IWSG: When Do You Know Your Story Is Ready?
It's the first Wednesday of the month, which means hundreds of us will be posting about our insecurities. If you haven't yet, join in. You'll be glad you did!
Each month we have a question. This month's question is:
When Do You Know Your Story Is Ready?
This is one tough question! I've never been one of those authors who revises the same novel for four years. I think writing is one area where being a perfectionist can definitely hold you back.
Don't get me wrong--you can create a great book that way. A standout book that wins major awards and becomes the best book of all time. However, I haven't seen that to be the case for a few of the perfectionist-writers I've known. Some writers just end up either making their book worse or keeping it pretty much the same.
We all revise. For some, though, that means a quick read-through before sending it out to an agent or editor. For others, that means revising over and over and never sending it out. Most of us fall somewhere between those two extremes.
In the end, though, we all have to ask ourselves why we're still revising. Are we sure it needs yet one more pass? Or are we just afraid to take the next step? After all, once we've submitted, this can happen:
In the early stages of your career, an objective reader can make a big difference. This is especially true if you plan to self-publish, where no professional editor stands between you and your readers.
But everyone can benefit from a second pair of eyes. Whether it's a critique group or beta readers, get a group of readers and pass everything you write through them. It can be very difficult to see our own plot holes on our own--that feedback could make the difference between this:
And this:
What are you insecure about this month?
Each month we have a question. This month's question is:
When Do You Know Your Story Is Ready?
This is one tough question! I've never been one of those authors who revises the same novel for four years. I think writing is one area where being a perfectionist can definitely hold you back.
Don't get me wrong--you can create a great book that way. A standout book that wins major awards and becomes the best book of all time. However, I haven't seen that to be the case for a few of the perfectionist-writers I've known. Some writers just end up either making their book worse or keeping it pretty much the same.
We all revise. For some, though, that means a quick read-through before sending it out to an agent or editor. For others, that means revising over and over and never sending it out. Most of us fall somewhere between those two extremes.
In the end, though, we all have to ask ourselves why we're still revising. Are we sure it needs yet one more pass? Or are we just afraid to take the next step? After all, once we've submitted, this can happen:
In the early stages of your career, an objective reader can make a big difference. This is especially true if you plan to self-publish, where no professional editor stands between you and your readers.
But everyone can benefit from a second pair of eyes. Whether it's a critique group or beta readers, get a group of readers and pass everything you write through them. It can be very difficult to see our own plot holes on our own--that feedback could make the difference between this:
And this:
What are you insecure about this month?
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