Chris Dietzel's Blog - Posts Tagged "editing"
Writing Clichés That Are 100% True
I was talking to someone the other day about my experiences being an author. While offering advice and telling them not to give up, I found myself using a variety of clichés that used to make me roll my eyes when I was first starting out. Looking back, those sayings have proven to be 100% true.
Cliché #1: True writing doesn’t start until the editing begins
It’s easy to put words to paper. Putting 75,000 words down is just as easy as 75 words, it just takes longer. But just because 300 pages are filled doesn’t mean they’re worth anything. Every writer I know thinks their first drafts are terrible. A lot of people, myself included, race through the first draft just so they can begin editing it. The process of refining words, ideas, and themes is the heart of the writing process. Taking paragraphs and turning them from rough stones to polished gems is the difference between a lot of words on a piece of paper and a great book.
Cliché #2: Writing the book is the easy part
Everyone hears about authors slaving away, miserable, pouring their hearts out into their work. And yet millions of people are able to do it. Every author I know will tell you that writing their book isn’t nearly as difficult as finding an audience for it. What will make your book stand out from the others? How can you convince readers to take a chance on it? This is the most difficult part of being a writer.
Cliché #3: The first book is only the beginning. Now on to the next one.
You’ve written your book, edited it, AND managed to get it into the hands of eager readers. So, you’re done, right? If your goal was to write one book, then yes. But otherwise, not so fast. Of the authors I’ve heard speak on the subject, all of them have said it wasn’t until their third book and roughly nine years of writing that they really had a noticeable following and were bearing the fruit of their success. There have been a few authors over the years who have written one book and were happy with the results. But much more common is the author who improves on their craft with each subsequent book, gains new fans with each story they publish, and after years of hard work and a couple novels to their name, can finally say they’ve achieved most of the goals they set out to accomplish.
Know of any other clichés about the writing process that have turned out to be true? If so, I’d love to hear them. Happy writing.
Cliché #1: True writing doesn’t start until the editing begins
It’s easy to put words to paper. Putting 75,000 words down is just as easy as 75 words, it just takes longer. But just because 300 pages are filled doesn’t mean they’re worth anything. Every writer I know thinks their first drafts are terrible. A lot of people, myself included, race through the first draft just so they can begin editing it. The process of refining words, ideas, and themes is the heart of the writing process. Taking paragraphs and turning them from rough stones to polished gems is the difference between a lot of words on a piece of paper and a great book.
Cliché #2: Writing the book is the easy part
Everyone hears about authors slaving away, miserable, pouring their hearts out into their work. And yet millions of people are able to do it. Every author I know will tell you that writing their book isn’t nearly as difficult as finding an audience for it. What will make your book stand out from the others? How can you convince readers to take a chance on it? This is the most difficult part of being a writer.
Cliché #3: The first book is only the beginning. Now on to the next one.
You’ve written your book, edited it, AND managed to get it into the hands of eager readers. So, you’re done, right? If your goal was to write one book, then yes. But otherwise, not so fast. Of the authors I’ve heard speak on the subject, all of them have said it wasn’t until their third book and roughly nine years of writing that they really had a noticeable following and were bearing the fruit of their success. There have been a few authors over the years who have written one book and were happy with the results. But much more common is the author who improves on their craft with each subsequent book, gains new fans with each story they publish, and after years of hard work and a couple novels to their name, can finally say they’ve achieved most of the goals they set out to accomplish.
Know of any other clichés about the writing process that have turned out to be true? If so, I’d love to hear them. Happy writing.
You can never edit too much
First drafts are always awful. Always. In 'Bird By Bird,' Anne Lamott has an entire chapter dedicated to how crappy initial drafts are. In “On Writing,” Stephen King gives the reader a glimpse at what one of his first drafts looks like so they can see how far it is from the finished product. To drive the point home, Ernest Hemingway once said, “The first draft of anything is shit.”
The only way to go from that terrible first draft to books like “Misery” or “The Old Man And The Sea,” is to revise. Then revise some more. Then revise again. Maybe two or three more times. And then you have a great book. The process doesn’t change for new writers or established authors, indie authors or New York Times Bestselling authors. It’s what unites every writer.
Think of the books you adore. They were probably edited for a very long time. Think of the books you wish were better. They probably weren’t edited enough. If you’re a reader and you love a certain writer’s work, whether it’s King or Hemingway or someone else, remember that they are doing the majority of their work after the first draft is finished. And if you’re an author or want to be an author, remember that another revision of the entire book can never hurt.
And now, it’s time for me to start revising my next book (for what feels like the hundredth time!).
PS: Make sure you sign up for my newsletter if you haven’t already. Last week, I sent out a sneak peak of the cover for my next book but only people who were signed up for my newsletter got to see it! And there are more goodies where that came from. : )
The only way to go from that terrible first draft to books like “Misery” or “The Old Man And The Sea,” is to revise. Then revise some more. Then revise again. Maybe two or three more times. And then you have a great book. The process doesn’t change for new writers or established authors, indie authors or New York Times Bestselling authors. It’s what unites every writer.
Think of the books you adore. They were probably edited for a very long time. Think of the books you wish were better. They probably weren’t edited enough. If you’re a reader and you love a certain writer’s work, whether it’s King or Hemingway or someone else, remember that they are doing the majority of their work after the first draft is finished. And if you’re an author or want to be an author, remember that another revision of the entire book can never hurt.
And now, it’s time for me to start revising my next book (for what feels like the hundredth time!).
PS: Make sure you sign up for my newsletter if you haven’t already. Last week, I sent out a sneak peak of the cover for my next book but only people who were signed up for my newsletter got to see it! And there are more goodies where that came from. : )
