WOW! Women On Writing Blog: writing problems

Thursday, June 30, 2016

“This just isn’t working.”

I had suspected the manuscript had a problem when I decided to run it past the editor on a weekend retreat. No, I wouldn’t have minded if she had said “This is brilliant and I want to buy it,” but that wasn’t the message I received. What she told me loud and clear was that I had a hot mess on my hands. Oh, joy.

We had received her comments in an e-mail before the event. I could have taken the time to create a defense – this is why my manuscript is fine just the way it is. Instead, I reached into my folder and pulled out three chapters. “You’re right. I like this version a lot better.”

You should have seen the poor woman’s relief. Instead of each of us defending our opinions, we had a productive conversation about how to come up with a stronger title, what definitely needed to go into the manuscript, and how best to format it.

I’d spent a year on the picture book version of this manuscript but when it didn’t work I kicked it to the curb. I want to love it, but more than that I want an editor and young readers to love it too. It doesn’t really matter why I chose to do X and Y. If it doesn’t work, I need to come up with a new way to tell the story.

Not that that is an easy decision to make. “But I’ve spent so long on this version! I have to make it work.” I say this even when, with each rewrite, it gets clunkier and increasingly awkward.

What I need to do, and I eventually do, is walk away from the project for a while. Weeding the garden, I think about what inspired me to tell this particular story. I think about the audience. I contemplate what’s working in the present form. Only when I have these things in mind do I sit down again to write.

But I don’t open the old clunky file. I open a new document and start from scratch.

“What? How can you do that when you’ve spent so much time on the other version?”

Truthfully, if it isn’t working, it doesn’t matter how long I’ve spent on it. It is time to start fresh with a clear vision in mind. Every time I’ve done this, I’ve been happy with the results. That said, I generally wish that I’d gotten to this point much sooner instead of continuing to struggle with whatever hot mess I've created.

--SueBE

Sue is the instructor for our course, Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults. The next session begins on August 1, 2016.

4 comments rewriting, writing problems

The Trouble with From Our Head to the Paper

Sunday, March 29, 2015

by Guudmorning! (flickr.com)

Why do we writers have so much trouble getting the words and story from our heads to the paper? Wait, you're not sure if you have this problem? Well, read this scenario and see if this has ever happened to you!

Esmerelda, a published author of short stories and essays, is working on her first novel, and she takes it to her critique group for the first time. She is very excited to receive their feedback, and they give positive comments about the concept, the opening page, and maybe even the dreamy hero. But there are also a lot of questions. Why did the heroine react in a certain way? What happened after the lights went out? Where did the dog come from?

At first, Esmerelda thinks that something has happened to her critique group. They must have lost their minds or barely read her work. The heroine grew angry because her sister continues to take advantage of her good nature. That is right on page 3 at the top. And when the lights went out? She heard a noise coming from the kitchen, which scared her to go on the balcony and see the hero for the first time. It's right there on page 12. The dog? That cutie came from the Humane Society where she volunteers on Sunday mornings--see page 15.

Her critique group members are smiling at her, and the bravest of the bunch says: "Um, Esme, none of those facts are actually on the page."

Esmerelda snatches her manuscript from the grasp of her critique group member and scans the pages, turning red from embarrassment. "Well, I THOUGHT I put those things in there. I mean, they were in my head."

I bet now you're nodding along with Esmerelda. How does this happen to us? How does this happen EVEN after we've had success with previously published work? I bet if we could interview J. K. Rowling, she would admit that it happens to her, too.

As writers, we see our story world in our heads so clearly and know exactly how our characters would react in a situation. But we have to create that picture for our readers, too. They don't have our story world in their heads. They need to be shown the world and our characters, so they understand the plot and motivation of the characters.

This is hard! We all know what happens if we overdo it in this department. We get complaints that our pacing is slow or that we are talking down to our reader. This is the importance of a good critique group or trusted beta readers. You can be the most careful writer, in my opinion, and STILL suffer from the "I thought it was on the page" syndrome. It's okay. It's natural. It's part of the job, but find some readers--whether you are going to be self-publishing or seeking traditional publication--to make sure that you fix this problem the best you can before your book is on the shelf.

Margo L. Dill, a published author of books for kids and teens, teaches novel writing for WOW! Her next class, Writing a Children's or Young Adult Novel starts April 15. Check out her other classes on our classroom page: http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/WOWclasses.html