Discouraged Writer

[mystified]

Hi all. Just found your forum and hope it's OK to post a "negative" message right off the bat. I finished my first novel (sci-fi genre) about six months ago (2 years to write it). I am just about at the point that I believe the "My Documents" folder on my computer is about as far as it will ever get. Since I began my search for an agent or publisher, I have the feeling that the writing market is glutted with writers, unread manuscripts, and rejected query letters.

I guess what frustrates me the most is that we are imperfect humans, living in an imperfect world, but the publishing industry doesn't seem to be aware of that. All submissions, apparently, must be *perfect* when submitted. A simple typo can cause a rejection.

I have no idea how many times I have read, proofed, and re-typed my query letter. Yet, after I send it, I always seem to find something else wrong. My latest was late last week. *AFTER* sending it, I read it again about an hour later. I have a GLARING redundancy I never spotted before. This is one a high-school English student should catch, and I missed it! To quote: "....has experienced two traumatic experiences in his life." I can't believe I never saw that before! It's too late for this submission....it's already sent. Naturally, I have now edited that sentence in my query letter to read "....has experienced two traumatic episodes in his life." Is it just me, or has this happened to others?

One thing I do know for sure, however: I will NEVER go to some scam outfit like PA, or some fee-charging POD publisher!!! If they are the only ones who would publish my book, then it will remain on a disk buried in my desk drawer. I suppose that, even if it never gets published, I at least have the satisfaction of saying I actually wrote a novel. It is complete, with beginning, plot, sub-plot, and logical ending.

I suppose a bit of honesty would be a good thing to insert now, so here it is: I am 59 years old (58 when I finished writing the book), and have not studied writing for over 25 years. I'm also unpublished, and am beginning to believe my work just is not *good enough* for today's market.

OK, I'm through with my "depression" thing. I hope I'm not out of line in posting this, but I just have nobody to talk to about these things. I'm not in any writing class (my situation prevents that), and I have nobody around who's interested in such things (the people I know need to ask me how to spell simple words, and I gave up on getting them to understand basic punctuation a long time ago). Anyhow, thanks for listening. I guess I just needed to unload. I'll try to be more upbeat in future posts.

I'll also try not to make any misteaks :)

Best....Larry

[Julie Worth]

Hell, Larry, I’ve experienced many such experiences! Do look around this place. There are boards just for ranting (rejection and dejection) and boards to post your work (and query letters) where members will be pleased to inform you of what’s right in front of your nose, and maybe some things you would never have thought of.

[mystified]

My latest was late last week.

See? I did it again!

OK, so I'll re-word it: "My most recent was late last week."

Oh, well...... :)

Thanks, Julie. I'll have a look at the other forums here. Much appreciated....

[Jamesaritchie]

"has experienced two traumatic experiences in his life" Is hardly the worst sentence I've ever seen in a query, and not nearly as bad as some goofs I've made. One such sentence is highly unlikely to kill a query.

As for your novel, well, the wrtiing world is extremely competative, and maybe your first novel isn't good enough. Most first novels aren't. So you sit down and write a second and a third. 59 is young, and a goodly number of writers have started out older than you are.

But the writing world doesn't demand perfection. If it did, I never would have been published. I've never seen a perfect published novel, let alone a perfect manuscript.

Love the writing process itself, and practice writing on a daily basis. If you love the writing, if you can't wait to sit down and write each day, the publication/business side will usually take care of itself. And even if it doesn't, there's still the pleasure of the journey.

[veinglory]

Take what you've learned on that book and write another! Keep querying and submitting. If that doesn't work you can eaither 'drawer' it or try smaller presses.

I find writing short stories and poems and working with small presses helps give me some of the exposure and interaction I need to stay perky about the whole writing thing--but different people have different approaches.

[Vanessa]

Hi Larry, May I steal a bit of space here? Your dilemma sounds like a fresh beginning of an end! And that's good news! The end was 25 years ago.

After 25 years of not studying writing, you've begun to further the craft. That's a fresh beginning. You HAVE written a complete novel including plots and endings. That's a lot of progress. It means you're serious! That's also a beginning.

Depression is something most writers feel one time or another. It's good and healthy for the soul. It keeps us in tact and it's a test to see if we are truly writers and can surpass this monster. This also is a fresh beginning.

You say you have no one to talk to? We are always here for you. Some of us may not have the best answers, and most of us will, but together we are here to listen for as long you need to talk. That also is a beginning. (You've found us and we you!)

And more importantly, you have recognized your mistakes. THIS IS A PLUS! I don't mean to yell, just excited to say it because this is an accomplishment. You see the more we recognize the mistakes we make, the better writers we become. This is an amazing beginning. There are many writers who claim the title and don''t have a clue to the obvious ongoing mistakes they make. You do!

Larry, you have truly accomplished so much. You seem eager to do this "writing thing." And I say, Hey, keep making the mistakes, and then correcting them, because it puts you one more step closer to a deal. I appreciate your admiration and I wish you the very best. Just please promise you won't give up! And do keep us posted.

Now go get 'em!

[pconsidine]

There's probably a degree to which the standard screenwriter's advice relates: No one sells their first screenplay. When you finish the first, drop it in a drawer and start the next.

I realize that 2 years is a long time (though I know screenwriters who've worked at least as long on their first selling script), but it's only gonna be longer if you don't get cracking on the next one.

Welcome to the disgruntled club. Where there is always a free seat.

[Cathy C]

Hi, Larry, and Welcome!


I understand your frustration, but trust me -- the others here are right. There's nowhere to go but up from where you are right now. Let's think about the positives for a moment:

1. You wrote a whole BOOK in only two years! I'd say that better than 50% of the people who want to be a writer never actually type "The End" on a manuscript.

2. You've only been querying for six months. Doesn't it seem only fair to all that effort to give the search for the right publisher the same amount of time you gave to writing the book?

3. You're in the writing habit now, and probably have other ideas that are burning a hole in your fingers. Flick that switch and start the next book -- stand-alone, sequel or even short stories, while the search continues.

4. You've found friends here that will cheer your successes and commiserate about your rejections. Use the opportunity to spice up your work, or work on your synopsis while the queries are out.

Good luck!

[DeniseK]

Hey, Larry. I like everything that Cathy said, and I'd like to add....

"Neither in this world nor elsewhere is there any happiness in store for him who always doubts." --Bhagavad Gita( c. B.C. 400) Sanskrit Poem

[Niesta]

And if you find yourself daunted by the fact that you'll be 61 years old after another two years working on that second novel, just ask yourself this:

How old will you be if you DON'T do it?

We're rootin' for you, Larry!

[mystified]

Thanks so much for all the encouraging replies! :) I was really amazed at how many took the time to respond, and so soon, too. I really do appreciate it.

Actually, I began a search for an agent or publisher about a year ago. I spent much time browsing sites such as AAR, Writer Beware, Preditors and Editors, and SWFA (Science Fiction Writers Association, since that is the genre of my novel). It was through doing that BEFORE starting my search that I was able to learn something about scams and shady operators.

I have to say that I did send my synopsis to one agent who ended up requesting the full MS. However, I had the presence of mind to check her against the Preditors warning list. Sure enough, she's "Highly not recommended" (Desert Rose Agency, Texas). I did not send her the MS, and have heard no more. I guess my only fear now is that she'll think it's a good story idea and write it herself, having seen the entire story line. All I can do is hope that is not the case. However, no others will get the synopsis or MS until I've done some research on them.

When it comes to agents listed with AAR, I did send them an email asking how to access that list, but never received a reply. I'm still looking for one who adheres to AAR standards.

When it comes to not selling the first novel, I'm not surprised and, yes, I do have an idea for another one. I'm still researching it, as it is a takeoff on a very old sci-fi movie. I do believe that, if it's done right, it has potential.

Well, enough rambling :) Thanks again for all the nice replies.

Best....Larry

[Cathy C]

Go here, Larry. You can access the AAR database online.

http://www.aar-online.org/mc/directory/viewsimplesearch.do

Use the search term, "science fiction" and choose "ALL of these words." You can also search by those accepting new clients, or do an advanced search for regions or other genres. Good luck!

[mystified]

Thanks so much, Cathy! Very much appreciated! :)

[Jamesaritchie]

I did not send her the MS, and have heard no more. I guess my only fear now is that she'll think it's a good story idea and write it herself, having seen the entire story line. All I can do is hope that is not the case.


Best....Larry

Don't worry about that for a second. It won't happen. Being able to take a good idea and turn it into a salable novel takes a lot of skill and talent. If she had this much skill and talent, she would already be a writer, not a scam agent.

[Vomaxx]

[QUOTE=mystified] Since I began my search for an agent or publisher, I have the feeling that the writing market is glutted with writers, unread manuscripts, and rejected query letters. /QUOTE]

Your feeling is quite correct. The writing market is indeed just as you describe.

So what? You have proven your perseverance by writing and carefully revising a complete novel--which is a lot more than many writers ever do--and you must now show similar perseverance in submitting it. I'm sure you will.

Like you, I discovered, to my horror, an amazing number of repetitions in my writing--it is certainly one of my faults. Undoubtedly we share it with many others. But, as someone said, we shall overcome (it).

[Jenny]

I love the idea of a disgruntled club, and I'm taking my seat now.

Larry, don't give up cos one novel's not published. Write the next one.

[Cabinscribe]

Hi Larry!

I don't believe I can offer any better advice than is given in the previous posts.

I am sure that if you stick around awhile, you will find even more advice and encouragement!

So hang in there! The fact that you have a completed manuscript, and have found AW, tells me that you have put more effort and dedication into your work than most people.

Keep us posted on your progess!

:)

[victoriastrauss]

Actually, I began a search for an agent or publisher about a year ago. I spent much time browsing sites such as AAR, Writer Beware, Preditors and Editors, and SWFA (Science Fiction Writers Association, since that is the genre of my novel). It was through doing that BEFORE starting my search that I was able to learn something about scams and shady operators.This is great. I wish that all writers did as much research prior to submitting!

IMO, you're doing the right thing in searching for an agent first, at least if your goal is publication by a large publisher. A number of SF/fantasy imprints do accept unagented work, but they take a loooooong time to get to it (a year or even two isn't unknown), and it's rarely an actual editor who goes through the slush pile. Having a (good) agent allows you to skip the slush pile madness, and get your manuscript directly to an editor who can (hopefully) make a recommendation to buy it.

When it comes to agents listed with AAR, I did send them an email asking how to access that list, but never received a reply.The AAR list is useful as a place to check agents you've already identified as possibles. But it doesn't provide enough information about the agents' specialties and interests to be helpful as a primary research source.

Here are some links that should help you identify science fiction agents:



A list of agents who represent SFWA members. (http://www.sfwriter.com/agent.htm) You'll need to do more research on each of them, but it's a place to start.
Speculations (http://www.speculations.com/) is an excellent monthly e-newsletter with articles and market information.
If you aren't already, you should be reading Locus magazine, which reports each month on who's selling what to whom. It's one of the best ways to learn about agents and publishers in the field. There's subscription information at its website (http://www.locusmag.com).
A relatively recent interview (http://www.computercrowsnest.com/sfnews2/03_april/news0403_1.shtml) with some major agents in the SF/fantasy field. Very informative.
- Victoria

[L M Ashton]

I've read that it takes 5 or 6 written novels before you really know how to write a good one. I've also read that it takes a million written words before you have it down. Personally, I've recently finished writing my third novel (didn't bother to even attempt to edit the first two - they need too much restructuring), and I can notice a jump in quality from first to third, and I know I still have much to learn. I'm now working on the fourth. My third is pretty good, and even good enough to edit and get it out there, I think. The first two I'll edit and restructure, just not now.

It's great that you've finished one. I would get moving on the next one. Master the craft. Don't worry so much right now if it's perfect or not perfect - it won't be perfect regardless of what you do. But keep writing, because that's how you learn to write.

[maestrowork]

The end sometimes justifies the wait. Seriously. It took me over 2 years to write my novel. Over 10 months (and many rejections later) to find a publisher. And over a year through the publishing process... If you'd asked me 4 years ago, I'd have said, "No way it would ever take so long." But it did. It doesn't matter. My novel is in pre-order now.

And will I do that again? You bet. I'm writing my second novel.

Like Cathy said, if you spend so much time writing and nurturing your novel, shouldn't you give it just as much time or more to find an agent/publisher?

Another gold: "It takes years to be an overnight success." It took JK Rowling almost 10 years to see Harry Potter in print... sometimes something is simply worth the wait.

[mrs75]

Larry,

You wouldn't believe how many old manuscripts I have that I've just piled into my filing cabinet. But I do have one thing that I always tell writers, and that is, never give up on your dreams, work toward them.

I've never seen a perfect published novel, let alone a perfect manuscript
Me neither. As a matter of fact, I see novels by well known authors that even have a few mistakes. No one is perfect, and I don't think editors and agents expect your submissions to be 100% perfect--they just don't like submissions with many errors.

Keeping working toward your dreams. Best wishes!

[mystified]

I can't thank all of you enough! :D I'm officially impressed at the truly caring support and encouragement I'm seeing here. For what it's worth, I really DO feel much better about my writing than when I first posted.

Thanks, too, to Victoria for the links. I will definitely make use of them (can't go through them until tonight...have to leave for the day and don't have access to computer online during the evening), but I will have a look at all of them.

Anyway, thanks much, again, to all! :)

[MystiAnne]

Larry,

I have a horrible habit of using a word twice in the same sentence, it's like a nervous tic or something! I now have a bullet list of things to check for before I send stuff out (enclosed below).

Not meaning to shrink heads or anything, but a wise guy in the screenwriting biz once talked to me about subconscious self-sabotage--we don't really believe we're good enough so we "make mistakes" that prove it. I think I did some of that, now I take a breath and use my lists to catch my inner "I'm scared of achieving this goal." If none of this resonates, fohgeddaboudit and start up on #2.

Oh, hopefully you can work with other writers in a group or attend classes or conferences to get some feedback, to help you develop your knowledge of what's good and what needs improvement in your writing? It's really hard to do it 100% alone! You'll spend less time wondering "is it me" and more time writing with the feedback of good fellow writers.

Congrats on your achievements to date, and keep going. I just got my first print publication when I never thought it would happen. If I can do it (runaway at 18, wild child, hopeless California sense of grammar, so many years as technical writer and failed screenwriter that you'd think my prose skills would be petrified!), so can you!!! There's a ton of competition, but good or original stories (hopefully both, but not always!), clear vision, singular outlook expressed in the writing will eventually get you some attention...

Mysti

One full pass through the entire manuscript per item:

- Unintentional repeated words.
- Punctuation, including missing periods at ends of sentences.
- Logical time progression (do I have 48 hours worth of events taking place in one day? Call a scene spring in one place and fall in another?)
- Changing eye/hair/clothing details (continuity)
- Read aloud test (for shorter pieces usually, including query letters). Read it aloud. What makes me stumble or take awkward breaths unintentionally

[Cathy C]

A relatively recent interview (http://www.computercrowsnest.com/sfnews2/03_april/news0403_1.shtml) with some major agents in the SF/fantasy field. Very informative.
TERRIFIC article, Victoria! I saw that it included the wisdom of our own Andy Zack. Thanks for posting it! :)

[Bufty]

Mystified, I think you are doing just fine. I didn't start writing till I was 60+. :banana: (But please don't tell anyone here or that's my credibility out the window)

[batgirl]

Lucy Maria Boston (L.M. Boston) author of the wonderful Green Knowe series, didn't start writing until her 60s. Once she started, she wrote a book a year and sewed a quilt a year. The quilts are beautiful and intricate too.
-Barbara

[JackieG]

Yes, the odds are overwhelming when you take the time to look at them, Larry--and it just so happens that I've been looking at them myself, and have found myself in need of filling out the application for the disgruntled club.

But! As the others have so eloquently put it, you've accomplished so much! And it really is all about time. Allow for plenty, but don't waste a minute. :) Keep querying those agents, and, in the meantime, keep writing.

Now I have to figure out how to take my own advice.http://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/icons/icon11.gif

[MarkPettus]

"Writing isn't a lottery -- the talk about the "odds" is misleading -- it's a game of skill. If you write total trash, no matter how many manuscripts you send in you won't get picked. If you write Really Good Stuff, the only thing that'll keep it from being published is if you don't submit it." James D. McDonald

I printed this and hung it on my wall last spring. I look at it every day.

[mystified]

"...If you write total trash, no matter how many manuscripts you send in you won't get picked. If you write Really Good Stuff, the only thing that'll keep it from being published is if you don't submit it."

Ah, Mark, therein lies the problem....how to define "trash." I am sure that what some editors consider trash, others may consider a "fresh approach," or "stimulating," or some other such term. I am sure it depends on WHICH editor sees it.

I've seen/read books which made me wonder why I didn't put them down after the first page, or the first chapter. I read one by Isaac Asimov which, for the first third of the book, I nearly shelved without finishing. However, since it was Asimov (a writer I truly respect), I went ahead and continued on. Finally, although I personally don't consider it one of his best, it at least began to make some sense. The book was "Nemesis." Although I like Asimov, I would not read it again, nor watch the movie if it became one.

He had others I thought were great. However, I have to wonder if "Nemesis" would have been published at all if Asimov weren't already established as a writer. Could it be that lesser works are published only because the author is well-known, even if the book itself would be called "trash" if written by an unpublished writer?

As for myself, I do not pretend to be a super-writer type, nor do I think I have "the best story ever written," or any such nonsense. The truth is, as has already been pointed out, that my story may just be "not good enough" for publication. That is fine. Still, I devoted two years to the writing, even pinpointing actual dates/days in the year 2101 and other details. I have also invested much time and effort, (fruitlessly, at this point...so far) in finding an agent or publisher. It may never be published. However, I will never consider it "trash."

I think it may be too toned-down for today's world (no sexual or violent situations.....OMG! A novel without either?? God forbid!). Well, it's true...mine has neither. Still, I think it's a good sci-fi story (published or not), and I am proud to have written it, even if nobody ever knows about it, and it does NOT need that "stuff" to be a valid story....IMHO.

It is not trash. It is "The Reverie Project," and I created it. As for editors/agents who would call it trash....oh, never mind: There's no point in posting my reaction, anyway.

I sign this now: "Proud to have written a book!" :D .......Larry

[Jamesaritchie]

Ah, Mark, therein lies the problem....how to define "trash." I am sure that what some editors consider trash, others may consider a "fresh approach," or "stimulating," or some other such term. I am sure it depends on WHICH editor sees it.

I've seen/read books which made me wonder why I didn't put them down after the first page, or the first chapter. I read one by Isaac Asimov which, for the first third of the book, I nearly shelved without finishing. However, since it was Asimov (a writer I truly respect), I went ahead and continued on. Finally, although I personally don't consider it one of his best, it at least began to make some sense. The book was "Nemesis." Although I like Asimov, I would not read it again, nor watch the movie if it became one.

He had others I thought were great. However, I have to wonder if "Nemesis" would have been published at all if Asimov weren't already established as a writer. Could it be that lesser works are published only because the author is well-known, even if the book itself would be called "trash" if written by an unpublished writer?

As for myself, I do not pretend to be a super-writer type, nor do I think I have "the best story ever written," or any such nonsense. The truth is, as has already been pointed out, that my story may just be "not good enough" for publication. That is fine. Still, I devoted two years to the writing, even pinpointing actual dates/days in the year 2101 and other details. I have also invested much time and effort, (fruitlessly, at this point...so far) in finding an agent or publisher. It may never be published. However, I will never consider it "trash."

I think it may be too toned-down for today's world (no sexual or violent situations.....OMG! A novel without either?? God forbid!). Well, it's true...mine has neither. Still, I think it's a good sci-fi story (published or not), and I am proud to have written it, even if nobody ever knows about it, and it does NOT need that "stuff" to be a valid story....IMHO.

It is not trash. It is "The Reverie Project," and I created it. As for editors/agents who would call it trash....oh, never mind: There's no point in posting my reaction, anyway.

I sign this now: "Proud to have written a book!" :D .......Larry

I don't think "trash" is the right word for most boosk that don't find a home. Just not good enough or original enough, is usually the problem.

But it is true that there are no odds. Not all editors recognize good, but pretty much all editors recognize bad. Bad is easy to spot. Good is tougher. But good books with good stories and good characters find homes somewhere. They just do. The world is not awash with good books that can't find a publisher.

Now, personally, I liked Nemesis start to finish. I thought it was one of Asimov's better books. There's no way it was trash, or too bad to publish.

But whether or not it would have been published had Asimov not been famous has nothing at all to do with whether or not you can find a publisher for your bnook. That's comparing apples to spaceships. A famous writer may or may not have to write a book of high quality to get published. I don't happen to believe this, but the thing to remember is that even if it's true, it has nothing to do with you. At most, even if true, it would only mean that a famous writer can have a bad book published, but you can't. Why would you want to?

As a new writer, you must write a good book. And the smaller the market share of teh genre, the better that book must be to find a home. But would you really want it any other way?

At any rate, good may have trouble finding a home, but it will find one eventually. And if it's really good, it will usually find a home sooner, rather than later.

Bad is what has trouble finding a home. Mediocre is what has trouble finding a home. Average is what has trouble finding a home. Good seldom has a problem, and hwne it does, there's always a reason for it. Most often, the problem lies with the efforts of the writer, not faults with the puboishers or agents.

And new writers nearly always devote too much time and energy to first novels. First novels that are really good come in the category of miracles. second, fourth, or sixth novels, now, may be good enough. First novels seldom are, and there's no reason they should be good enough, any more that first attempts at painting or playing the piano are good enough.

[aruna]

And new writers nearly always devote too much time and energy to first novels. First novels that are really good come in the category of miracles. second, fourth, or sixth novels, now, may be good enough. First novels seldom are, and there's no reason they should be good enough, any more that first attempts at painting or playing the piano are good enough.

Though it's true that good first novels are rare, and that first novels are rarely published, I think the time and energy put into them is actually well spent. We should think of these as apprentice novels. They can be taken apart and put together again word for word, they can break out hearts, and in the end they may never get published, yet all that effort was for something. It makes better writers of us, it strengthens our writing muscles, it builds out determination. The thing is that we make all that effort believing with all our hearts that it will come to fruition, and that's as it should be.

The day I realised that I had to let go of the first novel and start another was the turning point for me; and yet it could never have come without all the initial effort. It was my second novel, not the first, that got published. And I wouldn't have it any other way. But if I'd known this at the time I'd have been devastated!

[Jamesaritchie]

Though it's true that good first novels are rare, and that first novels are rarely published, I think the time and energy put into them is actually well spent. We should think of these as apprentice novels. They can be taken apart and put together again word for word, they can break out hearts, and in the end they may never get published, yet all that effort was for something. It makes better writers of us, it strengthens our writing muscles, it builds out determination. The thing is that we make all that effort believing with all our hearts that it will come to fruition, and that's as it should be.

The day I realised that I had to let go of the first novel and start another was the turning point for me; and yet it could never have come without all the initial effort. It was my second novel, not the first, that got published. And I wouldn't have it any other way. But if I'd known this at the time I'd have been devastated!

Time and energy writing them, yes, but tying your wagon to that star and refusing to move on, no. A writer needs to start a second novel about three days after the first one is completed.

You can market one novel while writing another. Submitting a manuscript to agents and ediors doesn't take all that much time, and there's never, ever a reason to stop writing because you finish a novel manuscript.

[aruna]

Time and energy writing them, yes, but tying your wagon to that star and refusing to move on, no. A writer needs to start a second novel about three days after the first one is completed.

You can market one novel while writing another. Submitting a manuscript to agents and ediors doesn't take all that much time, and there's never, ever a reason to stop writing because you finish a novel manuscript.

True enough; but as a novice writer you just don't know when the time has come to say "it's finished". In my case, it could have come after a year; or after two. I chose to spend three years working on it - I had the encouragement of an agent, who helped me with every rewrite. At each stage, I thought it was "finished"; but it wasn't.

IN my case, I find that new levels of meaning surface after leaving the ms for a few weeks. With my present novel, I thought it was finished almost nine months ago. Two months later I almost screamed out loud; a whole new aspect opened up, and I added several new chapters and removed several others. Months later, an entire new rewrite.

It's important during the process to be in touch with what I call a "creative centre". There is a sort of restlessness there while the novel is still in progress; even if you aren't conscious that it's not really finished, that restlessness prevents you from moving on to the next novel.

I am not one who can simply turn on a new book at will. I need to listen, to stay tuned; and one day a new story presents itself, perhaps not fully formed, but in an overwhelming urge to sit down and write. Until that comes, I busy myself wioth other, less taxing writing projects. I have, for instance, one ongoing project that has been with me for more than 30 years, and which I pick up in the times between books.

[Jamesaritchie]

For me, a novel is finished after a given draft. There's always another level to be found, always things that can be changed, always rewriting and revision that can be done. Write it, do another draft, polish, then let it go. Change nothing else until someone with a checkbook asks you to. Write it, submit it, forget it.

If any truly important changes need to be made, an editor will tell you so. An editor with a checkbook.

I don't think any better advice exists for new writers than Robert Heinlein's Rules For Writing.

HEINLEIN'S RULES FOR WRITING


1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you write.
3. You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.
4. You must put the work on the market.
5. You must keep the work on the market until it is sold.

This is how novelists are born.

Maybe the best explanation of tehse rules can be found at Robert J. Sawyer's website. http://www.sfwriter.com/ow05.htm

I don't even believe in urges to write, any more than I believe in writing only when you're inspired You write by the constant practice of BIC. Do this, sit down every day and write, and inspirtation and urges aren't needed.

Nothing is ever finished. The old saying is that "even the best work is never finsihed, only abandoned. Learn to abandon yours." It's true.

[aruna]

I guess we all have our methods; mine works for me. I do write almost every day, at the set time. If I don't write I meditate; that is the same, or better. And when I write, it's not necessarily on a new novel. Sometimes a novel is gestating silently, and then suddenly I get the command: write! And I do. What I do is hold myself open to the process. It may not fit in with anybody else's rules for writiing: but for me, and for the kind of books I write, it works. And that's what matters!

The novels I write are extremely complex, with many storylines weaving in and out of each other. They need those long periods of gestation. Stillness is part of the process.

I have the feeling that the novel is actually inside me, fully formed, and perfect; but it takes several trials, several new beginnings, until I can "discover" it in its entirety.
But then again, I am still learning, and I still have a lot to learn. Perhaps by the time I reach novel number 7 or 8, I'll hit the target with my first try. Perhaps I only have five or six novels inside me, and I'll stop after the next one. Who knows? I don't worry about it. I don't really think I have to be writing all the time, or all of my life.

[Julie Worth]

It's important during the process to be in touch with what I call a "creative centre". There is a sort of restlessness there while the novel is still in progress; even if you aren't conscious that it's not really finished, that restlessness prevents you from moving on...


I get this vague feeling something isn’t right. Sometimes I try to argue with it, but the feeling wins in the end. The common experience that your entire novel is crap is, I think, just many such ignored/repressed feelings that have come together.



So now I think it’s best to write a chapter or two, then edit them before proceeding. Edit them until the disquiet is gone. That way I don’t leave huge structural problems in the middle. Like this one—

[aruna]

I get this vague feeling something isn’t right. Sometimes I try to argue with it, but the feeling wins in the end.



Yes - it's a kind of disquiet.
I don't like to abandon a project until I am sure that I have done my very, very best with it. That was the case with my first novel - the one that didn't get published.
With two of my novels - the two middle published ones - I also "knew" they weren't quite finished. That nagging feeling was literally screaming at me! But there was this awful deadline hanging over me, and my editor accepted them as they were.
I never could read the second one in published form because of that, though readers said they liked it. As for the third, I was given the rare opportunity of doing some more work on it between the hardback and paperback editions.

[Nateskate]

There has to be a vision. What I mean by this is a sense that you were meant to do something, accomplish something. That vision has to be your destination. If there is a destination, the mountains in between don't dictate whether you should be going. They are only obstacles.

There are mountains, valleys, and pits between the starting point and the goal, and I've traipsed them all. If you look up from a pit it's easy to say, "I should never have bothered." But you've just got to get out of the pit, brush off, and keep going. To me it's like Frodo going to Mount Doom. Every step of the way is an adventure. There's no doubt it will be worth it when you get there.

Keep your eye fixed on the prize and you can get there.

Example. I wrote the wholes story- which was meant as a trilogy, and realized I had to make major changes to make it work. I had to add characters, re-work many scenes. But sometimes it seemed so daunting. One of the temptations was to simply send it out as is, and hope it was good enough. I imagine other great stories required massive re-writes. And if your story is really good to go-hopefully. Then really, it's more a matter of refining your pitch, and if that's all there is, then let some of the coaches on these boards help you.

[Julie Worth]

That nagging feeling was literally screaming at me!

And sometimes the feeling is not for what I’ve written, but for what I’m going to write. So I’m trying to edit the previous chapter, believing it’s leading to disaster, for how can this character escape—I’ve killed her off far too soon. And then I see where it goes, of course! And I realize that everything I’ve written is right.

Perhaps the muse hid it from me so I could be caught up in the moment?

[Nateskate]

And sometimes the feeling is not for what I’ve written, but for what I’m going to write. So I’m trying to edit the previous chapter, believing it’s leading to disaster, for how can this character escape—I’ve killed her off far too soon. And then I see where it goes, of course! And I realize that everything I’ve written is right.

Perhaps the muse hid it from me so I could be caught up in the moment?





This can be one of those C.S Lewis vs J.R.R Tolkien things. C.S Lewis was prolific and I guess he was rather strong in his views. One churned out book after book, the other seemed to take forever. Lewis commented that Tolkien responded to criticism in one of two ways, he would either dismiss it altogether or he would rewrite the whole chapter. And I think Lewis was implying he was doing this needlessly when a small correction could be made, or in fact, there was nothing wrong and it was just an opinion.

Tolkien was a second-guesser, and kept re-writing and revising for years. And he had no confidence in LOTR and was surprised others liked it. So, second guessing yourself is not a sign you are on the wrong track. I'm still in publishing limbo (waiting to hear). And while I'm waiting, I'm muddling away, some days upbeat, some days down. Yesterday one of the Beta readers told me that my story was much better than Eragon, and "You absolutely have to do this." Sure it's only a fix until I get published. But it's nice when you feel like someone else has confidence in you when your own waivers. Hang in there. Perhaps what you dislike or question about your stroy might appeal very much to others.