[stylist] Short article=-=- What it Takes to Become a Master Writer
Donna Hill
penatwork at epix.net
Fri Dec 4 17:06:10 UTC 2009
Amen to that, Judith. I think this article is right on. I've been
thinking about something though after posting my critique of Keitei's
story "Angel Light."
In this article she states that she can't tell people how to do some of
the things they ask, because she's now doing it by instinct. I think I'm
in a position that I can share something about the writing/editing
process -- a comparison of different stages of editing the same
material. I have not saved everything along the way, but I have saved
my manuscript at different stages. I can explain what troubled me about
the initial draft of selected passages and show how I changed it.
My question to all of you is: would that be of any value to other writers?
Donna Hill
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Judith Bron wrote:
> I've said for years that if you can't take rejection, don't become a
> writer.. To success, Judith
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Leslie Newman"
> <newmanrl at cox.net>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 6:39 AM
> Subject: [stylist] Short article=-=- What it Takes to Become a Master
> Writer
>
>
> STYLIST members- this was emailed to me and it struck a cord in my
> writers
> instrument.
>
> What It Takes to Become a Master Writer
> This is a guest post by Mary DeMuth. She is an author, speaker
> and book mentor with seven published books and several more on the
> way. Mary
> also mentors writers on her Wanna Be Published blog. She is also
> active on
> Twitter.
>
> As a writer who loves the craft, I look for clues
> everywhere to
> improve. In Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers, he elaborates on the
> importance of sustained hard work as a condition for success and mastery.
>
>
>
> A study orchestrated by K. Anders Ericsson who looked at
> musical
> prodigies found the common denominator for mastery and success: 10,000
> hours
> of practice. "The emerging picture from such studies," says neurologist
> Daniel Levitin, "is that ten thousand hours of practice is required to
> achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world class
> expert-in
> anything."
>
> Think about that for a moment.
>
> If you work hard at something for twenty hours a week, in ten
> years, you'll have mastered it. And yet, when I teach and evaluate
> manuscripts at writers conferences, it seems very few understand this or
> embrace this.
>
> When I share my publication story, that I spent ten years
> writing in obscurity, folks inevitably want me to share the "fun part"
> when
> I met my agent at a conference and my success seemed to blossom
> overnight.
> So many want to know the secret of instant publishing success.
>
> Those who write novels ask me how to deepen
> characterization, or
> create a character out of a setting, or evoke mood, or widen suspense. I
> usually can't answer that. Why? Because most of what I write now is
> instinctive, born from years of experimentation and failure. It's
> something
> I cannot teach. It's something an author must do on their own behind a
> desk,
> in quiet places where rewards of publication seem far off.
>
> In evaluating nonfiction and fiction pieces, I see the
> disparity. Some naïve writers think they can bank on their
> friend/parents/kids' over-the-top praise, believing themselves to be an
> instant prodigy. Or they'll invoke God's name, saying He told them to
> write.
> And yet some of these "geniuses" won't receive critique. Some are
> unwilling
> to count the cost by practicing BOC (butt on chair).
>
> While it is true that some publishing sensations happen
> overnight, it is more true that most authors spend years and years
> toiling
> over craft, trying techniques and failing, submitting to smaller entities
> and suffering from perennial "rejectionitis." That's the reality.
>
> With all that as the backdrop, here is a checklist I've
> created
> to determine if you're the type of person who will invest 10,000 hours to
> become a master writer:
>
> 1. I am willing to write unpublished words.
>
> 2. I am thankful when a writer farther along the journey
> offers critique.
>
> 3. I understand that honing my voice is not merely a
> weekend exercise, but a decade-long fight.
>
> 4. I am developing thick skin with each rejection, while
> maintaining a tender heart. (I realize that rejection can make me
> bitter and
> entitled.)
>
> 5. I see obstacles to my publishing journey as hurdles to
> jump over, not walls to stop me.
>
> 6. Folks who describe me use the words tenacious,
> dedicated, and disciplined. I am a lifelong learner of the craft.
>
> 7. I set word count goals or production goals each week.
> Then I meet them early no matter what.
>
> 8. In the beginning of my journey, I write pieces for
> free,
> understanding the importance of apprenticeship.
>
> 9. I am passionate about helping others in their writing
> journeys even if it means they surpass me. Because when I teach, I learn.
> And when others succeed, I rejoice because I'm expanding my writing
> ministry
> beyond myself.
>
> 10. I understand the beauty of God's sovereignty in the midst
> of the journey. He gives and takes away. Blessed be His name, no
> matter what
> happens-published or not.
>
> How did you do? Are you a ten? Are you willing to put in
> 10,000
> hours to master your writing?
>
> This journey is not for the casual. It's a disciplined way of
> life. This is one reason I'm so thankful my first book didn't catapult
> me to
> success. I believe God kept me slow-going to prepare me for each new
> project, for each new height.
>
> I'm still not a well-known author, but I do believe that each
> book I write is better than the last, perhaps because I'm working on my
> twenty-thousandth hour.
>
> Question: Are you willing to make the investment necessary to
> become successful?
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> What It Takes to Become a Master Writer
>
> Related posts:
>
> 1. The Sovereignty of Readers
>
> 2. 7 Ways to Build Your Author Brand Online
>
> 3. How Can You Get Published If You Don't Have a
> Platform?
>
> 4. How NOT to Pitch Your Book Proposal
>
> 5. The Importance of Building Your Platform
>
>
>
>
>
> Robert Leslie Newman
> Email- newmanrl at cox.net
> THOUGHT PROVOKER Website-
> Http://www.thoughtprovoker.info
>
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