WIFYR brought about a major phase shift in my thinking. For so long I had focused on creating the one perfect book. I thought if I just kept at it long enough, I would get it right. It would be great. It would be publishable.
What I didn't see was that I needed to make myself into a writer. New concept! Instead of struggling and straining over the same tired old idea for years and years, I could toss off a new book in six months or less. So what if it wasn't perfect? I would write another one, and another one! I wouldn't just be writing, I would be creating a writer.
I used to sneer at books that weren't perfectly thought out, that had discrepancies, characters that didn't work, or silly bits that I felt should have been omitted. Okay, I still do, but now I feel more generous towards writers. You have to try a lot of things, and not everything you try will work. I shouldn't sneer at people for trying!
And, once I've created a good writer in myself, then hopefully I can find the good in what I write, preserve it and polish it gently, and make with it a good book.
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2 comments:
I agree that you need to try new things, but I also think there is something to be said for someone who keeps at a certain idea. I think that working on the same idea for a good sized portion of your life time may be going too far, but a few years on a book is nothing to be ashamed of in my opinion. Wanting your book to be the best it can be is a good goal to have, just don't overdo it. Mediation in all things by golly!
One should always be working on being a good writer. I think that is the problem with most authors today. They write a good book, and then after that they don't try as hard. I don't mean to name names, but Gail Carson Levine wrote Ella Enchanted, one of the most favorited books in America, but if you read her other novels, some a just good, and some aren't even that. I'm not saying she's a bad author, I'm just saying that she didn't try as hard to make her other books as good. It seems to work for her, though, because now she's working for Disney and getting millions a year. But that aside, I am convinced that becoming a good author takes a lot of time and diversity and study and such. oops. I think I've gone too long. I'll shut up now
As writers, we always hope that we can put out the perfect book PLUS get it out quickly. Doesn't always happen. However, if you have more than one project going at a time, you can think about projects while you aren't working on others and so the final product looks and feels more finished. I try to put out lots of stuff, but I find that I do have to think hard about whatever I'm doing just to make it good enough for people to want to look at.
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