Posts
 |
| photo credit |
Ahem. Sorry, got a little excited there.
My apologies for not visiting so many of you last week, I was on vacation with the family. I'm back now and here they are! What tips did I miss that you would add in?
5. DON'T BE A LONER. Very few writers don't need critique partners. Mine are there for me through thick and thin to cheer me on and help me see where I can improve. Without all of you online, this would be a very lonely and difficult uphill battle. For me, it's enjoyable just working on it because of the friendships I've made.
4. BE OPEN TO CRITICISM. It's tough to hear that our perfect babies aren't all that we thought. It's human nature to take the negative comments and internalize them. Instead, see them for what they are, a way to take what you have and make it better. Consider all comments and let them stew before you make a rash decision.
3. WRITE. Um, yeah. With all the other stuff we do, sometimes we get in a rut. But BIC (Butt in chair) is an acronym to live by. If we don't write it, we aren't writers. Force it out if you have to, eventually it will flow again.
2. TRY. It seems obvious, but if you don't put yourself/your work out there, it can never happen. If you've worked hard and done your best, don't be afraid to query the appropriate agents. If you are polite and follow common practice, you have nothing to lose. Just remember to put out your best work and research to find the RIGHT agents to try.
*Drum roll* AND the top writing tip I have?
1. PERSEVERE. Don't give up. If you've been at it for years, but you know it's what you love. If you're sure your work must suck because everyone else seems to be getting "the deal". If you are tired and feel dejected and are thinking about selling used cars. DON'T. Hang in there. Because the ONE thing all successful writers have in common? They persevered through the hard times.
Thanks for sharing this. All your tips are so important and you're inspiring me to persevere. So important in writing.
ReplyDeleteHope you had a great vacation.
I think sitting with constructive criticism before deciding what do to about it is such valuable advice. I often have this reflexive NO! thought when I read that kind of thing, but inevitably, if I give it a day or so, my response to it often changes dramatically!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I don't think you can be a writer without perseverance--and patience. I think patience is also a quality to cultivate.
The two that I love the most are taking criticism and persevering. Even though feedback can be tough I love seeing how I can make my story stronger. A tough editorial letter from a beta reader gets my creativity going. And persevere. We have to in his journey to survive!
ReplyDeleteYour #1 is spot on, and the rest help you do that. :) Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteAll great points. Thanks, Lisa!
ReplyDeleteI've had a few times when I didn't agree with feedback and then realized the person is right. Sometimes it just means looking at the feedback from a different perspective.
ReplyDeleteAnd YES to #1!!!!
All excellent, Lisa! The top three, after combining the others in order to make it to the top three with your writing, are so, so, important...and I'm only at the beginning of that persevere journey.
ReplyDeleteYeah, so I already purchased my copy!! ;D
ReplyDeleteYour list is very helpful. I'll share it.
That perseverance is SO important! I've learned so much over the few years I've been doing - and there's so much more to learn! But the journey is so worth it :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent, excellent, EXCELLENT advice. :) I've missed this blog during the months I spent buried under schoolwork - what a great post to come back to. :) Perseverance is key - without it, nothing else really matters, does it?
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your anthology paperback releasing! I'll have to check it out. And I love the list, #1 is the key to it all!
ReplyDeleteAll these are great. My favorites? Be open to criticism. Right now I'm applying the comments you guys made, and I had set enough time aside so that the comments didn't hurt at all. They were practical and much-needed. And perseverance? Yep, that is a must.
ReplyDeleteYes!
ReplyDeleteI started blogging to stop being a loner. That was key for getting me to persevere--they're probably all related.
Right?
Right.
"force it out if you have to and eventually it will flow again" - story of my life!!
ReplyDeleteI would add maybe some advice about feeding the muse, but since this is different for everyone, it's a hard one!
Ah, yes. The persevere part, the hardest part of all.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading the anthology, Lisa! Loved your story. It was chilling enough to make suspicious of neighbors. Great job.
As "hard" as all this writing stuff at times, might be, we would go crazy if we didn't get the words and voices out of our heads and into the real world.
ReplyDeleteLet's hear it for the big P - perseverance. "If you build it they will come."
ReplyDeleteTrue but 'hard' list.
ReplyDeleteAnd it certainly helps to reach out to other writers, not be a loner, since it seems to be so easy to get discouraged by the negative voices in our own heads - not including all the characters' ones mingling around in there waiting to get out.
I like the last line of the criticism one - consider comments and let stew before make rash decision. This is also Really important even if you try to take them all and incorporate into your story / writing. It can make it a mess, since no one else exactly knows your take on your story. So this is an important point from both sides of that perspective!
Thanks!
Such great and true tips. Especially the Loner and Try tips. BIG congrats on the anthology! Here's hoping it flies up the charts~ :o)
ReplyDeleteThe Criticism thingy is a tough one. I find that my critique group is only right 1/2 the time. When I first joined them, most are published, I am not (at least not in books, only articles) I thought they must be right. Now I realize they don't know the rest of the story, therefore, they could be a bit off on where they are when the critique that part of the story. All in all, it's good to have people listen, all types. . I never use to read to my friends, now I include them. I just found the blog and I love it. Blessings, Janet
ReplyDelete