Brian Rowe's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing-tips"
Why You Need to Let Your Writing Rest
Recently I tweeted the following writing tip:
"The longer you let a novel sit between revisions, the more the novel will read like someone else's work when you return to it, and the critical eye you'll be able to bring to it will be that much sharper. I try for at least 4 weeks between revisions, if not longer. #writingtips"
It seems so contradictory, doesn’t it? To write well, you have to allow for periods of no writing, or, better yet, a halt to the writing of your current project and the beginning of writing something completely different. It sounds unnecessary. And sometimes you love a project so much the thought of abandoning it for a month or longer seems impossible.
But trust me. This works.
I’ve written many novels over the years. Eighteen, in fact. The first half or more I would work on nearly every day for months, through revision one, revision two, and on and on, until I got the manuscript to its best possible place. I queried these novels… and nothing happened. My problem was that I wasn’t really revising the books. I was so close to the story, and to the characters, that the revisions were basically glorified copy-editing, changing words and sentences around, but never really addressing problems with the big picture.
What’s changed me a lot, along with a kick-ass MFA program, a helpful thesis advisor, and an unbelievably smart literary agent, is taking long breaks from my works-in-progress so that when I return to them I read them with fresh eyes. I’ve made a practice of late to write a first draft of a novel, let it rest for at least four weeks, and during that break time, write a new short story. I’ll do this after the second draft, too. And the third. And the fourth.
You should try to turn your attention to a new creative project, preferably something totally different from your novel. Maybe a story of a different genre. Or a non-fiction piece. Or a group of poems. Something to keep your creative juices flowing at the same you’re able to remove yourself from the world of your novel.
I’ve used this practice for the last three years or so, and now I’ve written both a middle grade novel that got me a literary agent and my MFA thesis novel my agent loves and wants to work on. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I kept up the practice of never giving myself breaks. I’d probably still be perfecting a previous manuscript that had no shot at being represented by an agent.
In his amazing non-fiction work On Writing, a craft book I try to read once a year, Stephen King recommends you take at least six weeks between drafts. This is even better than four weeks, but I do still think a month is enough to do the job. That’s enough time to keep you excited about the next revision of your WIP while you still have room to play in a different creative project.
Granted, I understand you might not always have the luxury to rest between drafts. Sometimes there’s a magazine contest that’s perfect for your story, and the deadline to submit is twelve hours away. And of course there are deadlines in the publishing world, like when you’re under contract and have only so many days to get your manuscript to the editor.
But if you have the luxury of time, take breaks between drafts, at least four weeks, if not longer. I once let a novel of mine sit for 14 months, and when I came back to it, it was like looking at the work of a different writer — I was able to approach the book as a ruthless editor, and I had a blast. You probably won’t have 14 months, but at least give yourself a few weeks, and your fiction will be all the better for it.
"The longer you let a novel sit between revisions, the more the novel will read like someone else's work when you return to it, and the critical eye you'll be able to bring to it will be that much sharper. I try for at least 4 weeks between revisions, if not longer. #writingtips"
It seems so contradictory, doesn’t it? To write well, you have to allow for periods of no writing, or, better yet, a halt to the writing of your current project and the beginning of writing something completely different. It sounds unnecessary. And sometimes you love a project so much the thought of abandoning it for a month or longer seems impossible.
But trust me. This works.
I’ve written many novels over the years. Eighteen, in fact. The first half or more I would work on nearly every day for months, through revision one, revision two, and on and on, until I got the manuscript to its best possible place. I queried these novels… and nothing happened. My problem was that I wasn’t really revising the books. I was so close to the story, and to the characters, that the revisions were basically glorified copy-editing, changing words and sentences around, but never really addressing problems with the big picture.
What’s changed me a lot, along with a kick-ass MFA program, a helpful thesis advisor, and an unbelievably smart literary agent, is taking long breaks from my works-in-progress so that when I return to them I read them with fresh eyes. I’ve made a practice of late to write a first draft of a novel, let it rest for at least four weeks, and during that break time, write a new short story. I’ll do this after the second draft, too. And the third. And the fourth.
You should try to turn your attention to a new creative project, preferably something totally different from your novel. Maybe a story of a different genre. Or a non-fiction piece. Or a group of poems. Something to keep your creative juices flowing at the same you’re able to remove yourself from the world of your novel.
I’ve used this practice for the last three years or so, and now I’ve written both a middle grade novel that got me a literary agent and my MFA thesis novel my agent loves and wants to work on. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I kept up the practice of never giving myself breaks. I’d probably still be perfecting a previous manuscript that had no shot at being represented by an agent.
In his amazing non-fiction work On Writing, a craft book I try to read once a year, Stephen King recommends you take at least six weeks between drafts. This is even better than four weeks, but I do still think a month is enough to do the job. That’s enough time to keep you excited about the next revision of your WIP while you still have room to play in a different creative project.
Granted, I understand you might not always have the luxury to rest between drafts. Sometimes there’s a magazine contest that’s perfect for your story, and the deadline to submit is twelve hours away. And of course there are deadlines in the publishing world, like when you’re under contract and have only so many days to get your manuscript to the editor.
But if you have the luxury of time, take breaks between drafts, at least four weeks, if not longer. I once let a novel of mine sit for 14 months, and when I came back to it, it was like looking at the work of a different writer — I was able to approach the book as a ruthless editor, and I had a blast. You probably won’t have 14 months, but at least give yourself a few weeks, and your fiction will be all the better for it.
Why You Should Omit Needless Words
Recently I tweeted the following writing tip:
"Before you start querying your novel, or before you hit PRINT on that short story to turn into workshop, take a few minutes and search for the word JUST in your manuscript. This word can be deleted almost 100% of the time, and your work will be all the better for it. #writingtips"
This tweet goes beyond the advice that a single word should be deleted from your manuscript. Yes, the word “just” is almost always useless, a placeholder in a way for an otherwise solid sentence.
What this tweet was really about was the necessity to be ruthless in your editing of your manuscript, not only cutting the scenes that need to go and re-shaping the moments that still need revision, but going through your work one sentence at a time and cutting the words that do not, under any circumstance, need to be there. Stephen King talks about this in On Writing, and the advice first came from the great Strunk & White craft book, The Elements of Style: Omit needless words.
This advice sounds so simple. And also kind of meaningless. In the large scope of things, is your writing, especially in your novels, going to be rejected due to an overuse of one single word or the occasional sentence that might run too long?
Yes, it will. Or, at least, there’s a stronger possibility of rejection.
Donald Maass has a great quote in his book, Writing the Breakout Novel: “To write a breakout novel is to run free of the pack. It is to delve deeper, think harder, revise more, and commit to creating characters and plot that surpass one’s previous accomplishments. It is to say ‘no’ to merely being good enough to be published” (12). That final line is clearly his main thesis of the book: in this cutthroat industry, where so many talented writers are trying to break in, it is not sufficient enough for any writer to simply produce a publishable piece of work. Of course it’s important to start with something great, but Maass wants authors to take that solid manuscript that gets an 8 out of 10 and bring it to a full 10. And one way to get to that 10 is to pay attention to a single word like “just” that may be everywhere in your manuscript without you even noticing.
So think of this as two steps. Whether you’re revising a short story or a novel, when you’ve hit a point where you feel like it’s ready to submit or query, go through it one more time looking only at the sentences themselves, the way they look on the page and transition from one to the next, with specific focus on any words you feel don’t need to be there. If a word makes a sentence sound awkward, or if a word looks perfectly fine but doesn’t add anything to the sentence, delete it. Now’s the time to cut, cut, cut. Don’t be precious with your words. Don’t leave something in a paragraph because it sounds pretty. The idea is to omit those needless words, and keep only what’s necessary to make your manuscript truly spectacular.
The next step, once you’re as done as done can be, is to search for a few of these problematic words and cut them from the manuscript. Read the sentence before you cut them, of course. Sometimes, yes, the word “just” can be appropriate for a sentence, and of course it’s perfectly fine in dialogue, up to a point. The other word to look for is “very.” My journalism teacher Mr. Halcomb taught me years ago that the word “very” can in every single circumstance be cut from a sentence, and so I’ve committed to that practice in each piece I write.
You also want to avoid, as much as possible, the dreaded adverb, oy, yoy, yoy. But I’ll leave the adverb discussion for another post.
Now, to be clear, when it comes to the practice of editing your manuscript closely like this, remember that indeed this should be one of your last steps before submission. Nothing’s more annoying than spending an hour closely editing a scene that three months later you end up cutting from your manuscript completely. It happens, of course. There’s a scene in my recent novel I probably revised and edited fifteen times until I ultimately deleted it from the manuscript. But for the most part, you want to try to hold off on this editing practice until the scene is as strong as you’ve been able to make it from a character and story standpoint.
At the end of the process, though, don’t slack and submit your writing before you’ve done the nitty-gritty editing work. It can be tedious at times, and not always the most fun, but this essential part will help make your writing stand out from the crowd!
"Before you start querying your novel, or before you hit PRINT on that short story to turn into workshop, take a few minutes and search for the word JUST in your manuscript. This word can be deleted almost 100% of the time, and your work will be all the better for it. #writingtips"
This tweet goes beyond the advice that a single word should be deleted from your manuscript. Yes, the word “just” is almost always useless, a placeholder in a way for an otherwise solid sentence.
What this tweet was really about was the necessity to be ruthless in your editing of your manuscript, not only cutting the scenes that need to go and re-shaping the moments that still need revision, but going through your work one sentence at a time and cutting the words that do not, under any circumstance, need to be there. Stephen King talks about this in On Writing, and the advice first came from the great Strunk & White craft book, The Elements of Style: Omit needless words.
This advice sounds so simple. And also kind of meaningless. In the large scope of things, is your writing, especially in your novels, going to be rejected due to an overuse of one single word or the occasional sentence that might run too long?
Yes, it will. Or, at least, there’s a stronger possibility of rejection.
Donald Maass has a great quote in his book, Writing the Breakout Novel: “To write a breakout novel is to run free of the pack. It is to delve deeper, think harder, revise more, and commit to creating characters and plot that surpass one’s previous accomplishments. It is to say ‘no’ to merely being good enough to be published” (12). That final line is clearly his main thesis of the book: in this cutthroat industry, where so many talented writers are trying to break in, it is not sufficient enough for any writer to simply produce a publishable piece of work. Of course it’s important to start with something great, but Maass wants authors to take that solid manuscript that gets an 8 out of 10 and bring it to a full 10. And one way to get to that 10 is to pay attention to a single word like “just” that may be everywhere in your manuscript without you even noticing.
So think of this as two steps. Whether you’re revising a short story or a novel, when you’ve hit a point where you feel like it’s ready to submit or query, go through it one more time looking only at the sentences themselves, the way they look on the page and transition from one to the next, with specific focus on any words you feel don’t need to be there. If a word makes a sentence sound awkward, or if a word looks perfectly fine but doesn’t add anything to the sentence, delete it. Now’s the time to cut, cut, cut. Don’t be precious with your words. Don’t leave something in a paragraph because it sounds pretty. The idea is to omit those needless words, and keep only what’s necessary to make your manuscript truly spectacular.
The next step, once you’re as done as done can be, is to search for a few of these problematic words and cut them from the manuscript. Read the sentence before you cut them, of course. Sometimes, yes, the word “just” can be appropriate for a sentence, and of course it’s perfectly fine in dialogue, up to a point. The other word to look for is “very.” My journalism teacher Mr. Halcomb taught me years ago that the word “very” can in every single circumstance be cut from a sentence, and so I’ve committed to that practice in each piece I write.
You also want to avoid, as much as possible, the dreaded adverb, oy, yoy, yoy. But I’ll leave the adverb discussion for another post.
Now, to be clear, when it comes to the practice of editing your manuscript closely like this, remember that indeed this should be one of your last steps before submission. Nothing’s more annoying than spending an hour closely editing a scene that three months later you end up cutting from your manuscript completely. It happens, of course. There’s a scene in my recent novel I probably revised and edited fifteen times until I ultimately deleted it from the manuscript. But for the most part, you want to try to hold off on this editing practice until the scene is as strong as you’ve been able to make it from a character and story standpoint.
At the end of the process, though, don’t slack and submit your writing before you’ve done the nitty-gritty editing work. It can be tedious at times, and not always the most fun, but this essential part will help make your writing stand out from the crowd!
Why You Don't Need to Outline Your Novel
Recently I tweeted the following:
"You don't need to write a detailed outline of your novel, but you should write down what your characters want, and what's keeping them from their goals."
Now this is not to say you shouldn’t write an outline. If you feel more comfortable plotting your book before you begin chapter one, go for it.
But if you’re like me, a pantser as they call it, someone who falls in love with an idea, and maybe a character or two, then soon after begins writing a new novel to see where it goes, then don’t under any circumstances feel obligated to write an outline.
Last year I signed with a literary agent to represent my newest middle grade novel, and it was a book I wrote with zero outline, only some specific details about the characters, a clear idea of the beginning and the ending, and some fleeting ideas about what happens in the middle.
An outline can be helpful in your writing. Funny enough, I find it a necessity when writing a screenplay, since that medium of writing is much more structured than novel writing and requires a strict attention to scene length.
But for novels, an outline can oftentimes feel like a crutch than an ally. Instead of going somewhere new and exciting with an upcoming scene, or trying something with a character you might not have thought of weeks prior, you may feel obligated to follow that initial outline to its appropriate end.
If you write an outline, I suggest you never feel married to it, that you can rip it up and start all over even if you’re halfway through the first draft of your manuscript.
Here are the three things I think you need to write a good novel if you don’t use an outline
1. Character Biographies, Descriptions, and Motivations
Instead of writing an outline of all the scenes that I plan to include in the book, I take a few days and write an extremely detailed document about my main characters.
I write down the name, describe him or her physically, jot down notes about the character’s history that may or may not show up in the finished novel, and then in BOLD write down what he or she wants and what is preventing him or her from getting it.
These lines in bold I turn to at least once every other day as I’m drafting the manuscript, so I never forget it. What does each character want, and what’s stopping that character? It’s essential. It’s what drives the story forward, particularly in regards to the protagonist.
2. The First Scene and the Last Scene
I never start writing a new novel without a clear and vivid understanding of how the book begins, and how it ends.
This is not some vague idea about what the first or last scene entails. It’s an extremely specific understanding of what happens at each step of the scene. Typically I’ve almost already written both the first chapter and the last chapter in my head before I write a single word down for real.
Sometimes, after many revisions, these scenes change. For my agented middle grade book, the first scene never really changed much from its initial draft back in 2015, but the last scene did considerably.
My young adult thriller I’m revising again next month has an opening scene that ultimately doesn’t work as well I’d like it to, so I’m writing an entirely new opening chapter two years since I first drafted the book.
These scenes might be altered later, but for the purposes of the first draft, have a clear idea of where the book begins and ends, whether you’ve jotted down notes or figured it all out in your head.
It’s also helpful to have some ideas of scenes in the middle of the book too, but by no means required.
3. Word Length Goal, a Schedule, and a Deadline
I’ll probably discuss this subject in greater detail at a later date, but word counts are important in novels, especially when you’re trying to pitch your book to agents or editors in a specific genre that comes with an expected word count range.
For example, if you’re writing a young adult novel, you probably shouldn’t pitch a book that’s 125,000 words, when 70–80,000 is to be expected.
Before you begin writing your first draft, give yourself a word length goal for how long you want the book to be. Most of what I write is young adult, so I always shoot for 80,000 words. I usually cut a lot of my words in revisions rather than add on, so starting with a first draft that’s 62,000 words would be a death sentence for me, since I’d already be on the shorter side before I began my second draft.
Lastly, give yourself a schedule and a deadline, and stick to it. I’ve written 18 novels since 2010, and people ask me all the time how I’ve managed to write so much. It’s easy, I tell them. Just stick to a schedule, and force a deadline on yourself and not stray from it.
Last summer I wrote my MFA thesis novel. I gave myself 10 weeks to write the first draft, at 10,000 words a week, for a grand total of 100,000 words by Friday, August 11. Did I make that deadline? I literally wrote the last scene on Friday, August 11.
If you commit to a day you simply must have that manuscript finished, and remind yourself of that day constantly, then you’ll have a better chance at succeeding in completing your novel.
So relax. Don’t feel like you have to take three weeks to write a scene-specific outline. You’ll have more room to play without an outline like that, and as long as you instead write detailed character bios, have a clear idea of the beginning and ending of the story, and stick to a deadline, you’ll be able to still write a novel of the highest quality.
"You don't need to write a detailed outline of your novel, but you should write down what your characters want, and what's keeping them from their goals."
Now this is not to say you shouldn’t write an outline. If you feel more comfortable plotting your book before you begin chapter one, go for it.
But if you’re like me, a pantser as they call it, someone who falls in love with an idea, and maybe a character or two, then soon after begins writing a new novel to see where it goes, then don’t under any circumstances feel obligated to write an outline.
Last year I signed with a literary agent to represent my newest middle grade novel, and it was a book I wrote with zero outline, only some specific details about the characters, a clear idea of the beginning and the ending, and some fleeting ideas about what happens in the middle.
An outline can be helpful in your writing. Funny enough, I find it a necessity when writing a screenplay, since that medium of writing is much more structured than novel writing and requires a strict attention to scene length.
But for novels, an outline can oftentimes feel like a crutch than an ally. Instead of going somewhere new and exciting with an upcoming scene, or trying something with a character you might not have thought of weeks prior, you may feel obligated to follow that initial outline to its appropriate end.
If you write an outline, I suggest you never feel married to it, that you can rip it up and start all over even if you’re halfway through the first draft of your manuscript.
Here are the three things I think you need to write a good novel if you don’t use an outline
1. Character Biographies, Descriptions, and Motivations
Instead of writing an outline of all the scenes that I plan to include in the book, I take a few days and write an extremely detailed document about my main characters.
I write down the name, describe him or her physically, jot down notes about the character’s history that may or may not show up in the finished novel, and then in BOLD write down what he or she wants and what is preventing him or her from getting it.
These lines in bold I turn to at least once every other day as I’m drafting the manuscript, so I never forget it. What does each character want, and what’s stopping that character? It’s essential. It’s what drives the story forward, particularly in regards to the protagonist.
2. The First Scene and the Last Scene
I never start writing a new novel without a clear and vivid understanding of how the book begins, and how it ends.
This is not some vague idea about what the first or last scene entails. It’s an extremely specific understanding of what happens at each step of the scene. Typically I’ve almost already written both the first chapter and the last chapter in my head before I write a single word down for real.
Sometimes, after many revisions, these scenes change. For my agented middle grade book, the first scene never really changed much from its initial draft back in 2015, but the last scene did considerably.
My young adult thriller I’m revising again next month has an opening scene that ultimately doesn’t work as well I’d like it to, so I’m writing an entirely new opening chapter two years since I first drafted the book.
These scenes might be altered later, but for the purposes of the first draft, have a clear idea of where the book begins and ends, whether you’ve jotted down notes or figured it all out in your head.
It’s also helpful to have some ideas of scenes in the middle of the book too, but by no means required.
3. Word Length Goal, a Schedule, and a Deadline
I’ll probably discuss this subject in greater detail at a later date, but word counts are important in novels, especially when you’re trying to pitch your book to agents or editors in a specific genre that comes with an expected word count range.
For example, if you’re writing a young adult novel, you probably shouldn’t pitch a book that’s 125,000 words, when 70–80,000 is to be expected.
Before you begin writing your first draft, give yourself a word length goal for how long you want the book to be. Most of what I write is young adult, so I always shoot for 80,000 words. I usually cut a lot of my words in revisions rather than add on, so starting with a first draft that’s 62,000 words would be a death sentence for me, since I’d already be on the shorter side before I began my second draft.
Lastly, give yourself a schedule and a deadline, and stick to it. I’ve written 18 novels since 2010, and people ask me all the time how I’ve managed to write so much. It’s easy, I tell them. Just stick to a schedule, and force a deadline on yourself and not stray from it.
Last summer I wrote my MFA thesis novel. I gave myself 10 weeks to write the first draft, at 10,000 words a week, for a grand total of 100,000 words by Friday, August 11. Did I make that deadline? I literally wrote the last scene on Friday, August 11.
If you commit to a day you simply must have that manuscript finished, and remind yourself of that day constantly, then you’ll have a better chance at succeeding in completing your novel.
So relax. Don’t feel like you have to take three weeks to write a scene-specific outline. You’ll have more room to play without an outline like that, and as long as you instead write detailed character bios, have a clear idea of the beginning and ending of the story, and stick to a deadline, you’ll be able to still write a novel of the highest quality.
Five Steps to Finish the First Draft of Your Novel
Everybody has a novel in him or her. What happens when an idea strikes you that makes you want to finally start typing words on the page? Writing your first novel is an ambitious undertaking that might seem a little scary at first. But if you have a really good idea and feel in your heart and soul that this is something you must do, then you simply have to write it.
Here are five steps to complete your first novel…
1. Go with the Idea, and the Genre, that You’re Most Passionate About.
Odds are you have more than one idea in your head. You might have five or six in a multitude of genres. Go with the one that really excites you, and the one that you feel most qualified to write about. If you’ve worked in law for the last five years and have a great idea about a law thriller, that might be the better idea to go with than a science fiction saga about martian politics.
2. Read, Read, Read, Read, Read.
Quentin Tarantino didn’t go to film school to train himself to make movies; the man watched lots and lots of movies. It’s the same with writing fiction. Your passion and determination may get you through writing your first novel, but if you don’t find time to read books, it’s going to show in your writing. You don’t want to copy what other authors are doing, but you want to learn from what styles and ways that published authors write. Feel free to read only in the genre you’re looking to write in, or a mix of many. Just read!
3. Pick a Time and Write At Least 5 Days A Week.
Even if you’re feeling writer’s block, you still need to get your butt in the chair and write. Even if what you write for the next hour is crap, it will get your brain working, and you will start creating better work. Most first-time writers don’t have the luxury of time. You might have to get up two hours earlier in the morning, or stay up three hours past your bedtime. If you really want to write, you’re going to have to make some sacrifices, and the main one just might be your hours of sleep.
4. Stick to a Word Count.
Feel free to write 2,000 words a day. Or 200. The great thing about writing is re-writing. Just get those words down, get from chapter 1 to chapter 27, and finish the book. There will be good days and bad days. Don’t freak out those first few days. You might feel like you’re climbing Mount Everest. Don’t look too far in the future. Just focus on today. Just focus on the words. Before you’ll know it, you’ll be writing your last sentence.
5. Print Out Your Manuscript and Put it in a Drawer.
Congratulations! It took a few weeks or a few months, but you finished your novel! Celebrate and print out your manuscript. Whether it’s 50,000 words or 125,000 words, you’ve accomplished a huge feat. Now the last step in this part of your journey is to put your book in a drawer and don’t pull it back out for at least four to six weeks. Rewriting will be your next step, but you want to approach the book as a reader, not a writer. Let the book breathe out of sight for a few weeks. And then rewriting will begin.
Here are five steps to complete your first novel…
1. Go with the Idea, and the Genre, that You’re Most Passionate About.
Odds are you have more than one idea in your head. You might have five or six in a multitude of genres. Go with the one that really excites you, and the one that you feel most qualified to write about. If you’ve worked in law for the last five years and have a great idea about a law thriller, that might be the better idea to go with than a science fiction saga about martian politics.
2. Read, Read, Read, Read, Read.
Quentin Tarantino didn’t go to film school to train himself to make movies; the man watched lots and lots of movies. It’s the same with writing fiction. Your passion and determination may get you through writing your first novel, but if you don’t find time to read books, it’s going to show in your writing. You don’t want to copy what other authors are doing, but you want to learn from what styles and ways that published authors write. Feel free to read only in the genre you’re looking to write in, or a mix of many. Just read!
3. Pick a Time and Write At Least 5 Days A Week.
Even if you’re feeling writer’s block, you still need to get your butt in the chair and write. Even if what you write for the next hour is crap, it will get your brain working, and you will start creating better work. Most first-time writers don’t have the luxury of time. You might have to get up two hours earlier in the morning, or stay up three hours past your bedtime. If you really want to write, you’re going to have to make some sacrifices, and the main one just might be your hours of sleep.
4. Stick to a Word Count.
Feel free to write 2,000 words a day. Or 200. The great thing about writing is re-writing. Just get those words down, get from chapter 1 to chapter 27, and finish the book. There will be good days and bad days. Don’t freak out those first few days. You might feel like you’re climbing Mount Everest. Don’t look too far in the future. Just focus on today. Just focus on the words. Before you’ll know it, you’ll be writing your last sentence.
5. Print Out Your Manuscript and Put it in a Drawer.
Congratulations! It took a few weeks or a few months, but you finished your novel! Celebrate and print out your manuscript. Whether it’s 50,000 words or 125,000 words, you’ve accomplished a huge feat. Now the last step in this part of your journey is to put your book in a drawer and don’t pull it back out for at least four to six weeks. Rewriting will be your next step, but you want to approach the book as a reader, not a writer. Let the book breathe out of sight for a few weeks. And then rewriting will begin.
Why You Should Never Compare Your Work with Another Author's
A writer recently asked on Quora the following, and I’m paraphrasing: “I used to love writing fiction, but lately I find myself comparing myself too closely to other, better authors in my genre, and so should I just give up?”
The answer, of course, is no. If you love to write fiction, you should never give up. Giving up is the number one way you can fail as a writer. If you give up, it’s over. If you keep going, even for one more year, for one more project, success can follow.
But the silliness of this question is in the idea that because you may not be as talented or prolific or popular as another author in your genre, then you automatically should stop. If that were the case, hundreds of inspiring, beloved novels wouldn’t be on the bookshelves! If anyone who writes middle grade or young adult fantasy read the first Harry Potter book and then gave up, because he or she could never write anything half as good as J.K. Rowling can, imagine the gluttony of compelling books that would never be written.
My favorite author is Stephen King. Since I was about ten years old, I’ve been writing horror and suspense, and not for one second have I thought I was as good as King. And you know what? I’m totally fine with that. I don’t try to write like him, and I don’t pretend to be him. I take inspiration from his work all the time, particularly his memoir On Writing, but if I for one second considered my writing only worthwhile if it was as good as The Shining or It, I would have given up years ago.
I try to keep other authors out of my mind when I write. It’s not healthy to compare your work with someone else’s. This extends to not only the writing but also the advances other authors receive, the sales ranks, the fandom. It’s important, of course, to research these things, and maybe get an idea about what to expect (and not expect) from the publishing world, but comparing yourself to others, in most every aspect of life, is pointless. And usually hurtful. It won’t make your writing any better, trust me, and will most likely get you to stop writing completely.
Ultimately, the key is to write a lot and read a lot, as King says. Read your favorite authors. Read for inspiration. Don’t read to emulate and mimic in your own work. Understand the heights that can be reached in a work of prose, and give yourself permission to experiment, but never specifically try to outdo the work of an author you may immortalize.
Just be you. Write what you love to write, tell the story that you’re compelled to tell, and do your best. Have fun. Try new things. Fail. Succeed. Fail again.
And keep writing.
The answer, of course, is no. If you love to write fiction, you should never give up. Giving up is the number one way you can fail as a writer. If you give up, it’s over. If you keep going, even for one more year, for one more project, success can follow.
But the silliness of this question is in the idea that because you may not be as talented or prolific or popular as another author in your genre, then you automatically should stop. If that were the case, hundreds of inspiring, beloved novels wouldn’t be on the bookshelves! If anyone who writes middle grade or young adult fantasy read the first Harry Potter book and then gave up, because he or she could never write anything half as good as J.K. Rowling can, imagine the gluttony of compelling books that would never be written.
My favorite author is Stephen King. Since I was about ten years old, I’ve been writing horror and suspense, and not for one second have I thought I was as good as King. And you know what? I’m totally fine with that. I don’t try to write like him, and I don’t pretend to be him. I take inspiration from his work all the time, particularly his memoir On Writing, but if I for one second considered my writing only worthwhile if it was as good as The Shining or It, I would have given up years ago.
I try to keep other authors out of my mind when I write. It’s not healthy to compare your work with someone else’s. This extends to not only the writing but also the advances other authors receive, the sales ranks, the fandom. It’s important, of course, to research these things, and maybe get an idea about what to expect (and not expect) from the publishing world, but comparing yourself to others, in most every aspect of life, is pointless. And usually hurtful. It won’t make your writing any better, trust me, and will most likely get you to stop writing completely.
Ultimately, the key is to write a lot and read a lot, as King says. Read your favorite authors. Read for inspiration. Don’t read to emulate and mimic in your own work. Understand the heights that can be reached in a work of prose, and give yourself permission to experiment, but never specifically try to outdo the work of an author you may immortalize.
Just be you. Write what you love to write, tell the story that you’re compelled to tell, and do your best. Have fun. Try new things. Fail. Succeed. Fail again.
And keep writing.
