#1. Jealousy
Admit it. We all look around and see the writers who make a living
from writing, but we're here struggling to even be noticed. Some people have
thousands of Twitter and Facebook followers...and some of us only have 100-200,
if that. We see success and get jealous because obviously there's a secret
we're missing.
In my experience, I've found that the best way to gain
followers and get word out is to push, push, push. Make yourself seen. Send out
press releases, make book trailers, ask people with lots of followers to make a
quick shout out. Some people will, some people won't. Don't get angry if
someone doesn't.
Just push forward.
#2. "I'm Nearly Finished" Anxiety
Let's say you've written three-quarters of a book. You're nearing
the end and you're excited to finish. What happens? Most likely, you'll rush.
You want to finish. You want to breathe. You know once those last words are
typed, you can sit back and forget about the book for a while. The hard part
will be over.
But you rush.
I know I did. How could I tell? As I neared the end, I began feeling anxious. I
told myself, "Come on, finish
already." I didn't take as much time to develop those
final scenes (I ended up scrapping them anyway, but still).
When you
write that first draft, you're going to rush near the end. Maybe you type
summaries of what would happen so you could just go back and expand later.
Personally, I wish I hadn't rushed at the end. I should have sat back, let it
sit a day or two, and finished it later. It's hard to resist finishing when
you're so close, but sometimes it might be the best option.
#3. The Impulse to Start Editing Immediately after Finishing a Draft
Whatever you do, DON'T edit right after you write the last word.
Don't touch the book for 24 hours. After 24 hours is up, don't touch it for
another week.
JUST DON'T.
The story is fresh in your mind. You won't feel it,
but after writing a book, your brain is like mud after a rainstorm. Everything
is so jumbled up in your head that it all flows together.
You might think editing
is the best choice because everything needs editing, but if you only listen to
one thing I ever say, listen to this: DON'T EDIT RIGHT AFTER FINISHING. Wait
anywhere from a week to a month or more.
Let the mud thicken, THEN start
crafting. Your mind needs to rest, or else mistakes are going to slip right
through the cracks.
#4. The Urge to Send a Draft to Readers after One Round of Editing
So you waited a few weeks, made your revisions, and now you want to
send the story to beta readers. Once again, STOP. Back away from the
manuscript. Wait. Once another week or two has gone by, go back to the story
and edit it again.
Repeat this
process at least twice. I didn't send my latest book to any beta readers until
the fourth draft. This is because you want to make sure you're telling the
right story. Trust me, THE STORY WILL CHANGE. My book started as one story and
basically took a 180-turn by the time I reached the fourth draft.
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| READ MY BOOK NOW!!! |
In short:
don't let people read your book until you've revised it a few times and are
completely sure it is the story you want to tell.
#5. Shredding the Word Count
Editing should tighten the story. You want to say big things as
quickly as possible. Stay creative, though. Don't simplify everything to the
point where it's all a bunch of statements tied together. Keep the color, but
don't use to much paint (the metaphors are pouring out today).
Basically,
when we write we tend to subconsciously use redundancy. You might find the same
statement made three different ways in one paragraph, but you didn't catch them
when you wrote it. Cut the fluff, all the information that readers just don't
need. This will naturally occur as you discover what your story is about.
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| Look what you can do with all that fluff |
Take my
novel, for example. The first draft of Embassy was 151,000 words. Seven drafts later, I
literally cut it in half to 76,000 words. The story changed from the first
draft, and though it's shorter, it's MUCH more powerful.
That's
all I have for today, but keep checking back for more!
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