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| Photo credit: mynameisrichard on Flickr |
In response to my post on whether or not writers should delay their gratification, I received many interesting and thoughtful answers.
A common theme I noticed, however, was that most of us agree there isn’t a straightforward
one-size-fits-all answer.
It goes without saying that when it comes to things of the
writerly nature, answers will vary depending on the writer/ manuscript/ season/
day of the week/ what you ate for breakfast/ how many ferrets you have (ok,
maybe not those last few). But delayed gratification is interesting because,
for writers at least, it’s mostly inevitable.
Regardless of whether you choose indie or traditional
publishing, a lot of work goes into a novel before you get anything in return.
Writers spend years honing their skills before anything they write is anywhere
near publishable. Writers work without pay and give up their precious free time
to work on that novel/ screenplay/ poem/ short story/ what-have-you.
So at the beginning of a writer’s journey, at least, there
is no escaping delayed gratification.
The question we truly face as writers, with the rise of
indie publishing upon us, is how long
to continue to delay that gratification. How long, for example, should you edit
before querying agents or uploading to Amazon?
This is where matters start to get tricky. There isn’t a
magic number we can point to and say after x-amount of hours, words or books
you’re ready to be published (although there is a theory that in order to
master any skill or subject, you have
to spend 10,000 hours developing said skill, but that’s another matter
entirely).
The best thing writers can do is practice some patience
while honing their skills. Take your time to perfect your story, to learn about
the craft, to become a better writer. Make publishing decisions carefully and
take all the time you need to make the decision that’s best for you and your
career as a writer.
Keep calm and carry on. Seriously. Whenever you start to
feel rushed, take a deep breath and remember that time is working for you. Don’t
rush the process.
What do you think? Is delayed gratification just part of the process? Can we (or should we) try to avoid it?
I think the hardest "delay" for most writers is the delay between writing and editing. So many people start editing WHILE they are writing. To me, this is like trying to wash the dishes while you are still eating dinner. If you can delay the gratification of editing long enough to squeeze out a first draft, you will write so much more productively!
ReplyDeleteWhoops! Thanks for the correction, Alice. I fixed it. :)
ReplyDeleteI definitely work much faster when I resist editing while writing, but I've found that some people work better if they do some amount of editing while writing. It depends on the writer, of course, and it certainly takes longer to finish a novel that way, but certain writers have found they prefer it. I usually say resist if you can, but if not then limit the amount of editing in the first draft.
ReplyDeletenow it says ten million!
ReplyDeleteWell...that's embarrassing. Just goes to show how awake I was this morning. Heh.
ReplyDeletei do things like this allllllll the time. don't be embarrassed!
ReplyDeleteI always feel rushed. So many people now are out there and enjoying being published and I'm struggling to find 10 minutes a day to do some writing when I know I have talent. I know because Douglas Adams came to me in a dream and said something bizarre and irrelevant but nevertheless very deep and funny....
ReplyDeleteGoals work out best when the process is gratifying in its own right. When you can truly say that you are proud of your work regardless of sales numbers or critical commentary, you are ready to publish.
ReplyDeleteHa, ha, it happens to the best of us, I suppose. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's tough, trying to slow down in a culture that is very much about getting things done quickly and efficiently, but I truly believe the best thing you can do is force yourself to take a breath and enjoy the stage you're in now.
ReplyDeleteI like that. You definitely know you're in a good place when the process/stage itself is gratifying. Great thoughts, Colin.
ReplyDeleteI think delayed gratification is part of the process whether we like it or not. Whether it's investing the time to write the book to waiting up to 9 months to hear back from a publisher regarding your query, it's a slow process.
ReplyDeleteIt most certainly is. Writers often have to learn to be especially patient with the process.
ReplyDeleteI've gone and prematurely queried, because I get impatient, too. But you're right, you do have to delay it. Your story gets done, you still have to edit, then go through the beta readers. Until this year, I've never considered how much work goes into a novel. It's nuts, but awesome.
ReplyDeleteVery nice post as usual. ;) I do agree that writers should practice patience because it will reap them a better harvest in the long run. Lately I've been going through a rough spot with a large part of my plot. The magic in my story seems to...used, streamline, and it seems like I'm unintentionally copying other stories. Either way I'm in brainstorming problem solving stage now! :) I was also thinking about how setting can be utilized for mood and plot, I read an interesting article about that recently. Hope all is going well with you.
ReplyDelete~Author Steven :D
I think many of us have, at one point or another, made the mistake of querying prematurely. There's a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into a novel, and it's often a lot more work than many of us would have imagined before we started writing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Steven! Patience is one of the most important (and difficult) things I've learned throughout my time as a writer. It's one of those things few people want to learn, but the sooner we learn and apply it, the better.
ReplyDeleteI wish you the best with your writing! :)