[stylist] Short article=-=- What it Takes to Become a Master Writer
Donna Hill
penatwork at epix.net
Fri Dec 4 22:22:20 UTC 2009
Judith,
Yes, word count is crucial. I always do a word count after every session
of writing. It's particularly critical in press releases and nonfiction
articles. Since I did all of my own PR when I was pursuing my music
career, I got into the habit of being conscious of word count and little
tricks to save a word here and there. It has spilled over into my
fiction writing. I recently had to edit down an article I wrote for
American Chronicle so it would fit within the limitations of another
site; it was a matter of 3,000 characters difference. I know people who
would have taken out a whole section, but I prefer surgical editing,
which definitely takes longer, but in my opinion yields better results.
I don't know if anyone but you read the posts I recommended about agents
and publisher's expectations of word count for first-time novelists, but
it is around 80,000 words, and they are, as you say, not even going to
read a tome.
There's a quote, which I think is from Mark Twain, which essentially
goes: I'm sorry for making this so long; I don't have the time to make
it shorter." It speaks to what I was saying about the enormous amount of
time which needs to be devoted to editing. I recently received a short
manuscript from someone who thought I might include it in one of my
articles. She had written it that afternoon, and it looked it --
spelling and grammatical errors, repeated thoughts and unexplained
statements. I tried to gently explain that, while the thoughts were
good, it like all pieces of writing needed the benefits of proof reading
and editing. I think she isn't the only person who wants to believe
they can crank out a masterpiece on the first draft. I think she was
hurt by my comments, and reading this article reminded me of the need to
grow a thick skin.
One thing I notice with writers, whether they're blind or not, is that
they tend to rely too heavily on spell-check to catch there mistakes.
There are so many things that don't show up with spell-check, such as
using a correctly spelled word in the wrong context or two prepositions
in a row -- like when you change something and forget to completely
delete the original phrase. I always listen to what I've written at a
normal speed. I know a lot of screen reader users like to have it set to
read very fast, but there are many subtleties that you can pick up at
normal speed which are lost when you're essentially speed reading.
I'm glad you mentioned grammar. There's an old attage that a famous
writer can ignore grammar and punctuation rules, but if you're not
famous, you'd better tow the line, lest you be seen as illiterate. It's
a funny paradox, since that famous writer who can ignore grammar now
wasn't famous at one point. To me, it says that even that famous writer
who is breaking rules now was rooted in proper grammar to begin with.
Donna Hill
Read my articles on American Chronicle:
http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885
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Judith Bron wrote:
> Hi Donna, The answer to your question is yes and no. Every person in
> the world who writes anything, including a birthday card, has a
> different style.. I've edited my own manuscript so many times I don'
> know if I remember all the stages. The one thing I remember, and that
> was struck down by my editor, is that I said things with a lot of
> words and eventually, with her help, cut them down to short, concise
> sentences. I also started following some grammer rules she started
> enforcing. I suggest to any writer go over those grammer rules that
> some good teacher, somewhere in your past, tried teaching you as you
> fell asleep listening to the boring lesson. Also, try watching your
> word count. I'm told that publishers aren't impressed by manuscripts
> of a million pages. They won't look at them. Start following grammer
> rules and chopping your word count. Judith
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net>
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 12:06 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Short article=-=- What it Takes to Become a
> Master Writer
>
>
> 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
>
> Read my articles on American Chronicle:
> http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885
>
> Follow me on Twitter:
> www.twitter.com/dewhill
>
> Join Me on LinkedIn:
> http://www.linkedin.com/in/dwh99
>
> Or, FaceBook:
> http://www.facebook.com/donna.w.hill.
>
> Hear clips from "The Last Straw" at:
> http://cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
>
> Apple I-Tunes
>
> phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=259244374
>
> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind
> www.padnfb.org
>
>
>
> 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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