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| Photo credit: erichhh on Flickr |
Looking back, I can smile at that version of myself, because while she is very different from who I am today, she was brave, and without her courage, this blog and the large majority of my manuscripts would not exist today.
However, like most new writers, I was pretty naïve when I first started writing. And while my naïveté didn’t do any permanent damage, my journey might have been a little easier if I knew these five writing truths that I know today:
- It’s ok if your first book doesn’t get published. Or your second. Or your fifth. Deep down inside, I suppose some part of me suspected this was true, but the thing is, I wanted to be an exception (we all do, I suspect). I was determined to be the writer who debuted with her first ever novel, so it was hard to finally put that first manuscript away and move on to something new.
It was hard the second time, too. And the third.
I’m not sure that it ever gets any easier, but the most important thing is to accept that it’s ok. You aren’t a failure because your first or third or sixth novel didn’t get published, nor are you worth any less than the writers who do. Every writer’s journey is different, and yours is yours alone. - Some days you’ll think your writing is amazing, and other days you’ll think you suck. This is normal. It doesn’t sound normal, and when you’re on those low days, it certainly doesn’t feel normal, but even published NYT best-selling writers feel this way. The key is to write through the highs and lows, and on those days where it feels like everything you write is crap, know that you can make it better.
- Time is on your side. I wrote a post about this a while back, so I won’t go into the details, but in short, we writers are lucky because time works for us. Manuscripts aren’t perishable, and neither is the ability to write.
- Trunking a novel doesn’t mean giving up. Trunking a novel means moving on, it means taking the skills you’ve learned from writing previous manuscripts and applying it to something new. It means accepting that maybe your last novel wasn’t ready yet, but that doesn’t mean it never will.
Trunking a novel means a lot of things, but it never means giving up. - Reading is more than just a fun way to pass the time. Have I mentioned lately how essential it is for writers to read? One of the best ways to learn new styles and writing tricks and see examples of writing that works, is to read. There are literally millions of books out there—take advantage of them and read your way into becoming a better writer.
19 comments:
#5 is the best. If I hadn't read what I read this year, my WIP would have been a train-wreck. I wouldn't have gotten this far without learning what I have, or if I hadn't discovered this amazing blog last October. It's been half a year, and I feel like a different person already—I feel like a writer. I am a writer.
I wish I knew that it was okay not to be perfect the first time. I had no idea of the concept of the "first draft", and I still have trouble keeping my inner perfectionist in check. I also wish that I had spent less time on fanfiction (as much as it helped me become a better writer in itself) and more time on generating my own original characters and being proud of what my own mind could generate. Sometimes, I look back at those days and feel like I was writing fanfic more to idolize the author than experiment on my own.
That's completely awesome, Robin. Always great to hear about growth and progress from a fellow writer. :)
I don't really have much experience with fanfics myself, but I know quite a few writers who started off that way. You also make a good point about first drafts--I feel like especially at the beginning, writers often feel like the first draft is the draft. It isn't until you really develop your craft and write for a while that you learn more and more that rewriting is a huge and important step and perfect first drafts aren't really necessary or realistic.
Great list, and so true! Very encouraging, as well, for when we start feeling down about not being published, taking so darn long to write this thing, etc, etc.
I wish I had known that self-publishing is possible. Then I wouldn't have wasted 8 years chasing big publishing houses and agents. I wish I had known that there would be this thing called Kindle and it will be huge, because I wouldn*t have wasted time making paperbacks of my first two books. Well, it's nice to have them in real print but it cost me a lot of money I didn't have.
This is RoweMatthew by the way, I just can't be bothered changing my log in
A smart man once told me we don't finish a work; we label it "version 1.0", and abandon it until someone complains. It's pleasant to have a feeling of finality when something is released, but for writers, the finality often seems to come at unexpected times, in unexpected forms--like telling yourself you grew from your work.
this is brilliant Ava - thank you once again for your encouraging words. Love your blog. Charlotte
It's been such a long time since I visited this blog :o Shock!
Anyway, loved this post! Great advice, although I have to admit that after all these years I'm still that younger version of you. I haven't moved on. I'm still naive and actually I like that. I love to dream blindly, not caring about reality :-)
On the other hand, maybe it's easier when you've accepted the truth. I guess I still need some years to get to that point.
Thank you, Grace! I completely understand those down moments--we all experience them--and I'm happy to be able to help encourage. :)
Absolutely! Truth 2 can be particularly difficult for writers to overcome (especially on those down days), but it helps me to know that it's just part of the process. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
That's an interesting point about self-publishing. In a way, I'm glad I didn't know self-publishing would become a perfectly valid and acceptable form of publishing, because I probably would have self-published something that wasn't anywhere near ready to see the light of day. But I can see how for some, it would have been beneficial to know at the beginning of their careers.
I definitely would not have guessed that. Welcome back. :)
What a great way of looking at the writing process. Very interesting way of putting it, thank you Colin.
Thank you, Charlotte! I'm thrilled to hear you really enjoyed the post and the rest of Writability. Have a lovely weekend! :)
I think a certain amount of naïveté (or perhaps optimism?) isn't necessarily a bad thing as long as it doesn't reach to the extent of disillusionment. As for dreaming blindly, I see nothing wrong with that. :)
Awesome lessons learned. And as long as we're learning and pressing forward, it's ok!
Agreed! Thanks, Julie.
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