Writers: Is fear holding you back?
Every now and then I pull up this blog post by my teacher Dean Wesley Smith to check in and see which particular fear might be affecting my writing in any particular week. Why did I pull it up today? Because I’ve just added two new chapters to a manuscript I thought was done, but then both my first reader and my agent said the way I ended it made them want to kill me. Or words to that effect. Because as much as I love cliffhangers, this was too MUCH of a cliffhanger. As my agent said, “I almost called you at one in the morning when I finished it to yell at you.”
And if she had been the only one to say that, I might have chuckled and said, “Ha! Take it!” But the fact that two people said it? Okay, maybe I’ll give in.
So now I’ve added two chapters that I’m not so sure about. Simply because they weren’t what was originally on my mind. Which is always the danger of rewriting–as one of my favorite novelists Dick Francis said, “I’ve tried [rewriting] once or twice, but I haven’t the mental stamina and I feel all the time that although what I’m attempting may be different, it won’t be better and may very well be worse, because my heart isn’t in it.”
WORD, Mr. Francis.
{Hm. Have I just talked myself out of those last two chapters? We’ll have to see.}
Anyway, I thought some of you might find this blog post of Dean’s helpful, since there are so many, many fears that can hold us back from writing and pursuing publication.
So to me and to you I say, “GET OVER IT! STOP! JUST DO THIS!”
Hope that helps. Now off to think some more . . .
[Whoops, just realized it would be helpful for you to read this post, too, about Heinlein's Rules. Read them, absorb them, live by them!!!!]
Thanks for the links–I will definitely be re-reading those posts next week, when I start what will be by FAR my scariest revision ever. And personally, whenever I do major rewrites, I like to bring in a fresh pair of eyes. It helps wonders for me to have someone respond to the ‘changed’ version, without having ever seen the original.
Good luck facing the fear. If it helps, I have no doubt you’ll make this book just as perfect as your others!
Thank you for that vote of confidence, Shannon! Appreciate it!
This is exactly where I am right now, Robin! Revising and wondering if I’m actually making it better or just rearranging the china cabinet. That kind of thinking freezes me up completely.
What I finally told myself is, so what if it still needs work when you finish this revision? It will need LESS work than it does now.
Katie, I follow your reasoning/justification there, but let me just point you to this helpful blog post by Meg Cabot about not turning into a Book Licker. Believe me, I have to remind myself about that pretty often, too:
http://www.megcabot.com/2009/11/don%E2%80%99t-be-a-book-licker-2/
I fear a giant panda is watching me through binoculers. Are they like dinosaurs? Should I move? I hear they can smell cookies. I have cookies…
An entirely legitimate fear, Patrick. You probably shouldn’t write today, just to be safe.
While I can’t imagine you giving us a heartbreaking ending, I accept that life is messy and that things don’t always resolve like they do in animated Disney films. Leaving us hanging might frustrate us, but I think it’s important for you to stay true to your vision for your story. Sometimes readers need to be challenged to fill in the blanks, to realize that the story goes on and on. And hey–sequel!!! (;
I wish you the best as you make your choice with this one. And I can’t wait to read it!
Thank you, Kelley! What a generous thing to say! You’ll see (one of these days) what I’ve done. Hope you like!
I’m sorry, what? Life doesn’t always resolve like Disney says it will?
Aiiee! Giant Panda! HIDE!!!