#PenPower Myth Debunk #6: Editing is scary!

All writers know that writing and editing go hand in hand. Yet whenever someone does an interview with a writer, the editing part is mostly forgotten, and the interview veers strongly in the direction of the writing process itself. Why did the author write the book? How did they write it? Interview questions are usually centered around those questions while editing and the editing process is almost entirely left out.

I wanted to know: How do my favourite writers edit their pieces? Do they get cold feet when the time comes to make sense of their (messy?) first draft?

A lot of writers think editing is the scariest thing they will have to do when it comes to what they've written. Writing is fun. It uses the creative half of the brain and doesn't really care about anything but play. The editing process is a different beast entirely.

But is this actually the truth? This week we've asked the twelve writing superheroes a question that'll help us get to the bottom of whether editing is actually as fearsome as it's made out to be:

What is scarier? Writing or editing?

TIM: I don't find either scary... I used to find editing difficult, when I started out. Eventually I grew to love it, but I sometimes say that drafting is an elemental pleasure and revision is an intellectual one. First draft writing is fun like going down a zipline is fun, like sex is fun, like swimming is fun, like psychedelic drugs are fun. Revising is fun like doing a crossword puzzle is fun. If I didn't get paid to write, I'd still write, but I *would* revise a lot less.

I didn't really have any trouble working on the [Axiom] trilogy, except balancing the action with the quiet character moments. There's SO much action I thought there was a danger of skimping on the characters, so I did my best to make sure the action reflected things about the people too. I was unevenly successful.

MARTHA: Writing first draft is the hardest for me. I actually like the revising and editing stages. First draft for Murderbot is very difficult, since that’s where I figure out the logistics of Murderbot’s multiple inputs, and that can be very tricky.

ANNA: This is not an easy question to answer; both! Drafting a brand new book from a rough outline (in my case) is very exciting, but it's always scary because I know I'm not going to hit all the arcs and story beats in the way that I want. Plus, what if I completely fluff the story? What if it it's boring, or over-long, or florid? Then again, getting edits back can be terrifying, but once I've sulked and railed at the injuctice of my editors pointing out my mistakes, I get really excited to make those sections better. I'd say actually, the scariest parts are the parts where I'm not writing and therefore have no control over the story - waiting to see if my publishers want to buy it; waiting for edits; waiting for the book to come out; waiting for those first reviews... 

I actually enjoy all the aspects of writing and editing, within a mildly stressed and terrified framework!

YOON: Writing, definitely. I'm not afraid of editing. I like taking a mess of manuscript and whipping it into shape; it's like doing a jigsaw puzzle and making everything fall into place, except more fun. (I hate jigsaw puzzles. Sorry, puzzle aficionados!) Writing, on the other hand, is just a long slog of getting the words out. Editing lets me fix the words that already exist. I'm much faster at editing than writing

RICH: I worked as a professional editor before I started writing, and I’ve always been more comfortable with the editing process. However, I do find if you put the prep in before you begin the drafting process (i.e. plan your story, know your characters, have your chapter breakdowns ready) there’s a lot less work to do at the back end.

The Steelhaven trilogy was a long journey, but it was helped by the fact I knew the characters inside out before I started writing the first paragraph. Still, I found the editing process much easier than writing the first draft, and probably always will.

THORAIYA: They’re both scary! But on Titan’s Forest, I found the writing more challenging. There were so many people and places I wanted to fit into the overall story, and I was worried it was too confusing, or that I wasn’t introducing things in the right order. I really relied on my editor to help point out the places where there was too much exposition in one hit. Contemporary fantasy or near-future science fiction is so much easier from that standpoint.

EOWYN: I don't find either process scary necessarily. I do sometimes find it challenging to get into the zone, to really become absorbed in the work to the point that nothing distract me. The initial writing process feels very intimate and private, something like dreaming when it's going well. During editing, I have to shift gears and think outside of myself and try to engage with how other people are experiencing it. It can be hard sometimes to set aside my own ego and defensiveness, but I always remember to be grateful. As hard as it is to hear from my agent or editor that something isn't working, I know that ultimately it will push me to make the book better. Often the most difficult part of that process is figuring out how to fix the problems that they've spotted, because I'll know they're right, something is not working, but they won't have the right solution. All of it, though -- the writing and the editing -- is a rollercoaster ride. One minute I'm chugging uphill and it's such hard work and I'm doubting myself, and then suddenly I'm cresting the rise and the wind is in my hair and the ride is positively exhilarating.

ADRIAN: I don’t think I’d class either as scary, but if forced to go for one then, editing. Writing is definitely more fun. Editing always feels gruelling, and I often have a gap between receiving edits and starting on them in which I feel the whole business is insuperable and horrible, but once I get down to it, it tends to go efficiently enough.

JOHN: I think each has its challenges. With writing, you're trying to get down on paper something that comes as close to what you want as possible. With editing, there's the realization that you've used the same word four times in two sentences, or that you've used the same type of sentence ten of the last eleven times.

With The Fisherman, I think the first was more of the issue, especially when it came to the book's middle section. I had to encourage myself to be as bold, as wild, as I could.

SUE: I think “scary” is the wrong word. Writing should be fun. If it’s not, maybe there’s a different job you would enjoy more. So, which is more fun, writing or editing? For me the first draft is generally harder and editing is easier, but that will vary from author to author. In any case, both writing and editing are necessary, like different parts of any job, and I try not to attach stressful emotions to the process. As Nike says, just do it.

KAT: Editing. If nobody likes my writing, I’m the only one that gets hurt. But hell hath no fury like a writer whose been told their ideas need work. 

CAITLIN: Editing. Even though I know it's necessary and therefore doesn't mean I got the previous draft wrong, there's still some pride caught up in it. And also fear that I won't be able to see or solve all the problems. I've had a few projects that, while good, have required substantial revisions/rewrites in order to be really good, which can be [difficult].

For The Luminous Dead, as I already mentioned, I had to rewrite half the book after it sold. The original draft had very real, very physical monsters, and the threat of those monsters formed the whole plot of the second half of the book. My editor, David Pomerico, decided we didn't need those monsters, and that the relationship between Gyre and Em, plus the uncertainty and dread of the cave itself, could more than fill the book. That meant I had to reorder a lot of events, and find a way to make a book with no big reveal of "the real threat" still feel satisfying. That's a tall order! I started by identifying the major problems and gaps caused by pulling out the monsters, then re-outlined, then started in on redrafting. It took about three months to get the second half redone to specifications. Then we cleaned everything up over the next half a year.

It appears from the answers above that editing is indeed scary. And so is writing. And some of our superheroes are even worried about both. Again there's no one answer. There's only sitting down and doing it anyway.

So this time comes a call to action in this last paragraph: What do you think? As a writer, which is more scary to you personally? Writing or editing? Or are you not scared of either like some of our superheroes? There's of course the option to be scared of both (and more!) too! Leave a comment in the comment section below or chime in on Twitter @Jasmingelinck!

In the next post we'll be looking closer at the (scary? Non-scary? You decide!) editing process itself! Must you edit? Why is it so essential? And how much should you edit?

#PenPower Myth Debunk #5: I must know everything before I start

This week's post deals with how much we must know at the beginning in order to know a good story. This goes a little bit back to the popular debate of plotter vs pantser and again everyone differs. Take Adrian for example. He's definitely someone who likes to plot his novels. He likes knowing details and having a clear outline. The masterplan needs to be there before he starts on a new project. Yet even Adrian has said in our last post that he mostly plans the beginning and the ending and doesn't spend as much time on the middle.

Could we then argue that you don't have to know as much as you think you need to know in order to start writing your story? Let's hear the details from our writing superheroes!

How much direction do you need in order to start a story?

TIM: I am a planner, though not an extensive outliner. At most I'll jot a few notes if the timeline is complex. I use the foggy mountains metaphor: I can see the mountaintops I'm trying to reach (major story moments), but the valleys in between are full of mist and mysteries. I make my way from one mountain to another, so I know where I'm going, but there's room for discovery along the way. I do sometimes find myself writing a completely different ending than the one I anticipated, usually because I've learned more about the characters and decided whatever resolution I first had in mind isn't true to their nature. Sometimes I'll throw in a character for expository or plot reasons and they'll interest me and interact fruitfully with other characters and I'll keep them around as a supporting player. So, I plan, but I'm open to serendipity.


MARTHA: I don’t always know much about the story when I start. I want to explore the character I’ve come up with, and I have an image of the environment they’re in that I want to develop. I’ll usually have some idea of the first plot point, and a very vague idea of what the ending might be. Once I get to that first plot point, I’ll have a better idea where to go from there.

KAT: (editor's perspective) When taking on a client to edit their manuscript I always ask for the elevator pitch first, then a one-page synopsis of the story with the major plot points laid out. I want to know the milestones of the story first so that I can gauge if the author is doing a good job getting to those milestones… or if they may have passed by the audience by unnoticed. I want to know here the author wants their story to end as well as begin so that the journey is as engaging as it can be.

ADRIAN: As noted, I plan extensively. However sometimes the plan doesn’t work, and that tends (to tie in with the above question) to be a matter of an increasing subconscious dissatisfaction with where things are going until I consciously overcome my reluctance to go back and rewrite, and admit things aren’t working. Sometimes I come up with a better way to do things and rework the plan for that reason. There’s also one part of the book I never plan out, which is the very end. I usually know what the climactic confrontation will be and who will be there for it, but the actual resolution is something I leave to the book’s own momentum to solve.

SUE: The more you know about a story, the easier it will be to write and the less likely you’ll get blocked at any point. I know people who write 100-page outlines for 400-page manuscripts, or who spend months working on the outline. I especially recommend knowing how the story will end — and make sure it’s a strong ending, because if you try to “pants” your way, you may be tempted to grab the first idea you get for an ending, which might be weak or hackneyed. Some genres like mysteries demand a pre-planned ending.

THORAIYA: In my early days [of writing I needed almost no direction to start]. Just a description of a place, or a feeling, or a person facing a dilemma. That can work well for short stories, but agents aren’t generally keen on a pitch that says, “I have this feeling and I want to write a novel about it!” I need a solid idea about the world, whether alien, alternate history or secondary, and I usually start from the ground up. You don’t know what a person will be like until you know their culture, and you don’t know what a society will be like unless you know the natural surroundings or technological situation. Everyone’s a product of their environment.

ANNA: Quite often this will depend on the length of the story. For instance I'm currently working on a short story that is entirely based on an image from a dream I had and the underlying feeling that came with it. That'll probably be about 10,000 words, which is quite long for something based on a single image, but it's clearly something I've wanted to focus on because the words are flowing really well. When I'm working on my Black Library commissions, they prefer much more thorough outlines and for me to stick quite closely to those plots, which is something that doesn't always come easily to me, but I'm getting better at it.

For novels, I always start with character, with a voice in my head and a sense of a person. From there comes setting, and from there comes antagonists and a sense of what might happen. I'll take a couple of weeks to brainstorm, jotting down things I might want to explore, and then crossing them out as others take precedence. I usually end up with a starting point, a main conflict, a couple of sub-plots and an end point. That's usually it for me and I begin drafting from there. The start and end points usually end up remaining roughly the same, and everything else in the middle is up for grabs and will change and flow as I work out what I'm really trying to convey.

I quite enjoy not really knowing what's coming next. There have been many occasions where I've genuinely been taken by surprise by a character's decision or actions and that sends me off on a completely different path that wasn't planned. And those paths always, always end up being better than where I thought I was going. A lot of writers scoff at the thought of their characters doing anything unplanned and say that it's impossible, and that's fine, that works for them. For me, there's a real sense of joy and wonder when my characters make their own decisions, because I know I'm on the adventure with them then.

YOON: I need to have a very strong idea of the plot beats, which for me means a chapter outline. Then I work out characters for whom that plot makes sense, although this is subject to change during the process of writing.

I'm fairly loose when it comes to worldbuilding. I think of worldbuilding like choosing the key and time signature of a piece when you're composing--the overall flavor of the piece. There's still so much you can do within that flavor. I tend to make up world details as I go in the rough draft, based on the flavor, and then to fix continuity in revisions.

RICH: I am a control freak. Experience has taught me I get the best results from detailed planning and preparation. That might just mean thinking about something for a few days and letting it germinate, rather than making extensive notes, maps, writing histories, etc, but I still have to have most of the story already formulated before I begin.

Once you’ve got a handle on your characters and setting, a lot of the time the story will write itself. You’re just the one telling the tale. I imagine that’s how a lot of pantsers (though I prefer the term ‘Gardeners’) begin, but it is a spectrum. Every different author will have a different method, but the whole ‘plotters vs pantsers’ thing is just down to when you start putting pen to paper. Even the most ardent plotter (or Architect) will start off with the seed of an idea. They will just choose to start crafting the prose after they have a stack of notes to write from. So aren’t we all Gardeners really?

JOHN: It really varies. Some projects I know from the beginning how they're going to begin and end and most of what's going to happen in between. Others, I have an opening and a vague sense of what the story's going to involve. A lot of times, I'll have random elements in my head and all of a sudden something will cause them all to fall into alignment and I have the story. It can be terrifying to begin something with little to no sense of where it's going, but I try to embrace that terror.

CAITLIN: [W]hen I'm actually putting words on paper, I sort of zone out, and the writing happens. I just have to provide the structure (outlines, notes, writing schedules, etc) to make sure things keep working.

EOWYN: In all of my books so far, I have had a core idea and a rough outline going into the process. But I also know that ideas and plot outlines are a dime a dozen. The surprising phrases, the unexpected development in a character or storyline, those things that jump to mind as I'm writing -- that's where my best work is, and I can never force or predict those moments. All I know is that I have to sit down and put in the time, and eventually it will happen, the layers will deepen and the metaphors will come. So for me, both elements -- the logical, linear and the random sparks of creativity -- are important to my writing process.

Although a lot of our writing superheroes like to make outlines (and I've heard of the occasional case where the outline is longer than the actual novel) before they start it does seem like many of them enjoy developing the story as they are writing it just as much. This can be from a single image or perhaps a character/scene/setting that they've had in mind for a while.

A lot of the points made make a lot of sense.

Your local stonemason needs an idea of what they're trying to craft. Whether they start chipping away immediately or create careful outline of the statue in their mind they will usually want to mark the most important features of the object they're trying to craft: Where does the head of the statue go? The arms? The torso? The feet? But even they might not be able to mark every piece of stone to the T. There will always be little details they haven't thought of that come to them when they're actually doing the work. The same applies to your work!

I can guarantee from our superheroes' responses that you will have some kind of idea before you start. It might be only a sentence and it might be only a word. You may choose to develop it into an outline before you begin or you might just write merrily ahead. They are both fine ways to create a story! (Although perhaps listen to the superheroes: The more complex the story the more likely it is you'll need more than just an image/character/setting/scene.)

That's it for today! I hope you've learned something useful and this post will help you panic less when it's time to start your next project!

Next week we're going to be looking at: WRITING VS EDITING. Why is editing so scary? Or is it?

WriteBot.

#PenPower Myth Debunk #4: I MUST outline

For this week's post I have to state a disclaimer first: Outlining is great. It's useful. This post isn't designed to prove outlining is not done or not useful. As usual every writer is different. Some outline, some don't. Either way can work for you to finish a manuscript. You just have to figure out what works for you personally.

So what IS this post about if it's not about disproving outlines can help you?

I've always been curious about the subconscious and the work our brain does when we're not actively thinking about work (or anything in particular). I wondered what this means for both writers who outline and those who don't.

Is the subconscious more relevant to writers who write directly from their brain without doing any pre-work? It seems like it should be - outliners usually have everything planned don't they? Is there a correlation between using your subconscious more or less whether you're someone who outlines vs someone who just writes what comes into their minds? I thought for a long time that there might be - surely someone who has thought up a tight plot doesn't need to rely on their subconscious so much - but I've since learned for myself this is not the case. The plotting outliners do before they start to write relies on the subconscious as much as the story that goes directly from brain to page.

But don't take it from me! Let's see what our twelve writing superheroes have to say about it!

This week we've asked:

How much control do you want over what you are writing? Where does the subconscious come in?

ADRIAN: (This was a very juicy question to pose to Adrian. As we've seen in the last few posts he's definitely a planning mastermind. He likes to know what he's doing before he does it. I was really curious what he'd say about the somewhat flightly subconscious...)

There is definitely a subconscious element [to writing a story], and I think perhaps a big part of being a writer might be to have a good partnership with your own brain. It’s very difficult to describe just when I’m riding my subconscious and when it’s riding me, and I suspect that the real writing gets done in a littoral space between the two worlds, informed by both.

RICH:
I am a control freak. Experience has taught me I get the best results from detailed planning and preparation. That might just mean thinking about something for a few days and letting it germinate, rather than making extensive notes, maps, writing histories, etc, but I still have to have most of the story already formulated before I begin.

JOHN:

I think my subconscious is much smarter than I am, so I try to remain open to its innovations while I'm working on something.  So many times, I've been writing something and the very process of working on it spawns an idea that improves it.

THORAIYA: I want the story and characters to follow my plot outline. But there’s something to be said for the subconscious solving plot problems while you’re working on something else.

KAT: Editing. If nobody likes my writing, I’m the only one that gets hurt. But hell hath no fury like a writer whose been told their ideas need work.

SUE:

Picasso said something like the muse comes when she’s called, and if you show up every morning at 9 at the studio, she’ll be there waiting for you. Your subconscious will be delighted to work with you if you enjoy what you work. Be careful not to sabotage yourself and your subconscious with self-doubt and destructive self-criticism.

It’s a good idea, though, to always carry a notebook with you or have a notes app on your phone. The subconscious has a bad habit of delivering great ideas when you least expect them.


CAITLIN:

My subconscious is a lot smarter and a lot more confident than I am. Sometimes it falls short (that's when those outlines come into play), but when I'm actually putting words on paper, I sort of zone out, and the writing happens. Similarly, when I'm doing those outlines, often the AHAH! moment comes when I'm doing something else. Cooking, walking, trying to go to sleep... it takes the pressure off, and then the part of my mind that's in the background flips a few puzzle pieces around and suddenly it makes sense. I just have to provide the structure (outlines, notes, writing schedules, etc) to make sure things keep working.

MARTHA:

I think the subconscious comes in a lot. I don’t always know much about the story when I start. I want to explore the character I’ve come up with, and I have an image of the environment they’re in that I want to develop. I’ll usually have some idea of the first plot point, and a very vague idea of what the ending might be. Once I get to that first plot point, I’ll have a better idea where to go from there. Sometimes I’ll get stuck because I’m trying to push the story in a direction where my subconscious doesn’t want it to go. Trying to figure out just what my subconscious wants can mean a lot of writing and re-writing.


TIM:

The subconscious is crucial because it's always gathering and combining things I've read or observed or experienced and sending weird little ideas to the surface: what if? what if? what if?  I daydream a lot, I run little scenarios in my mind, I talk to my characters (not aloud, anymore, usually), I get on the stationary bike and listen to music and figure out character arcs and plots. By the time I write I usually know what I'm writing (that's how I do it fairly quickly), but I do leave myself room to improvise and be surprised. I usually know what my characters need to do, and leave myself some wiggle room regarding how they do it.

ANNA:

Well, as stated before, I'll decide I want to write a story about ... equality, say, and I might get 10,000 words into it before my brain tells me I'm actually writing about oppression instead. So then I'll have to redraft parts of what I've already written to fit what it is I'm really trying to say. People talk about having a muse; for me that's my subconscious, and subconscious Anna can take a while to get going, but when she does, she comes up with good ideas. 

I've learnt that in my case it's best to let go of some level of control, because that's when I do my best work. The broad framework of the piece - the setting, the characters, and the main elements of the plot - will stay roughly the same, but the emphasis can shift quite dramatically when I find what it is I'm actually trying to say within that framework.

EOWYN:

In all of my books so far, I have had a core idea and a rough outline going into the process. But I also know that ideas and plot outlines are a dime a dozen. The surprising phrases, the unexpected development in a character or storyline, those things that jump to mind as I'm writing -- that's where my best work is, and I can never force or predict those moments. All I know is that I have to sit down and put in the time, and eventually it will happen, the layers will deepen and the metaphors will come. So for me, both elements -- the logical, linear and the random sparks of creativity -- are important to my writing process.

YOON:

I mean, there's only so much conscious control one can exercise. For me personally, I care a lot about controlling plot (that's the part I spend the most time on) and somewhat about controlling character and then theme just sort of happens as a side-effect. I'm sure it's different for others.

And... cut!

Again we are faced with a slew of hugely diverse answers about the subconscious works for our twelve writing superheroes.

I'd argue that the most important insight we can glean from this post is: There is a certain measure of subconscious effort that goes into every story whether you outline or not.

So is there then a reason to panic over not having an outline? To be afraid of losing control and not knowing where to go next? Probably not (unless your deadline is tomorrow and you haven't even started the story yet). Although it's useful (very useful) to have a plan where you're going (like you would on any trip!) your subconscious will do some of the work without you having to think about it. The rest is just sitting down and applying some elbow grease to your piece of text.

Here's an example. Say you live close to Amsterdam and you'd like to visit a city in your vicinity: Berlin isn't so far from you that you couldn't hop in the car and visit it (coronavirus aside). As someone who doesn't outline too much you may just get into the car and drive where your navigation system tells you. That's fine. You'll eventually reach Berlin.

It's equally fine to create an itinerary of exactly how you want to drive there. Do you want to stop somewhere in the east of the Netherlands to get gas? Do you want a lunch stop in Cologne? You can plan all these in and have a real outline of what your journey might be like.

It's fine to do it either way. Similar instincts to those that tell you when to stop for food (as opposed to having planned that exactly at 12:00 you will stop in Cologne to get a sandwich at a gas station) are the ones who'll tell you where your story's going off the rails if you haven't planned it out.

So what's the real secret to driving away the blank page fear here if you don't absolutely have to outline? It's this: Sit down and apply elbow grease even if you hate outlining. The story will come to you either way.

Next week we're going to look at another fear writers often come up against: What do you do if you don't have any ideas? Where do you start? So we're asking our twelve writing superheroes: How much direction do you need to have before you can start a story? Stay tuned!

#PenPower #3: Rules and Fear (How to beat your writerly worries)

In our last post we looked at how fast our favourite writing superheroes actually work. Do they get their work done in a few days? Does it take them months? Years? You can look all this up here: #PenPower Myth Debunk #2

This week's post is yet another treat. It isn't your usual Writing Rules post found on almost everyone's blog.
I did ask our twelve writing superheroes: Are there any hard and fast rules you adhere to? But I also asked two follow-up questions to clarify: What do you do when the writing gets hard? Are there any tips and tricks you use to get yourself on track?

We've got a lot of really great and insightful responses! They are of course closely connected to each writer's writing process and as usual each writer is different with their own tricks and guidelines that help them succeed. It may be to plan first. It may be to write at night only. But is there really THE ONE RULE every writer has to adhere to? It seems not.

In the stonemasonry world the rule might be something like this: Don't hit the hammer on your foot. In the writing world you can do that! You can hit your characters with a hammer - and more! You can even use adverbs (in limited fashion).

Without further ado let's see what our PenPower Twelve have to say about RULES and how they deal with writerly fear, stress, and other anxieties of difficult projects:

Do you have any hard and fast rules you adhere to? How do you stay on game mentally when you get worried? What tips and tricks do you use to stay on track?

MARTHA: I don’t really have any rules.

[Writing]'s not easy. I’m stressed most of the time and it’s often hard for me to concentrate. It helps to love the story you’re working on, but you can’t always count on that. The middle of the story, where everything has to start making sense and pulling together is the hardest, and that’s where a lot of new writers give up. You just have to keep slogging away on it. Usually if I can relax enough to get into re-reading and the draft, I can start sort of losing myself in the story and start producing new words. It’s an ongoing battle.

SUE: When you get writer’s block, it usually means nothing more than that you don’t know what to write: you aren’t sure how to start a piece, what to write as the next scene, how to solve a particular problem, etc. You solve writer’s block by figuring out what to write next. Some writers always know what to do, and others find themselves getting a bit lost from time to time. I’ve learned that when I’m having trouble writing, I need to make a plan so I know what to do, and the block evaporates.

I also keep a quote by Isak Dinsen on my bulletin board: “Write a little every day, without elation or despair.” I take that to mean that a good or bad writing day doesn’t define you as a good or bad writer. What matters is consistent effort. Every job has good and bad days, and a persistent trajectory leads to successful writing.

I’ve been working as a professional writer — that is, for pay — since 1971 when I was in high school. As a result, for me, writing is a way of life. It’s my job and I do it, whether the exact project I’m working on is easy or difficult or exciting or boring. All jobs have their good and bad parts, and that doesn’t worry me.

KAT: (again from an editor's point of view and more specifically about slush pile reading!) [The author's submission] must fit what I’m looking for the first time or not at all. I usually give authors the benefit of the doubt and read the first three paragraphs, but if it doesn’t hook me in that time, I give the piece a pass and move on to the next one.

I cannot stand blatant clichés. Stories that began with “You’ll never believe me” or “I’m not crazy” got an automatic rejection. Stories that brought gender issues or politics into the story got an automatic rejection. Modern politics has no place in my Lovecraft anthologies.

I love editing stories. I love helping authors to find their true voice and really make their stories shine. I’ve never had a moment where I felt worried or that the job was hard. It is true, there have been a few manuscripts where I knew I would have to be harsh and I didn’t know how the author would take it… but I just tell myself that this is part of the job. It’s up to the writer to consider my critique or not.

For Whispers, I did have a few authors who were not happy that their stories did not make the cut. And they voiced their displeasure in emails. That is fine. As long as they keep [it] civil. The few that did not just proved that I made the right choice in not working with them. And now I know that this isn’t a person I should work with in the future.


RICH: I am a control freak. Experience has taught me I get the best results from detailed planning and preparation. That might just mean thinking about something for a few days and letting it germinate, rather than making extensive notes, maps, writing histories, etc, but I still have to have most of the story already formulated before I begin.

IT’S ALWAYS HARD. Writing books is not easy, otherwise everyone would be doing it. But fear of failure and the need to pay your rent are great motivators.

I tend to look forward rather than back. If I find myself stressed or under pressure I always tell myself that the bad times will pass. They always have so far, so I guess that attitude works.

JOHN: I have to write fiction by hand and I prefer to use a legal pad.

[Stress and worry] happens all the time to me. I don't think there's a single work of fiction I've written that hasn't, at some point towards the end, made me feel deeply nauseated, as if it's terrible and I can't complete it and I don't know why I even bother.  I've learned, though, to recognize this as part of my process, and to accept that this usually means I'm doing what I should be doing.

ANNA: I've learnt that in my case it's best to let go of some level of control, because that's when I do my best work. The broad framework of the piece - the setting, the characters, and the main elements of the plot - will stay roughly the same, but the emphasis can shift quite dramatically when I find what it is I'm actually trying to say within that framework.

This is also important when it comes to editing. An artist acquaintance of mine told me she couldn't believe I would consent to be edited as that is muddying my artistic vision and did I not care about my work that I would let someone just come along and interfere? And ... that made me really angry. If she was painting an abstract piece and Jackson Pollock came along (yes, I know he's dead) and said, have you thought about adding a bit of red, would she really turn down that piece of advice? At the very least, she'd stand back and examine her creation and picture it with red in it. It's the same with editing. [You] have to give your professional editors' advice serious consideration.

[I] think the most important thing I try to remember is that I'm worried because I love the story. I love the characters and the themes I'm trying to explore. Because of that, because I want to do justice to the characters and their adventures, I worry about falling short. And in a way that's healthy. If I didn't care about the book, that would come through in sloppy plotting and inadequate writing. So a certain level of worry - of wanting to get it right - is probably natural.

But yes, that worry can escalate. For me it usually happens when I get bogged in a section and I can't find my way forward. And THAT usually happens because that section is wrong. For whatever reason, it's not working. It may be that I thought I needed it in, but I don't, or that I thought I wanted to explore a certain theme, but actually my subconscious is slowing down my forward momentum because it wants to analyse something else.

When that happens, I'll try and push forward regardless. My brain works in a strange way and very often I'll have to write the plot wrong in order to work out what I should be writing. It can be really time-consuming and every book I've written so far has an accompanying file called cut-scenes, and each one is filled with anywhere from 60,000 to 90,000 words that I wrote that didn't make it into the book - and that's BEFORE an editor gets their hands on it.

CAITLIN: [The one rule might be not to overthink things.] The limited time I have on weekdays [due to my day job] is actually helpful. I don't have time to overthink. I show up, draft according to my outline/notes/feeling of what needs to happen next, then put the computer away for later.

For editing, I make checklists encompassing the very large and very tiny edits. For very large edits, I'll break those down into individual steps. Then, if I have a deadline, I'll chunk up my checklist into daily to-dos; if I don't have a deadline, I'll start with the small stuff first, and it'll usually organically snowball into the larger changes.

The biggest tool I have [against stress] is outlining and taking walks. I'll outline as a way to solve problems, whether it's how to restructure half of a book or how to get from scene A to scene C efficiently and interestingly. I'll write out specific problems or gaps, note down what the solutions to those have to accomplish, and then just play with it. It's not necessarily a fun process (often it's terrifying and I end up convinced I'm a fraud), but eventually I come out the other side with a game plan. The game plan is the most important thing. If I can see the step by step of how to get from where I am to the next bit, I can put my head down and do the work.

Timers help, too, on a more directly practical note. If I'm anxious and spiraling, that usually means I'm avoiding doing the work. So I'll set a timer for ten or fifteen minutes. I have to focus on writing for that time period, and then I'm free to stop if I'm still feeling miserable. Half the time I immediately feel better once I'm back in the draft. The other half of the time, I start actually grappling with whatever problem is distressing me, and then I won't stop until it's solved. Either way, those ten or fifteen minutes get me back on track.

EOWYN:  I tell myself I have to write 500 words a day, and I set a timer to write for 20 or 25 minutes, then a five minute break to throw some laundry in the washer or feed the chickens, then it's back to the computer.

[W]hen I'm actually putting in the time and actively working on a piece, I'm rarely worried or stressed. It's when I step away from the writing, either because of other demands on my time or laziness, that I start to have doubts and worries. But I know the solution -- get back to work. There are times, though, even when I'm working actively that I feel stuck or stagnant, like I'm bored with what I'm doing, and then I'll go back to the books that have most inspired me, and I'll try writing exercises designed to mix things up a bit, and I'll seek out new ideas and art work in all forms. As I do this, I'm reminded that this is where the joy is -- in the work, in connecting ideas and learning and stretching myself in new directions. The writing and the editing is the fun part, and if I wasn't mostly enjoying it, I'd find a new occupation.

THORAIYA: Write in the morning, in silence, on a computer with no internet connection.

I like the three-sentences trick where you make yourself get started on the day’s words by telling yourself you’re only going to write three sentences. It almost always turns into more. With Titan’s Forest, when I got stuck, a walk through a real rainforest inevitably got the creative juices flowing. Remind yourself of what you loved about the ide before you started writing it!

ADRIAN: [Ideally] I have a good idea where I’m going before I set out.

I am generally fairly resilient when it comes to just sitting down and getting on with it. There is usually a stretch in the mid-section of a full-length book where it all feels like slogging uphill in the mud, but I’m a creature of habit, and I’ve written enough that I know it’s a part of the process (brought on, I suspect, by the middle being the part of the book I think through least, when planning). I actually get most stressed when I’m between projects or haven’t been able to get any writing done, including any protracted periods of editing and the like. My mind needs to create.

YOON: I need time to compost ideas and get a sense of the big picture. My outlines are fairly telegraphic notes divided up by chapter, and occasionally I'll also take notes on worldbuilding or characters along the way so I don't mess up consistency, but I do most of my cleanup in revisions.

One of the things I'm best at is "butt in chair"--just showing up, sitting down, and getting the work done.  I definitely have days when I wonder if any of this is worth it, but I also really hate the thought of messing up a deadline. I'm stubborn if nothing else. 

TIM: [I don't really have any rules] since I believe all that matters is making the story work using whatever tools seem best for the job, but there are guidelines and best practices that I've found work well for me, personally. If I'm going to be writing for more than an hour, I try do it at a desk instead of on a couch or chair with a laptop, as otherwise I'll mess up my wrists. I try not to stop writing at the end of a chapter because it's hard to psychologically get going again from a break point; I try to stop in the midst of a scene, or at least jot a note about the next thing that happens.

I usually write books in order, because I get myself through the hard or complicated parts with the promise of getting to write that fun cool scene I know is coming up; if I wrote all the fun scenes first, they'd be less of a treat and make the hard parts harder. If I'm having a tough time getting started, I use the pomodoro method: set a 25 minute timer and sit there and stare at the page and don't let myself do anything but write. Then a five-minute break to walk around (usually eager to get back to writing by then), then another 25 minutes, repeat as necessary. I try to write short stories over one or two days because I find they have a more consistent tone and pacing that way. These are all just my personal preferences. All that matters is what ends up on the page. How it gets there varies wildly from author to author

I find that having my rent due every month is an excellent motivator. I don't like washing dishes, either, but when the sink is full, you go over there and you do the dishes. There are certainly days when the writing doesn't come easily, when it doesn't go well, when I can't seem to find the right way to express what I want to express (or can't figure out what I'm TRYING to express!). Unless I'm on a tight deadline, I shrug, say "Oh well," and go do something else: read or cook, take a walk or see a friend, play with my kid or play a game or watch a movie. Then I try again later and see if it's working better. Eventually it will be.

If I'm on a deadline though, eh, I just get on with it anyway. Writing isn't magic; it's just work. (Sometimes it feels like magic, but succeeding at anything challenging can feel that way.) Inspiration is nice! But when inspiration fails, fall back on craft, and type the words. If they come out lumpy and bad, you can always fix them later.


And... CUT! (This isn't to cut off Tim. It's to make sure there's a visible division between Tim's last comment and the start of my conclusion.)

All the important parts have been covered by our writing superheroes:

Writing isn't magic. It's just work. (Thanks Tim!). IT'S ALWAYS HARD (Thanks Rich!). It's butt-in-chair and get it done.

Writing exercises and side projects can help take a more distant view and return to seeing the forest rather than the individual (sometimes ghastly first-draft) tree. You can always go back and edit later.

You have to be ruthless (like Kat) culling those stories that don't fit your edited volume (and in writing: Those characters that don't fit the story. Those scenes that don't fit the plot. Those themes that popped up because you had a horrible day but aren't actually what your story is about.). And you have to have a thick skin if you're going to do anything at all. A lot of people will be displeased by what you write/edit/paint/your hairdo. That doesn't mean you should stop looking like Elvis Presley met a unicorn! (Or that you should stop writing because your inner editor thinks you suck.)

In the vein of rules and therefore: control we will spend next week looking at another really juicy subject: How much control do our favourite authors need to write? Where does the subconscious come into (planning/writing of) the story? This one's always been on my mind - We've already seen it's pointless to force it when the words just aren't there or when you're stuck. There is a point where you need to step back from the work and do something else - So how much control should we exert on our characters and plot? How long should we try to push that triangular block into the square hole?

Let's hear from our PenPower Twelve next week!

WriteBot.