Wednesday’s Wisdom – 1/16/19 Writers’ Tip
When stuck, it’s great to read the advice of seasoned writers. They know first hand what you’re going through. See if you relate to this one.
“You know that sickening feeling of inadequacy and over-exposure you feel when you look upon your own empurpled prose? Relax into the awareness that this ghastly sensation will never, ever leave you, no matter how successful and publicly lauded you become. It is intrinsic to the real business of writing and should be cherished.” — Will Self
Will’s advice is probably inherent in all creative pursuits. If your one of those individuals who expect perfection on your first, second, third or 100th try, the best advice I can give you is to ask yourself, “Whose standards am I trying to live up to?” If you’re comparing your writing to anyone other, you’re creating unnecessary suffering. You’re reading their finished work, not their draft. You have no idea what they went through or how many rewrites it took for them to produce what you’re reading.
Most likely, they did their best and then let their editor do the rest. You do your job and then let your editor do theirs.
Enjoy the process of writing and rewriting until you can’t make it any better on your own. Then turn it over. That’s how it works. That’s how final drafts become ready for publication.
Don’t make your job more complicated than it is. Relax and the process will be much more gratifying.
