Advancing as an author

[Empathy]

I was talking with an editor of another site about my work and being a fairly new author and though he didn't say so I began to apply some of the things he mentioned to myself. And realized that despite the fact that I have two editors and two beta readers I've done little to actually improve my writing skill other than to continue writing and branch out with my story types. I've gained more experience with writing by continuing to write, I've gained a bit more perspective by taking the advice of my editors and those of readers. I actually looked back at one of my first chapters and I know that I was trying a lot harder then than I have been recently with all my distractions. (no excuse) I think I feel into the trap of enjoying my own story, in the end I continue to write because I like the story I'm telling and others are enjoying it as well. I take no shame in saying that I need to remember that just because readers are enjoying my work doesn't mean there isn't more work to be done and more progress to be made.

 

 

So now I'm sitting here looking at an unfinished chapter and wondering if I need to start all over and focus more. Or perhaps attempt to look at everything differently. Any advice, from some of the veterans?

[TheZot]

Well, here's a few pieces of advice.

 

1) Always be willing to toss anything you've written. If you fall in love with some of what you've done you're not going to be able to judge it properly, and even if it's the best sentence/paragraph/section in the history of literature, it can still have to go because it slows down the story, doesn't work with everything else, or just plain confuses

 

2) It helps to be a few rough draft chapters ahead when you're writing. That way when you're putting the final polish on a chapter you've got a solid idea where things are going in the near future, which makes it an awful lot easier to have them all fit together well.

 

3) Keep in mind that it can always be done better, and if you're not pushing yourself at least a little, you're not going to get better. On the other hand, you may well not be able to do better right now, so if you push and it isn't going, then put it aside for a while and come back to it. Even then, you may not be able to do it better. Remember that spot that gave you trouble and try to work on it later.

 

4) While it may be able to be done better, there's nothing wrong with pretty damn good. Write stuff you can be proud of. You may look back and think you could have done things differently, but you should at least be able to look at it and say "I'm glad I wrote that".

 

Bottom line is that you have to push a bit to get better. You don't have to, and nobody'lll make you, but it's worth it.

[Graeme]

I don't consider myself to be a veteran as I've only been writing for a couple of years, but I recognise what you are saying. Looking back at my early work, I can see an improvement, but it hasn't been steady. There are certainly pieces which I consider to be a lot better written than others.

 

I also fear that I've reached a plateau, where I'm maintaining a standard (hopefully) but where I'm afraid that I'm not improving. I don't know whether that is or isn't the case, but it's how I feel.

 

So, what to do about it?

 

Once you get to a certain point in any activity, you need an outside eye to tell you what you're doing right or wrong, as it's too hard for you to do it yourself. That outside eye can be a person (typically an editor or beta-reader) or it can be an outside reference (eg. books on creative writing).

 

I've only read one book on creative writing so far, and I know that they don't all agree with each other, but I'm still working to apply the lessons I learnt from that. I am also still working to incorporate the lessons I'm learning from my editor on correct grammar, tenses, and other technical points.

 

Many people have told me that to be a great writer, you need to be a great reader. I know I fall down in that respect, but the idea is that the more you read, the experience you get in different ways to express something -- and that's what writing is all about: expressing the story that's inside your head.

 

The biggest area I want to personally address, though, is one that I don't know how to work on -- how to develop the ideas that become stories in the first place. I'm very dependent on inspiration striking, and inspiration can be a fickle thing.

 

I hope this helps.

[Dio]

Personally I think half the fun of writing is pushing myself to become better, probably because good is such a relative term. I guess it depends on what your ultimate goal is. If you're just writing for your own enjoyment of the story then hey, it doesn't really matter if you get better. I think that train of mind is pretty backwards though. Given the chance, who wouldn't want to better themselves?

 

You should remember two things before you start to rewrite:

1) Often times, your worst critic is yourself.

2) Often times, your worst critic is right.

 

Rewriting is all a part of the process. I've never heard of a good author who doesn't rewrite material every so often. If anything, sometimes it's worth it just to figure out that you had it right the first time.

 

hugz,

db

[DomLuka]

Reading really is a good way to improve, although I

[Empathy]

...

You should remember two things before you start to rewrite:

1) Often times, your worst critic is yourself.

2) Often times, your worst critic is right.....

 

 

Yeah I'm never really satsified with a chapter, I always want it be...more, more than it is. I know i'll never write a perfect piece of work but I know I need to do better than what I've been doing lately even if just for myself.

[Tom]

yeah, I know you asked for Veterans, and I am definately a far cry from experienced, but I just feel the need

 

I just gotta say two things...first of all, start at the begining of the story, read it as objectively as you can, if there are things you're not happy with, do a rewrite of every part of it you see a need. In the end, you are the only person that has to be happy with the writing.

 

the second thing...you mention your two beta readers and two editors, and that you haven't done much to improve your writing. I think you have hit a sound point here. Editors and beta readers can only make suggestions, you have to decide if you want to improve and what areas you want to do it in.

 

in short, I don't think you need to toss everything, or anything...it's more about how you feel about your writing as you go back through it that is important

[Graeme]

Have you tried speed writing? (that's what I've been calling it) Kind of like an outline, but you start with one idea (preferably when inspiration hits) write out the scene, and when you get stuck with the actual writing parts, make brief descriptions of what happens next, including dialogue (if you think of great lines you want to use/conversations) or if you

[DomLuka]

Ahh. I think there should be a whole workshop for short stories. It

[vlista20]

I think the best advice I could offer is to just keep writing. I remember the first story I wrote on a computer. It was four years ago or so and I go back to it frequently and read it. It's not a story I'll ever post, in fact I call it my 'learning story' I was already writing for years before it but I never finished stories before this one. I can see from this story how much my writing improved from the beginning to end. Mind you this story is over 2,500 pages but while writing it I learned a lot. I never had any intention of sharing that story with anyone, well except for Sam. SO there was no pressure of 'is this good enough' Heck I know for sure it's not. I'm very glad I wrote that story though I learned how to develop characters, to deal with dialouge without saying 'he said, she said' after everything a person said. I learned what worked and what didn't for the most part.

 

So I guess this is my round about way of saying, the best way to learn is to just keep doing it, the more you write the better you get. I also agree with what everyone else has said here, especially the reading. Reading a lot helps you learn different styles and maybe can give you ideas of styles to incorporate into your own writing. If you dabble around in different styles you'll find one that works best for you.

[NickolasJames8]

Ahh. I think there should be a whole workshop for short stories. It

[Camy]

Write a lot, and then write more. Inevitability some of what you pen will be utter crap. When it is dump it - a really hard lesson to learn.

 

A great editor who understands your style and what you are trying to achieve is a Godsend!

[Graeme]

Write a lot, and then write more. Inevitability some of what you pen will be utter crap. When it is dump it - a really hard lesson to learn.

 

A great editor who understands your style and what you are trying to achieve is a Godsend!

To use an analogy, the difference between an amateur photographer and a good photographer is that a good photographer takes a lot more pictures and only keeps/shows the ones that turn out well. I'm being serious -- if you check out any decent book on photography you'll find advice along those lines -- take lots of photos, find and keep the good ones, and then try to work out what makes them good so that you take more good ones in the future. The same applies to writing.

[TheZot]

To use an analogy, the difference between an amateur photographer and a good photographer is that a good photographer takes a lot more pictures and only keeps/shows the ones that turn out well. I'm being serious -- if you check out any decent book on photography you'll find advice along those lines -- take lots of photos, find and keep the good ones, and then try to work out what makes them good so that you take more good ones in the future.

A very good point. Back before it was nearly all digital, the rule of thumb I'd heard of from good photographers is that you expect one picture worth keeping per roll of film. That's somewhere between a 1:24 and 1:36 hit rate, which is for the people who're good at this.

 

Now, granted, writing's not the same as photography, but the same thing applies. Expect to completely toss your first draft, and most of your second draft. Maybe that won't happen, but don't be surprised, and don't fight it. (Which is easier said than done) Listen to your editors/readers when they ask why, or think parts suck, or tell you motivations are unclear. Those are signs there are places you need to fix.

 

Being a good reader/editor's a tough thing, so be nice to 'em when you get them. It's difficult to overcome that reluctance to say "y'know, this bit here? It sucks" even though that's what you have to say, though perhaps a bit more kindly, when reading someone's work. Treasure the people who're willing to shred your writing, because they're the ones that'll help you get better fastest.

 

Assuming you don't kill them, of course.

[Dio]

Being a good reader/editor's a tough thing, so be nice to 'em when you get them. It's difficult to overcome that reluctance to say "y'know, this bit here? It sucks" even though that's what you have to say, though perhaps a bit more kindly, when reading someone's work. Treasure the people who're willing to shred your writing, because they're the ones that'll help you get better fastest.

 

Assuming you don't kill them, of course.

 

Dan is an expert shredder. I highly recommend any author to submit a chapter to him, read what he has to say, and then attend one of those whiffle bat anger management sessions where you get to hit people. Surprisingly therapeutic.

 

smootch

db

[DarkShadow]

I was talking with an editor of another site about my work and being a fairly new author and though he didn't say so I began to apply some of the things he mentioned to myself. And realized that despite the fact that I have two editors and two beta readers I've done little to actually improve my writing skill other than to continue writing and branch out with my story types. I've gained more experience with writing by continuing to write, I've gained a bit more perspective by taking the advice of my editors and those of readers. I actually looked back at one of my first chapters and I know that I was trying a lot harder then than I have been recently with all my distractions. (no excuse) I think I feel into the trap of enjoying my own story, in the end I continue to write because I like the story I'm telling and others are enjoying it as well. I take no shame in saying that I need to remember that just because readers are enjoying my work doesn't mean there isn't more work to be done and more progress to be made.

So now I'm sitting here looking at an unfinished chapter and wondering if I need to start all over and focus more. Or perhaps attempt to look at everything differently. Any advice, from some of the veterans?

 

 

Here's what I've been doing to try to improve my writing. (mind you my skill is limited and my experience almost nonexistent.)

 

I've read a couple of books, read a LOT of everyone elses work here, and I write. No one sees my chapters until I have deleted at least three or pages from it. I merge as much as I can and try to keep it flowing and with as much description as I man muster without stumbling through a sentence. Sometimes it's a simple change in wording, sometimes it's the deletion of an entire page.

 

Like most, I try not to repeat grammar and spelling mistakes too many times from chapter to chapter. I'd like my editor to think I'm learning at least something! lol The other thing I do when I write is keep the www.dictionary.com open. When I've finished my first draft, the very next thing I do is go through the entire story and do my damndest to completely eliminate the words: good, bad, soft, hard, slightly, and quickly. I hate them. Looking up synonyms of a word has led to inspiration on several occasions.

 

The main inspiration for me, is to close my eyes, turn on the music, and think of a story I would pay seven dollars to go see as a movie. The scene will pop into my head with the music guiding it, and I'll write four or five sentences about the story I want to see, and then start typing.

 

Some nights, I can't type a thing, I sit down, maybe write a paragraph, and just stop and go read. Even on the slowest nights between reading someone elses work, I can usually squeeze out at least a page. Other nights it's ten pages.

 

I want to see, taste smell, and touch the pictures in my head when i read, and I want my writing to resemble that as closely as I can. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. That's when my editor gives me a few slaps and I try a little harder.

 

I don't know if any of that will help you, but I thought I'd give my two cents.

 

Take care!

[TheZot]

Dan is an expert shredder. I highly recommend any author to submit a chapter to him, read what he has to say, and then attend one of those whiffle bat anger management sessions where you get to hit people. Surprisingly therapeutic.

Hey, editing and a good excuse to lay about with a stick. Don't say I don't give more than your money's worth!

 

-Dan

 

(And your beau liked it, so for you, just today, triple value!)

[Empathy]

Lots of great advice here thanks everyone.