Roderick T. Macdonald
Hahahaha! I am an aspiring writer!
I look at this as advice to my younger self, who wanted so desperately to be a writer, but was brittle and precious about his ideas and words. I'm not saying all aspiring writers are like that - just that I was!
The biggest single piece of advice is to recognise that getting help is not a weakness, it is a strength. A good editor (for instance) is not trying to turn your book into something of theirs, they are trying to help you make the most of your ideas, storytelling, and style. I was insufferably precious about my writing in my twenties, yet terrified of letting anyone assess it. That wonderful arrogant insecurity took me years to get past. It is an impossible situation to be in. Yes, your writing may not be as world-shaking as you like to believe, but if you never ask for help, or give other people a chance to read your work and respond, then I believe you will have a very hard time advancing as a writer.
Just remember that you still have the final call on any decisions regarding your writing. Gather a team, have supporters who believe in you and help you to believe in yourself, advisors to challenge and stimulate you, but also take responsibility for your work - it is going to have your name on it, so own it. If you disagree with beta readers, or editorial suggestions, then as long as you have good reasons for your disagreement, and they have to be good, not merely "But I like it better that way!", then you would do well to stick with your vision. Now your reasons for maintaining your vision need to be logical, formal, grounded in the text and the world and characters you are creating, because then you can clearly articulate why you feel your way is better, and be confident in your choices. Your team is there to advise, but you are still the captain, and can take charge at any time.
A last piece of advice which worked for me, but may not work for you. Embrace structure. I was a seat of my pants writer in my teens and twenties, but discovered the power of a good outline in my late thirties, and rely on them now in my forties. I have finally published my first novel, after spending far too many years struggling with a first epic and allowing time to slip away from me, but now I have solid outlines for three more novels ready to go. I don't have the luxury of spending years trying to work out how to finish my novel anymore! I found that structuring my time and my ideas allowed me to be more creative, not less, on each page. A lot of the pressure I put on myself when I was younger to come up with ideas and steer the story straight chapter to chapter was completely removed by doing a lot of thinking in advance and creating an outline which I could then enjoy filling in and fleshing out as I write.
I hope this is useful to you - as I said at the outset, this advice is really most applicable to the young man I was, but I think the core is useful to everyone: get help, take ownership, at least try structuring your time and writing process to see if it helps.
Good luck to all aspiring writers!
I look at this as advice to my younger self, who wanted so desperately to be a writer, but was brittle and precious about his ideas and words. I'm not saying all aspiring writers are like that - just that I was!
The biggest single piece of advice is to recognise that getting help is not a weakness, it is a strength. A good editor (for instance) is not trying to turn your book into something of theirs, they are trying to help you make the most of your ideas, storytelling, and style. I was insufferably precious about my writing in my twenties, yet terrified of letting anyone assess it. That wonderful arrogant insecurity took me years to get past. It is an impossible situation to be in. Yes, your writing may not be as world-shaking as you like to believe, but if you never ask for help, or give other people a chance to read your work and respond, then I believe you will have a very hard time advancing as a writer.
Just remember that you still have the final call on any decisions regarding your writing. Gather a team, have supporters who believe in you and help you to believe in yourself, advisors to challenge and stimulate you, but also take responsibility for your work - it is going to have your name on it, so own it. If you disagree with beta readers, or editorial suggestions, then as long as you have good reasons for your disagreement, and they have to be good, not merely "But I like it better that way!", then you would do well to stick with your vision. Now your reasons for maintaining your vision need to be logical, formal, grounded in the text and the world and characters you are creating, because then you can clearly articulate why you feel your way is better, and be confident in your choices. Your team is there to advise, but you are still the captain, and can take charge at any time.
A last piece of advice which worked for me, but may not work for you. Embrace structure. I was a seat of my pants writer in my teens and twenties, but discovered the power of a good outline in my late thirties, and rely on them now in my forties. I have finally published my first novel, after spending far too many years struggling with a first epic and allowing time to slip away from me, but now I have solid outlines for three more novels ready to go. I don't have the luxury of spending years trying to work out how to finish my novel anymore! I found that structuring my time and my ideas allowed me to be more creative, not less, on each page. A lot of the pressure I put on myself when I was younger to come up with ideas and steer the story straight chapter to chapter was completely removed by doing a lot of thinking in advance and creating an outline which I could then enjoy filling in and fleshing out as I write.
I hope this is useful to you - as I said at the outset, this advice is really most applicable to the young man I was, but I think the core is useful to everyone: get help, take ownership, at least try structuring your time and writing process to see if it helps.
Good luck to all aspiring writers!
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