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Each book that you write provides its own
set of lessons. I can't say what will resonate for everyone, but I can
share some of what I have learned along the way, and hopefully help
someone in the process.
Why This?
It is important not
only to have something to say, but to understand why you need to say
this. You will be spending a lot of time with your chosen
subject, so be sure it is the right subject for you, at this time. You
don't need to know the entirety of your story at this point--in fact it
would be surprising if you did. But the decision to write about this
must be firmly resolved, even if you still have much to learn about your
topic. Once you commit to your idea, mentally resolve to see it through.
This is important. Writing a book requires staying power, and there will
come times when your resolve may falter. If you decide early on not to
be deterred, it will help carry you through the tough times.
Outlining
Every writer
has their own approach to outlining, but the bottom line is you should
outline.
I outline from the very beginning, literally creating a story line on a
piece of paper before I write even one paragraph. I pencil in major and minor events at various points in my
story, and gradually fill in the gaps as my mind conjures up new stuff.
Only when I have a fairly complete progression do I actually start to write.
While this may seem
over-analytical, I find that it helps me in a couple ways. First, if I
have a general idea of how the story will progress, I can build the
foundation for events that I know will come later. Second, this outline
gives me something to write towards. If my character is on Hill A,
and by the beginning of the next chapter he has to rescue a maiden
on Hill B, then part of my task is to move the character from A to B.
This sounds painfully
obvious, but prior to employing this technique I would often find myself writing without direction,
which quickly led to frustration and futility. You need to know where you're headed. For
me, the outline is a critical part of this process.
Sometimes writers
outline only when their work is finished, as documentation. Everyone works
differently, and for some this may be fine. In my opinion, if you're going
to use an outline, you might as well do it when it would be useful as a
tool while your work is in progress.
Rules are Rules, Usually...
In writing, rules rule. However, it's okay to break
writing rules, as long as you understand the rule you are breaking, and
are breaking it for a reason that advances your writing. These rules are
all about grammar, usage, syntax, and the other structural underpinnings
of the written word. I struggled early on
with quoted dialogue--when to break paragraphs with changing speakers, how
to punctuate quoted sentences, and so forth. I had to learn
the rules, many of which were poorly explained in grammar books. The
last thing I wanted to do was study grammar, but grammar is a
critical part of the writing craft.
To see how certain
grammar rules are applied I often consult the experts. Works by well-known
authors should be punctuated correctly, and can be an excellent
guide as to how certain complex grammar constructs are handled. Regularly published authors, with their legions of editors,
can be an
excellent reference. Sometimes, however, you will find contradictory
models in different books, or even within the same book. If the usage is
ambiguous, it just shows that others are facing the same challenges.
Keep looking!
Bottom line--learn the
rules, use the rules correctly so that your writing will be
grammatically correct, and when the rules are unclear to you, see how
other writers handle the situation. Break the rules when necessary, but...
Know the rules.
Alone Again...
Writing is a solitary
activity. In the end it is you and your keyboard that will spend the most
time together while writing. Unless you are
dictating to someone, the first person to know what you
are writing is you. But how do you know if it's any
good? If it resonates?
Someone else has to
read and comment on it.
Of course, as a writer
you can read what you have written and decide if it's good or bad, and in
the end you have to decide what to keep, what to change, and what to
discard. But the feedback of others is invaluable. When writing
Palm
Sunday, I had a trusted friend read an early version. She said it was
hard to tell who was talking when. This led to my examination of dialogue, and revealed glaring flaws in my writing.
Writers tend to be
thin-skinned about their creation, but you need to get over this. Find
people you trust--not to tell you how great you are, but to tell you
what's wrong with your writing. Other writers will often value this
reciprocal honesty regarding work product. If you can hook up with someone
whose work and judgment you respect, to exchange manuscripts, then you are
well ahead of the game. An 'outside' perspective on what you have written
from someone you can trust to be truthful is essential to advancing your
work.
Rewrite This...
Just accept it. Your
writing will never be as good as you can make it. One more rewrite. One
more rewrite. After twenty rewrites, you'll still be saying the same
thing. That's fine. You have to rewrite. When I start to get near the end
of a manuscript, I try to find the weakest chapter, the most flawed page.
Then I endeavor to make this weakest chapter into the strongest chapter,
this flawed page into the best page.
Often it comes down
to flow, the turn of a particular phrase, the choice of a different word.
This is what rewriting is all about--deciding if there's a better way to
say it, and then saying it. Rewriting is a
perpetual cycle of finding a better way. It never ends, but at some point
you must stop. When do you stop rewriting? You'll know when. There comes a
day when you say to yourself, "It is finished."
Other Tidbits
Make backups of your
work. Even go so far as to periodically print out a full copy of your
manuscript. Computers crash, hard drives get wiped out, CDs fail. Trust
me, I've worked with computers for 16 years.
Back up.
Assuming that you have
been giving your writing its due, meaning that you've spent
regular hours working at it, researching it, thinking about it, agonizing
over it, and doing it, then realize that time off is important, too.
Even if it's just an occasional walk, going out with friends, or taking in
some different scenery, every writer needs time away from writing to
rejuvenate and reenergize. Make time for these breaks. Make time for a
good night's sleep.
What is your book
about?
This is probably the
most common question potential readers will ask you, and you must be able to
answer in one coherent sentence of less than four hundred words.
There are several
reasons why. First, you want the reader to be interested, right? When
someone asks about your book, you need to 'hook' them. A dissertation
won't accomplish this. You need a good one-liner to sum up your story and
capture interest. Second, if you can't reduce the topic of your book to
one sentence, it's probably about too many things. Maybe that's okay.
Maybe your book is an encyclopedia. If not, you should be able to say, "My book is
about..." and finish with an interesting summation of something that
people would like to read. This summary will be used over and over for
media quotes, interviews, and anywhere that you are in a position to
discuss your book. You will need this sentence, so work on it.
Don't Give Up
Finally, don't give up.
Although you will get discouraged, and you will realize, time and again,
that everything you have written is garbage, and you will decide you are a
fool to think you had any talent as a writer, be of good cheer. You are on
the right path.
Any writer that has
never had these thoughts is either a liar or will have these thoughts
eventually. Self doubt is part of the game, maybe because writing is such
a personal revelation. It is no great failure
to not be a good writer. Good writers are in the minority, and vastly so.
What is a failure is to be a good
writer, and to not use that talent. Allow yourself the occasional
discouragement, but don't tarry in that land too long. Get over it, or
write yourself out of it.
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