Jeffrey K. Walker
I don't pretend to be experienced enough to give sage advice to new writers. I can just share a few things I've discovered so far.
1. Any words on the page--even truly malodorous ones--are better than words that are still flotsam in your anxious brain. Editing is a powerful thing.
2. Word counts matter because they represent accountability to the most important person in the writing process--yourself.
3. Beta readers come in many flavors. Don't make major edits based on each one's notes. I'm an old aviator and they used to say when teaching us to land airplanes, "Don't chase your instruments." If you see things are trending off course, make small corrections to get back on flightpath.
4. There's a lot of perverse pleasure in a) torturing your main characters relentlessly and b) killing your darlings.
5. It's hard saying out loud "I'm a writer" without sounding phony or pretentious to yourself.
6. Writing is a trade, not a lifestyle. Writers write. It's what we do.
7. Choosing to be a writer does not necessitate being neurotic. Or alcoholic. Or a crashing bore at dinner parties. It's OK to be a normal person, too.
8. Remember, your Work in Progress is infinitely more interesting to you than to the rest of the world. Modulate conversations accordingly.
9. It's OK to fall in love with your own characters. It's not cheating, since they're fictitious and there's almost always a little of your significant other in that character anyway.
10. There's nothing more satisfying than someone giving up nine or ten hours of their life to reading your novel and telling you they loved it.
1. Any words on the page--even truly malodorous ones--are better than words that are still flotsam in your anxious brain. Editing is a powerful thing.
2. Word counts matter because they represent accountability to the most important person in the writing process--yourself.
3. Beta readers come in many flavors. Don't make major edits based on each one's notes. I'm an old aviator and they used to say when teaching us to land airplanes, "Don't chase your instruments." If you see things are trending off course, make small corrections to get back on flightpath.
4. There's a lot of perverse pleasure in a) torturing your main characters relentlessly and b) killing your darlings.
5. It's hard saying out loud "I'm a writer" without sounding phony or pretentious to yourself.
6. Writing is a trade, not a lifestyle. Writers write. It's what we do.
7. Choosing to be a writer does not necessitate being neurotic. Or alcoholic. Or a crashing bore at dinner parties. It's OK to be a normal person, too.
8. Remember, your Work in Progress is infinitely more interesting to you than to the rest of the world. Modulate conversations accordingly.
9. It's OK to fall in love with your own characters. It's not cheating, since they're fictitious and there's almost always a little of your significant other in that character anyway.
10. There's nothing more satisfying than someone giving up nine or ten hours of their life to reading your novel and telling you they loved it.
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