And letting Leo: confessions of a slovenly perfectionist.
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You might as well know it, if you don’t already: there’s tension between the writer’s need to connect with his or her fans – through, say, oh, I don’t know, blogs? – and the writer’s need to make money. You can clearly see which end of the dilemma I’ve been coming out on lately. The problem is, [...] Why I hate travelogues in fiction I’ve started to read my writing aloud as I rewrite it. It’s one of those things I don’t know why I’ve not been doing all along. Both perceptive audience members at my readings and the amazing Critical Mass writers group advised me to try it. It helps. As I think I’ve mentioned (although I can’t find [...] As I’ve said before, my biggest barrier to achieving my dream – which is to write as many of the stories inside me as vividly and well as I can before I die, and entertain and delight you and the world – is the compulsion to get it right the first time. No doubt for some [...] The farther I get along in a draft of the book, I see, the smoother it all becomes. Fewer false starts, smoother flow, even fewer typos. At first when I’m writing a tale, I’m hunting: for voice, theme, character, even the real story. No matter how firmly I feel I have it in my mind, I [...] One of the key writing skills I’ve learned in the last year or so is how to incorporate scenes I’ve already written as I write. Yes, I’ve been a professional writer, almost exclusively full-time, for thirty-five years now. And I’m still learning important new skills. I have not served my craft well all the time, nor [...] When I draw the sting from the act of writing, I’ll liberate myself to truly advance my craft, and write both the quality and quantity I should. Last night I couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t get comfortable. Mind freewheeled. Finally I bagged it and got up. But despite my mind’s overactivity I felt too mentally unfocused to write. So [...] …When it’s followed by two steps forward. Or even a single step forward. Maybe. In the short run. Staying even’s better than losing ground. As you can probably tell, I haven’t been nearly as productive of late as I want to be. There’s even a blog post hanging fire that I began last week, and even told [...] I’m reading James Rollins’ Black Order, and it’s been a bit of a trial. I have to say it’s sloppily written, showing distinct signs of being a first draft that was sent in unread. And the author goes into greater detail on weapons than he has the actual knowledge to, and you know that tweaks [...] |
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