Writing, a Solitary Pursuit - or is it?

I've heard people say that writing is a solitary pursuit. You do it in front of a computer or notebook for hours at a time, you don't talk to anyone except the imaginary voices in your head, and you don't let anyone read what you've written until its done.

Hello, that sounds like most ordinary 9-5 jobs!

But while all of that is true, writing isn't actually all that solitary. Or it doesn't have to be.

This weekend I spent a lot of time with my author friends around town. We hobknobbed about the national RWA meeting and what changes we wanted to see in our own local RWA chapter. We traded editing and writing techniques.

Another friend was having trouble getting a character to be more sympathetic to readers and we talked about it until she was able to find the missing ingredients. Another friend helped me build a website, here, which is so important for every author these days. And Mr. SM helped me find how one story I'm writing, The Navy's Ghost, fit into the paranormal world I've created for all my other stories.

Writing might be a solitary pursuit when you're actually doing it, but the stories come out stronger and better when you can connect with other writers and people who give you a different perspective. Without the help of all these friends (CR Moss, Shannan Albright, RM Sotera, Natascha McIntyre, Beverly Preston, Mr. SM), my stories wouldn't be nearly as good or ready to show to the world.

Having other authors as friends also allows you to broaden your understanding of the trade and craft of writing. They have experience you don't and you can learn from their mistakes and successes. You can also meet more professionals within the publishing world. The more people you know who are successful in this world, the better for you!

I've received invaluable help and advice from my author friends. If you're an aspiring writer, don't hide yourself away from everyone. The most interesting writing out there is always about people, and the more people you know and learn from, the better your writing will be. Good luck!

Editing and Critique Partners

Oh, the dreaded E word!

I don't mean "electronic", which gives book publishers hives. No, I mean someone taking a hacksaw to your work and bleeding all over it until you're not sure you ever wrote anything good to begin with.

Editing.

That said, editors have a thankless job. First, the writers come to them, whining and crying, "Oh please edit my work. It's good. It'll be worth your while; you'll see!" And then when they do as the writer asks, and edit to the best of their ability, the writers whine and cry, "Oh, how could you be so cruel? How could you kill my favorite sentences?" They get it coming and going.

The thing is, you can't edit your own work. You can see the story in your mind, but you're too close to it. You can't see where you've failed to explain it well enough or clearly enough through your writing. Worse, what about all the correctly spelled typos? The spellchecker won't catch it when you spell the darn word correctly, even if it's the wrong word. Taylor Mali gives an excellent illustration of why we need editors and proof readers in his poem The Impotence of Proofreading.

Having someone edit your work is nerve-wracking and scary, but the whole point of being a writer is so someone will eventually read your work! And not your mother, who's very proud of you and will tell you your writing is fabulous even when it's crap. Not your friends, either. They're too scared to hurt your feelings because they know this is "your baby".

You need editors and critique partners, people you can trust to tell you where your story needs elaboration, cutting back, or even rewriting. And you have to trust them to look at the story with your best interests at heart. They are there to help you make the story better. Granted, you don't want people who are derisive or so negative they kill your love and urge to write; but you do want people who critique seriously and with the intent to help you. The comments may be hard to read, but they are meant to make your story the best it can be.

The biggest thing you must do is let go of your "Attachment To The Words". You can't have favorite sentences when you hand off your work to an editor. They might get cut or moved or so rearranged they don't look like they did before they left your hands. You have to let it all go. Once it goes to your critique partners, it will change, probably for the better. The good news is you can choose which comments to take to heart and which to ignore. Maybe your reader didn't get what you were trying to say and a little rewording will help. Maybe they jumped the gun too early and the problem will be explained a little later, so you just need a little more setup to prime them.

A big thing to remember: the editor and critique partners are there TO HELP. The more comments they make, the more they care to make your story the best it can be.

I have (currently) four critique partners who help me smooth the rough spots, fill out the descriptions, and edit the crappy word choices I made. They also come from all walks of life: I managed to find a technical writing editor who can fix my word usage (YAY!); I found a scientific writer who enjoys science fiction and romance stories, and reads, a lot; I have a romantic suspense writer who has a great grasp of romantic elements in the crazy world of conflict; and I convinced a science fiction/fantasy writer to critique my work to help me with the paranormal aspects of my stories.

The more people who read your work and offer suggestions, the better. You'll never catch all the little quirks in your stories, but the cleaner you make them, the greater the likelihood you'll win a contract with a publisher and/or agent.

The biggest thing I want to offer: DON'T GIVE UP, even if you have a lot of work to do on the story you had critiqued. So this story wasn't the best; move on to the next one and learn from the mistakes on the first. Deb Coonts mentioned that the first story is good, the second story is great, and the third one is awesome, because she's had practice and learned from the mistakes. Same thing here. Don't give up after the first story if it isn't as good as you thought. The best stories are yet to come! :)