More thoughts from Alice at The House that Sat Down...
I believe the process that goes into creating a piece of writing is very similar to that which goes into creating a painting.
A book never arrives as a perfect first draft.
Neither does a painting.
Throughout both creative processes there have to be sequential phases of development.
The First Draft
All experienced writers are familiar with what is known as the dirty first draft (often referred to
in much more colourful terms but I'm trying to keep things polite here).
Many artists experience a similar primary stage when developing a drawing or a painting.
It's all about getting the bones of the picture and/or the story onto the page.
Once it is there, no matter how ropey it is, it can be polished to bring out the magic.
Successful writers and painters are those who are prepared to write and paint rubbish first.
I've recently published a YouTube video of how this polishing process can work, taking a sketch from initial scrappy outline to the finished piece.
If you're interested in checking that out here is the link...
The danger comes when we're knee deep in that initial draft. There often comes a time when we look at what we are creating and lose our nerve. The little gremlin that sits on our shoulder might start whispering into our ear telling us that we are useless.
(If you don't have a gremlin you are to be congratulated.
Keep it that way.)
I have at least four gremlins. They argue with each other about exactly how rubbish I am.
Fortunately, with age comes reduced hearing, if not wisdom.
I find it easier to tune the gremlins out than I did when I was a teenager.
What to do...
If you hit the "Oh my goodness, what ever made me think I could do this? It's cr&p!!!" stage, (oops, I slipped a bit on keeping things polite, but I am trying to be realistic) my advice is to stop.
Walk away.
Go and have a cup of tea.
This is where the right mindset comes in.
DO NOT delete your work, or tear it up, or chuck it in the bin, or burst into tears.
You are allowed to want to do all of those things, but don't actually do them.
You are too emotionally close to your work at that point. You are comparing it to what you imagined it would be in your head. Those two things imagination and reality are always wildly different, but they are part of the process.
You have to learn to trust the process and keep going.
The next draft will be better. And the next draft better still.
BUT FIRST...
You need distance, and by distance I really mean time.
Time to step back from your work and assess it rationally. THEN and only then can you work out how to take it to the next level. This may mean going through multiple drafts. It can be a painful process but, I promise you, it is worth it.
The Writing Journey
I started writing my first full fictional novel - The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope - nearly five years ago. As a work in progress, it has changed beyond recognition in that time, going through so many drafts that I have lost count. The reason it took so long was that I had a lot to learn with regard to fiction-writing skills. (Prior to that I had only published non-fiction and memoir.) Fingers crossed, writing the next book should be much quicker.
On that manuscript I have had:
Several big picture edits - major structural changes.
Several little picture edits - not so major consistency changes and character development.
Accuracy checks - are specific things referred to in the story correct?
Beta reader reports - opinions from people who like reading this particular genre.
Chapter edits - does each chapter hang together and work successfully to move the story on?
Copy edits - spelling and grammatical checks.
Type setting - how will it sit on the actual page in the book?
Proof reading - checking for final errors (hopefully really small ones at this stage and preferably none at all).
And many more.
Where am I now?
I finally sent the final typeset proofs back to my publisher last week and I am exhausted.
But there is a curious sense of elation, too.
This version of my book is the best it can be.
While I don't ever want to have to read it again myself (I have lost count of how many times I have read it but probably at least 100) I am looking forward to other people reading it when it is published at the end of October.
Assuming I get the marketing right and it sells. That is a whole other blog post for the future.
Of course, now, one of the gremlins on my shoulder is busy telling me that everyone is going to hate it.
I'll do my best to ignore that one too.
It won't be easy.
Please wish me luck.
Love
Alice
x
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