Lag Time, Eat My Dust

Awhile ago I wrote about why we shouldn't quit, even when it looks like we're not getting anywhere. Honestly, I wrote it to encourage myself as much as anyone - I'd submitted an article to 17 magazines and hadn't heard back from one. I should've known better, but still I wondered:  was the article that terrible? Had I offended editors in some way?

Then I submitted it to a few more places. And a 2nd article to 38 markets; and then a 3rd piece to 20 markets.

Finally, it appeared in my inbox:

RE:  Submission

One acceptance came. Then a second. And a third. I even received an acceptance for an article I'd sent out 5 months earlier. And that lag time is the unfortunate (and amazing) thing about writing - that you can FEEL like you're just running in place and know in your gut that you're never going to get anywhere - and with one editor's email find out that you're a total dunderhead who's been obsessing for no reason. In fact, I just read about a whole book dedicated to Writer's Doubt.

The trick is, well, to trick ourselves into moving forward, despite "knowing" that we're not getting anywhere. That could mean keeping tabs on the positive progress you've made by marking it on a chart, or meeting with a writing group weekly.  Whatever it takes, to keep moving forward and working towards that goal.

Linklove,
Colleen

Perfection is Not an Option

Last night, a friend asked why I hadn't shared my children's book draft with my new writing group yet.

"I haven't had time to revise it," I told him.

He laughed, and pointed out that most picture books are under 1,000 words. How hadn't I had time to polish one stinking draft? At that point, I could have done a few things:

• Pointed out that one picture book goes through about 40 revisions before publication.
• Shared the average length of time it takes for a book to go from 1st draft to final copy:  two years.
• Hit him with a very packed pillow.

Instead, I wondered if he was right. Not about polishing the draft, but about sharing it with the writing group. Should I share what I have with them?  I'm stuck on a few plot points and know the end is wrong. I'd like to figure these things out and have a better draft to present. But at what point does "presenting a better draft" become Perfectionism? At what point should you get feedback?

You Can't Figure Out What's Wrong

Well, the draft I DID share with the group was an essay that I'd revised several times over the course of 18 months. I'd line edited to death, but still Something wasn't right. I couldn't put my finger on what it was. At that point, any revising would've been worthless-what was needed was a fresh set of objective eyes that would overlook line editing & find the larger problem. Said eyes discovered that the entire essay was a reflection which (gulp) lacked tension and significance for the reader. 

Had I not shared the essay, and waited until I figured out what the problem was, revising again to present the most perfect draft, I'd be waiting forever.

You Can't Figure Out What's Right

Sometimes it's hard to know what the best choice is, when it comes to things like point of view and ordering scenes. And while going with the best possible guess might work, getting other opinions could save you a lot of work. I can't help but wonder, if I'd shared my essay after only a few months in, could I have gotten the feedback I needed and saved myself the work of all of those useless revisions? Sometimes we need to take the long(est) path before we're ready to hear the truth. Other times it's just an annoyingly useless 18-month hike.

You're Afraid They'll Think Less of You

Under all of that perfectionism is the fear that what we've done isn't good enough - that they'll wonder what the heck we were thinking when we wrote that and look at the disaster of an attempt with an internal oh, lord. And that fear is the BEST reason to share with a trusted, supportive group of writers. Because without their encouragement, the fear makes it too easy to get stuck in the revise, revise, revise mode.

Anyways, the odds are what's there is pretty darn good. And even if it's not - how else can we make it better? Everything's a work in progress. I think it was Julia Cameron in The Artist's Way who said that before we can be really good at something, we have to be willing to be bad. Sometimes, really bad.

As for my children's book, I think what I really need at this point isn't a read-through, but help figuring out the right way to go with my plot. Perfection may not be an option, but asking for help is a pretty great alternative.

Linklove,
Colleen

Getting Help From Successful Writers

I recently reached out to five successful writers who don't know me, and got back four generous responses that included personal stories, tips, and offers to answer any future questions. While it's easy to shy away from busy writers who are further along than you, there's a lot that you - and they - can gain if you go about it with genuine interest and the right things in mind.

Approach Someone You "Know" and Admire

Many times, simply showing you've invested time getting to know writers, their products or their work prompts the busiest to take a moment for you. Do you regularly read the writer's blog, or have you heard him speak at a workshop or conference? Let him know if you've been following his blog, career, or love his work, and what about him caused you to send the email. One of the emails I sent was simply to thank a writer for sharing so much of his knowledge online, and specifically for asking a question in his post, which led to an important realization of my own. He wrote back with not only a thanks, but with additional questions I could ask to steer myself in the right direction.

Approach a "Teacher"

There are certain writers who naturally take it upon themselves to coach newer writers and share what they know. I think of them as Teachers. whether or not they've got the official title. If they're bloggers, they'll take the time to respond to every comment, and allow readers to steer post topics. Novelists may teach classes on the side and freelancers may offer free or reasonably priced ebooks containing insider info.

 If you've hit a snag and are looking for guidance, you'll likely find some help and generosity here. I wrote to one such Teacher who, despite managing a top blog and having a book up for publication, took the time to write me a 1,000+ word email to help me with my own career.

Approach With the Right Expectations

While it's nice when writers share advice, they don't owe it to us - and definitely not for free. Whenever I ask for help, I assume the writer will get compensated for it, and ask 1) would you consider helping me with xx? and if so. 2) what would the cost be? Going in with this assumption keeps it fair for everyone, and shows you're genuinely interested and not just hoping for a freebie. In fact, authors of the ebooks I've bought have always gotten back to me with answers to my additional questions.

Approach When They're Not Overwhelmed

Another good reason to approach people you "know," is that it'll be easier to figure out when their schedule's light, and more conducive to answering an admiring stranger's questions.

I sent five emails and got back four. The fifth was sent to an author whose book was just sold to a publisher. Looking back, I probably should have waited until the book craziness had leveled out before making yet another request of her.

Spread the Love

While I try pay it forward, I also try to pay it back. I'm still amazed at the appreciation veteran writers show for a few sincere, kind words. Some other things I've done that have resulted in their thanking ME are:

• Nominated their work for an award (work I believed deserved it, of course)
• Commented on a very helpful blog with too few comments
• Written an email thanking the writer for excellent advice
• Emailed links that were relevant to the writer's topic or WIP