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Tuesday, August 30, 2005More Than PassionMostly, writers are a passionate bunch. There's no way around it. I've learned something in the past few months, though, and it's changed my life and the direction of my writing career. Wanna hear my words of wisdom? It takes more than passion to write a successful novel. Sure, the passion has to be behind the story in the first place. And the passion needs to be in place in order to propel the writer forward through revision after revision -- and rejection after rejection. Without passion, any writer will ultimately fail. But passion alone won't cut it. The "matured" writer has learned that his novel really, truly isn't an "extension of himself." It isn't sentient; it won't be forever ruined if an editor makes a few astute suggestions. What the novel is: A product that needs to go through many steps of improvement until it achieves its "finished" status. It's borne from inspiration, yes, but it's the nuts-and-bolts work that crafts it into a polished story. I can say this with certainty. I have rewritten -- completely rewritten -- the first three chapters of my novel. Had you asked me a year ago if I thought I'd be rewriting so extensively, I would have slapped you. I was still emotionally (perhaps physically) attached to my novel back then. Oh, the path I've walked! One day I'll share all the details. For now, let this be a word of encouragement to all aspiring novelists. The magic of the finished novel isn't in the first draft. It's in the painstaking, tedious, and ultimately inspiring revisions that will draw the real life out of your original story. So keep working. As for me, I could really go for something sinfully chocolate right now. It's been days since I've had any chocolate. There's something incredibly wrong about that. How I've been writing at all without a supply of gourmet chocolate, I don't know. Will somebody please send me some chocolate? |
About Me
I am: Mother to five stunningly individualistic children... Writer of young adult fantasy... Passionate advocate for Women At Home... Madly in love with my husband... In need of Organic Gourmet Chocolate on a regular basis. I've got a Paypal account if you'd like to contribute to the cause....
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8of my readers are feeling chatty:
And I think it's the very 'manufacturing' phase of the process that causes me to decline the title. I've been both an editor and the edited; my passion lies in the pouring out, not in the process of producing a saleable end result.
All of that said, of course you couldn't be more correct in what you've said here.
I agree with you totally. I just got my revisions from my agent in the mail two days ago and the changes are minor, but will indeed include another rewrite of the book. I guess I feel it's minor because it's one small plot line that needs to be woven in and the tone of it needs to be lightened up. I suppose my good humor about it relates to what you said--I realize that it exists outside of me and if I want her to sell it, changes I must make. Luckily I know the book so well, that I don't feel like this will take me that long--yeah, I know, check with me in a couple of weeks.
It certainly does take more than just passion, you have to have talent to some degree.
Keep on writing! For me, I just need to start and, more importantly, finish.
It's Kathie again--the more I thought about your post and my response, the more I thought I sounded cavalier about the whole re-write thing--which I didn't mean to be. I revised before I sent this to the agent, once per her comments before she left to have a baby and now this is the third one...so I guess I'm used to the idea by now and lucky that sees in it something she can sell. Hope I didn't sound snooty!
Kathie
As a writer myself who has just published his first novel, I can certainly understand.
It took me ten years from the moment I wrote the very first line to the moment when I scrawled "The End" to a saga. At the end of it, I had more than 600K words and I have published the first novel (will be released worldwide sometime in mid September), which has a little over 105K words.
The first 'final' draft of the first novel had more than 160K words which has been edited at least twenty times. There were parts which I refused to let go as I really liked them. However, they had to go (ultimately) and I think editing is harder than writing, in the ultimate analysis.
I am now editing the sequel to the first novel and it's like I'm back to square one again.
Good luck and hope to see your novel out soon!
At the risk of sounding trite...it is almost always 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration. And it's all that sweat that makes it good.
I am awaiting comments from my editor at the beginning of September. Yikes!
Good blog, by the way.
I must say, it's VERY inspiring to read the wonderful comments of fellow writers!
Kathie -- Noooo, you didn't sound snotty at all. You sounded like an author who has a GRIP on what she's doing! Press on, girl.
Charles -- There are those who argue (passionately) that a writer doesn't have to have "natural talent." I tend to agree with you, though -- talent can (and does) make the difference between "very good" and "outstanding."
Skarr -- Whew! Sounds like you've done an intense, masterful job of "whittling and perfecting." I haven't "clicked" on you yet, but now I've got to know what it is you've written!
Jawahara -- Thank you, and it may be "trite" but it's true. I think the inspiration comes with the first rush; the outpouring of the original story. The rest is, for the most part, gruntwork.
Hurraah! What an excellent post.
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