I've been a writer myself for many years, probably since I was born. I do think that most authors have a compunction that they are born with that compels them to write, the same as painters paint and composers make music. That said, being born with the compunction to write does not provide enough knowledge for a writer to be successful. Through my own experiences with writing and my experiences with other writers, I've seen gained some important knowledge that any writer could benefit from.
1) Writing is a business. I cannot emphasize this one enough. Writers will prattle on about the craft and their higher purpose and where writing takes them. That's all well and good. Writing is an art and those kinds of things are what make it attractive, but unless you are content writing for yourself and sharing for free with friends, family and potential fans online, writing is a commercial endeavor. Rare is the writer who truly gets into writing solely because they are compelled to write, want to share their gift with the world, want to make a difference or whatever lofty goal might make a good soundbite. If you are not one of those rare individuals, and you would actually like to profit from your work, don't shirk from your duties to understanding the business side and working on those important aspects. That starts with writing (and revising) the most marketable work you can and trails right through to marketing and promoting not only the work, but also yourself, so you can develop an audience and build readership. 2) Writer's groups are largely worthless. I can hear some gasping that it can't be so, but it really is true. Go back to the first point. What do writer's groups do to help you develop audience and build readership? Nothing. These are other writers you are interacting with. At best, they might really not care at all about your success, at worst they might delight in taking your confidence down a notch in hopes of elevating their own star. What about learning your craft from other writers? I see a couple of problems there. Is Stephen King, JK Rowling or John Grisham attending your writer's group? No? Of course not, so the very successful people who might have some guidance that could help you, are not going to be there. Largely, writer's groups are composed of newbies who know little to nothing about successful commercial writing, the classic blind leading the blind scenario. How is that going to help your career? Last, you want to write for readers, not other writers. While writers might be well read readers, they are rarely the kind of readers you'd like to receive feedback from. You want to capture the average reader who goes to the store and buys one of those big name writers that is in your genre over and over again. If you can connect with those kind of people in your social circle, have them read your work and offer helpful hints to get you going on the right track. 3) You have to write. Well that seems obvious, but I don't know how many writers I meet who don't put in the hours it takes to either finish a piece or to do the revision work needed to make their piece the best. Writing for me starts in my head, but if I leave it there and don't do the "unpleasant" work of pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, then the idea is only in my head. While there it might provide a pleasant diversion for me, that is all it can provide. If you don't want to put in that hard work, writing is not for you. 4) Complete the poem/story/novel/article. I read an article recently that said if you were stuck while working on a piece to simply skip to a new work for that period and come back to your abandoned piece. I think that's probably one of the worst pieces of writer's block advice I've ever heard. I understand it might be possible for some to find help that way, but my own experience and the stories I've heard from other writers is the exact opposite. I find that a good number of writers I meet are like me - attracted to the new. My mind never really shuts off, so I am constantly getting new ideas, lines, sketches that I can use for a piece. In the past, I've followed the advice, thinking well I am writing, so it has to be good. What did I end up with? A whole bunch of unfinished pieces. I'd leave the piece I was working on for the "momentary" diversion. As time went on, the "new" piece felt old and I abandoned it for a new idea, never circling back to the original or indeed, so often any of them. Nowadays, I might take a break and work on one of those more enticing ideas, but every day, I work on the original project that has my attention at the moment. What I write during that "block" period might be garbage, but I am going to revise later anyway. The progress I make will ultimately be better than anything I have to cut. Besides, I find that once I start writing, I eventually forget I was blocked. 5) Don't be afraid of criticism. You really need to grow a special skin to be a writer. Thick enough to continue to put yourself out to others, but permeable enough that criticism can get through. If you really want to grow and become better as a writer, you have to be able to evaluate the criticism you receive and learn from it what you can, even if it's only that the person was an idiot or jealous and had no point, but that you can live to write another day.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
May 2023
Categories
All
|