a huge difference as you work to make changes and improvements to the next draft.
Next Time…
The feedback was good, and it allowed you to make changes to your manuscript that have made it even stronger than it was before. You’re feeling confident…maybe even a little cocky about yourself as a writer. But will that inflated ego hurt you in the long run?
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Let’s get started.
Feedback: Self-Aware, Not Self-Absorbed
Everyone needs feedback on their writing. It doesn’t matter what it is; if you intend to publish it, you’ll want to take the time to have another person – or other people – read it and get their honest feedback about the work.
Being a self-aware writer is knowing that there are areas of the writing process that are your strengths. Still, others are weaknesses that you need to improve upon. Getting feedback from others can help you pinpoint these weak areas so you can improve them before you send the manuscript out to the next reader.
These initial readers should be people you know and trust who will be honest with you about any problems they find. This is where being a self-aware writer comes in handy. You want to make it clear to the reader that you want them to be truthful with you about anything they find that needs work. You can’t make it better if all they do is shower you with false praise.
You’ve given them the manuscript for a reason, and you want to make sure that what you need from them is what you get.
Feedback: Know What You Want
Two words: BE SPECIFIC. “Let me know if you like it or not” is not a good way to get strong feedback. Before you send your manuscript off to anyone, think of aspects you want them to focus on and look for. This will ensure they stay engaged since you’ve given them a task related to the book.
Some questions you could pose to your reader include:
• Is the main character’s story arc strong enough?
• Does the story keep them engaged?
• Is there any place during the story where the energy dies or the pacing slows?
• Were there any parts that were confusing or hard to understand?
• Did any of the subplots cause you to lose interest?
• Was the villain’s motivation strong enough?
• Did the conflict keep you invested?
Then, when you meet with them after they’re done, they have clear and specific answers that will help you improve the manuscript going forward.
Feedback: Know What You Don’t Want
This is where picking the right people to read for you is key. You should ask people who will actually READ the manuscript and provide you with the feedback you need. There’s nothing more frustrating than asking someone to read your manuscript only to have them say they haven’t even started it a month after you sent it to them.
You also want to do all you can to get detailed information from your reader. “It was good,” “I didn’t like it,” or “It wasn’t my type of book” are not helpful feedback statements. This is why giving your readers clear direction can make a huge difference as you work to make changes and improvements to the next draft.
Next Time…
The feedback was good, and it allowed you to make changes to your manuscript that have made it even stronger than it was before. You’re feeling confident…maybe even a little cocky about yourself as a writer. But will that inflated ego hurt you in the long run?
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
The Self-Aware Writer - Self-Awareness vs Ego
Last time, we discussed ways the self-aware writer can get feedback from others to help improve their manuscript. Today, we’ll discuss how self-awareness can prevent ego and over-confidence from making themselves known.
Let’s get started.
Be Honest with Yourself, Not Delusional
We’ve seen it with politicians, celebrities, athletes, and rock stars. They get so full of themselves, so arrogant, so cocky, so egotistical that they lose all sense of how they got to where they are and where they once were. It’s a level of delusion that is dangerous and unhealthy and should be avoided at all costs.
It can be easy to feel some level of power and confidence when you write. After all, you are creating new stories and worlds, birthing ideas and characters that others will experience and be entertained by. Wielding this type of power can make some feel confident and cocky; it can boost their ego and cause them to think too highly of themselves.
DON’T BE THIS PERSON!
Yes, you’re a writer. But even the best writers have the insight and self-awareness to know they have areas of their writing they need to work on, improve, and strengthen. Being honest with yourself, taking a step back, and seeing what you can do better is humbling and keeps you grounded as a writer and human being.
This is why getting honest feedback on your work is so important. Surrounding yourself with people who 100% agree with you 100% of the time and think your work is just great no matter what will not make you a better writer. It will actually hurt your ability to become a better one.
The ego can create a delusional view of the world around you. It can repel those who once supported you, crush your writing goals, and make you a person people want to avoid.
Proud, Not Prideful
While it’s okay to be proud of what you’ve written, it’s foolish to think it’s the greatest written work in history. Each manuscript and each story is a stepping stone for you to learn and improve as a writer. Every author you love has to start from a certain point as a writer and grow over time. If they had to do it, so do you.
Not every story will work. Not every book will be embraced by readers. That’s why keeping your ego in check and having the self-awareness needed to make the changes and creative leaps to become a better artist is important in the long run.
Next Time…
While ego may live on one side of the spectrum, the opposite can also cause detrimental harm to you as a writer. We’ll have a look at self-awareness and self-criticism coming up.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Let’s get started.
Be Honest with Yourself, Not Delusional
We’ve seen it with politicians, celebrities, athletes, and rock stars. They get so full of themselves, so arrogant, so cocky, so egotistical that they lose all sense of how they got to where they are and where they once were. It’s a level of delusion that is dangerous and unhealthy and should be avoided at all costs.
It can be easy to feel some level of power and confidence when you write. After all, you are creating new stories and worlds, birthing ideas and characters that others will experience and be entertained by. Wielding this type of power can make some feel confident and cocky; it can boost their ego and cause them to think too highly of themselves.
DON’T BE THIS PERSON!
Yes, you’re a writer. But even the best writers have the insight and self-awareness to know they have areas of their writing they need to work on, improve, and strengthen. Being honest with yourself, taking a step back, and seeing what you can do better is humbling and keeps you grounded as a writer and human being.
This is why getting honest feedback on your work is so important. Surrounding yourself with people who 100% agree with you 100% of the time and think your work is just great no matter what will not make you a better writer. It will actually hurt your ability to become a better one.
The ego can create a delusional view of the world around you. It can repel those who once supported you, crush your writing goals, and make you a person people want to avoid.
Proud, Not Prideful
While it’s okay to be proud of what you’ve written, it’s foolish to think it’s the greatest written work in history. Each manuscript and each story is a stepping stone for you to learn and improve as a writer. Every author you love has to start from a certain point as a writer and grow over time. If they had to do it, so do you.
Not every story will work. Not every book will be embraced by readers. That’s why keeping your ego in check and having the self-awareness needed to make the changes and creative leaps to become a better artist is important in the long run.
Next Time…
While ego may live on one side of the spectrum, the opposite can also cause detrimental harm to you as a writer. We’ll have a look at self-awareness and self-criticism coming up.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
The Self-Aware Writer - Self-Awareness & Self-Criticism
Last time, we talked about the dangers of ego regarding writing and creativity. Today, we’ll look at the opposite: the hazards of self-criticism and creativity.
Let’s get started.
Don’t Get Caught in the Downward Spiral
Negativity. Our world thrives on it. Death. War. Destruction. Evil. It seems as if we just can’t escape it, no matter how hard we try. And while we can’t eliminate the negative forces in our external world, we can do something to eliminate them internally.
Part of self-awareness is knowing when you bring those self-critical and negative thoughts into your mind that affect your ability to write and create. It’s easy to let one negative thought evolve into a string that causes you to avoid writing altogether. Allowing yourself to acknowledge the negative thought and then push it away is a great starting point to getting back at your writing and moving forward.
I know it can be challenging, but wallowing in self-criticism won’t help you. And while it’s good to reflect on ways to improve as a writer, you can’t use reflection as a force for negativity. Reflect, refresh, and write. That’s the best way to improve.
When You Frown, Write It Down
Negative thoughts can suck the life force out of you. So, when they pop up, write them in a journal. Then, use it as a writing exercise to explain why you feel this way. What is causing self-critical thought? How can you resolve it? I guarantee you that if it’s related to your writing or creativity, the best solution is to write.
If the negative thought is based on an aspect of writing you have difficulty with, it’s time to do some research. Instead of feeling bad that you are bad at writing dialogue or have difficulty with description, look up articles or videos that can help you take the necessary steps to improve. Take notes and use your newfound knowledge to practice this area of weakness.
Now you’re actively working on your writing and have turned those self-critical thoughts into something productive that will make you a better writer.
The Perils of Procrastination
Yes, the couch or your bed is inviting. Yes, the final season of Barry is now available to binge. And the world is on fire, so why don’t I just lay down and give up?
NO!
Procrastination is one of the easiest activities to do. It takes no effort, takes up tons of time, and requires zero skill.
But you have a story to write, and allowing yourself to get trapped in an endless cycle of YouTube videos or pointless social media arguments isn’t getting you any further in your story.
Relaxing is fine, but when you do it to avoid something else, it becomes a problem. Part of being a self-aware writer is knowing when you procrastinate for the wrong reasons. If you are doing it to avoid writing, ask yourself why. Have you hit a challenging part of the story or the process you are actively avoiding? Did something happen that has thrown your day off and caused you to lose focus?
As I talked about in the last section, write it out. Journaling about your problems can be a great starting point for finding the solution you seek. And journaling about the problem is an active way to solve it and gets you back to writing instead of mindlessly doom scrolling on your phone.
Next Time…
Utilizing self-awareness as a fiction writer is one thing, but how does one use it when writing non-fiction? Ah, we’ll discuss that coming up.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Let’s get started.
Don’t Get Caught in the Downward Spiral
Negativity. Our world thrives on it. Death. War. Destruction. Evil. It seems as if we just can’t escape it, no matter how hard we try. And while we can’t eliminate the negative forces in our external world, we can do something to eliminate them internally.
Part of self-awareness is knowing when you bring those self-critical and negative thoughts into your mind that affect your ability to write and create. It’s easy to let one negative thought evolve into a string that causes you to avoid writing altogether. Allowing yourself to acknowledge the negative thought and then push it away is a great starting point to getting back at your writing and moving forward.
I know it can be challenging, but wallowing in self-criticism won’t help you. And while it’s good to reflect on ways to improve as a writer, you can’t use reflection as a force for negativity. Reflect, refresh, and write. That’s the best way to improve.
When You Frown, Write It Down
Negative thoughts can suck the life force out of you. So, when they pop up, write them in a journal. Then, use it as a writing exercise to explain why you feel this way. What is causing self-critical thought? How can you resolve it? I guarantee you that if it’s related to your writing or creativity, the best solution is to write.
If the negative thought is based on an aspect of writing you have difficulty with, it’s time to do some research. Instead of feeling bad that you are bad at writing dialogue or have difficulty with description, look up articles or videos that can help you take the necessary steps to improve. Take notes and use your newfound knowledge to practice this area of weakness.
Now you’re actively working on your writing and have turned those self-critical thoughts into something productive that will make you a better writer.
The Perils of Procrastination
Yes, the couch or your bed is inviting. Yes, the final season of Barry is now available to binge. And the world is on fire, so why don’t I just lay down and give up?
NO!
Procrastination is one of the easiest activities to do. It takes no effort, takes up tons of time, and requires zero skill.
But you have a story to write, and allowing yourself to get trapped in an endless cycle of YouTube videos or pointless social media arguments isn’t getting you any further in your story.
Relaxing is fine, but when you do it to avoid something else, it becomes a problem. Part of being a self-aware writer is knowing when you procrastinate for the wrong reasons. If you are doing it to avoid writing, ask yourself why. Have you hit a challenging part of the story or the process you are actively avoiding? Did something happen that has thrown your day off and caused you to lose focus?
As I talked about in the last section, write it out. Journaling about your problems can be a great starting point for finding the solution you seek. And journaling about the problem is an active way to solve it and gets you back to writing instead of mindlessly doom scrolling on your phone.
Next Time…
Utilizing self-awareness as a fiction writer is one thing, but how does one use it when writing non-fiction? Ah, we’ll discuss that coming up.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
