The first thing I want to address is something every writer faces…self doubt. It’s not unusual, when you send your work out into the world, to be a little touchy about it. It’s your baby, something you poured your heart and soul into. You want everyone to love it as much as you do, just as it is. Okay, now get over that and become a writer.
No one writes a masterpiece on the first go. Writing is editing. The thing is, you have to be able to take a critique and pull out the things that will strengthen your writing. You have to shift through a lot of subjective crap, people’s preferences and pet-peeves, to distill the helpful comments.
Go with your gut. If someone hates a part you love, leave it be…if five people hate a part you love, ask yourself why. You may have to cut something you thought was fantastic, or rewrite something you believed to be perfect, but in the end, your book will be better. No one gets it right the first time.
Very sound advice!
ReplyDeleteAs someone who wishes to become a novelist and is working on a rough draft, I love getting advice from people who know what they're doing! Thank you Demitria.
ReplyDeleteGood advice! Definitely take everyone's criticisms with a grain of salt--everyone has different tastes--but be willing to consider what parts don't work.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice. I am in the revision stage right now and sometimes it feels like a dance I need to practice over and over again. It's work. But hopefully near the end I can get it to flow. And it's never done! AW!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think editing is harder than writing...you have to make so many decisions, when before all you had to do was create!
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