Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them

"There may be something in the very last line of the very last paragraph on page six that you love, that is so beautiful or wild that you now know what you're supposed to be writing about...but there was no way to get to this without first getting through the first five and a half pages." —Anne Lamott



It's all better with friends.

Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them

"Description begins in the writer's imagination, but should finish in the reader's." —Stephen King



I love this quote. Unfortunately it's often easier said than done.



It's all better with friends.

A Difficult Decision

As a fiction writer, most of my decisions are easy and fun. I get to create everything about a story and have it go in whatever direction I want.

As an independently published writer, I also get to choose my editors, cover designer,  interior design, publication date, price, and avenues of promotion.

All fun stuff. Well, mostly.

I've been struggling with this current manuscript for a very long time. And right now it's no longer exciting me even though I love the characters. I'm not swept away by the story that's emerging in the fourth rewrite. Yes, fourth.

Writing friends I respect, including my editor, have been advising me for months to put it away and move on. The words "failure" and "unprofessional" and (let's be honest) "pride" kept me trying to find a way to make it work. Plus, I'd already paid for a cover.

Yesterday I heard the advice one more time and it somehow felt different. It went something like, "Yeah, just shelve it for now. It'll still be there later, plus you'll have the cover."

Winston Churchill said, "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."

So today I'm packing up my research notes and getting organized for the next story I want to write. In the meantime I'll trust it really is an issue with this manuscript and that I haven't lost my writing mojo.



It's all better with friends.

Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them

"When you are deciding what to leave out, begin with the author. If you see yourself prancing around between subject and reader, get lost." —John McPhee



Rather than personal experiences, I believe this quote is talking about ego. "Look what I know!" "Look how beautifully I string words together!" No matter how wonderful you are, when you take the reader out of the story they're enjoying, you've messed up as a writer.

I know about this because I have a tendency to employ purple prose. While I think it's dramatic and literary, readers just want a good story. Thank goodness I have friends and editors who don't let me get away with it.





It's all better with friends.

Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them

"Substitute damn every time you're inclined to write very; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be." —Mark Twain


Damn good advice.


It's all better with friends.