5 Writing Mistakes I’ve Made Multiple Times
19:00
I’ve been writing for quite a long time. I’ve written 20-ish
manuscripts, and I’ve even been to university to study writing. But that’s not
to say that I’m particularly good at writing. In fact, for the amount of time I’ve
been writing for, I have failed quite spectacularly more times than I would
really care to admit to. Except that today I’m actually admitting to some of
the mistakes I’ve made the most often (because how can you be quite sure that
it’s a real mistake unless you’re tried it several times?). Maybe you can
relate to some of these? (Please don’t let me be the only one…)
Refusing To Give Up On A Failed Idea
You know that idea that’s simply not working, no matter how
many times you rewrite it, but you still can’t bear to let go because if you
could just do it slightly different, just rewrite it one more time, it’s sure
to work? Yeah, that’s me with most of my failed books. My first MS was like
that. I must have tried rewriting it four or five different times before I
finally managed to scrap it. And then there was the book about enhanced teens
escaping from a world of virtual reality. That one got a good few goes round
before I shelved it. To be completely honest, I do get the urge to go back to
them sometimes, but for now they’ll stay gathering dust while I work on books I
can actually write.
Dismissing Writing Advice Instantly
There’s so much writing advice out there. Obviously that
particular piece can’t be meant for me. It sounds nice in theory, but there’s
no way it’ll work if I tried it. Haha, poor silly naïve Imogen. I’ve done this
far too many times. Most of the advice I dismiss comes from smart people too,
who actually know what they’re talking about. Something I’m learning (very
slowly) is that even when a piece of advice doesn’t work for you exactly, there’s
usually something you can take away from it.
Shiny New Idea Chasing
This usually happens right when I’m in the depths of
editing. I’ll be working away like the industrious little writer I’m supposed
to be, and all of a sudden a shiny new idea will float by, NaNoWriMo gives me a
look, or I get bored for two seconds and suddenly I’m drafting three more books
and my editing pile is growing as deep as the Marianas Trench. I’m fighting
this mistake at the moment actually. Oh that lovely Red Riding Hood retelling
is beckoning SO hard for Camp. Must. Resist. Must. Edit…
Worrying More About Word Count Than Story
Honest talk. I hate seeing my word count shrink while I’m
editing. Not that there’s any logical reason for this, but the moment a scene
or two need the axe, I get all anxious, checking the book length and trying to
figure out if I’m going to be able to make them up anywhere. It makes exactly no
sense, but I do it every. Single. Time.
Judging My Books (And Myself) Against Other People’s
I try to present myself on this blog as a writer who knows
what she’s doing at least most of the time. In actual fact, most of the time I’m
reading other people’s excerpts and wondering how I can get mine to look as
nice as theirs, bewailing the fact I can’t seem to get a draft good enough to
give to beta readers and comforting myself with chocolate while wondering why I
can’t have it all together like everyone else. I do of course realise that most
people haven’t quite all got it together as we’d like people to believe, but
that doesn’t always quite stop the comparisons.
So, now you know my terrible secrets. Please tell me I’m not
the only one who makes mistakes like these. If you’re feeling brave, let me
know one of your worst writing mistakes! Let’s be terrible (or just real) writers
together.
12 comments
I, too, have to resist new ideas because otherwise I'd have dozen of drafts and none of them would be finished. :D I don't count words but I count pages. I don't know why but if my chapter has three of four pages in Word, I get anxious and am like "I will get back and I will make it longer." though I have no idea why it matters to me so much.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't get me started on comparing my writing to others. That's like by biggest problem and I often get discouraged easily. I feel like I'm my own worst and harshest critic. :)
There's something comforting about bigger numbers, isn't there? Even though it makes absolutely no sense. I've just cut 8k out of my book so I'm really fighting this at the moment. It hurts!
DeleteUgh, that's so true. I swear we all appear so much cooler and more together than any of us feel. (At least I hope I do, because I usually feel like an utter mess!)
I'm so guilty of numbers four and five!
ReplyDeleteI find with number one that although abandoning failed ideas is usually good, pulling elements from those ideas and using them in different stories usually works for me.
Ellie | On the Other Side of Reality
That sounds like a great way to make the most of abandoned projects. There are always some good elements to the stories, even if the whole plot doesn't work, aren't there?
DeleteLOL! I totally worried over word count more than story for my NaNo project last year (I'm a notoriously brief writer). Even though I plotted out my whole book and felt like it was complete, I was a whole 3,000 words short at the end. I added 3K words of fluff just to make my 50K minimum (though I DID wind up at a slightly different ending place that I think I like better).
ReplyDeleteI do the exact same thing with my NaNo novels! My ending always suck because I add so much fluff just to get to a good number. There's something so satisfying about reaching a certain word count, or finishing a thousand out, isn't there?
DeleteGreat post! I love seeing what other people struggle with. It definetly validates my own repeated offences, haha.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious to know which writing advice that you rejected! I know I've definetly done that myself:)
I relate to these so hardcore. man. I make these mistakes all. the. time. even when I swear I wont. Especially that last one. *sighs*
ReplyDeleteI nominated you for the Rising Authors Tag!
ReplyDeleteEllie | On the Other Side of Reality
Nice post! I make mistakes like these so much, as well!
ReplyDeleteNabila // Hot Town Cool Girl
I am actually so very guilty of the "Shiny New Idea Syndrome", and it's something I've always struggled with. One minute I'm thinking that this is it, the Big Idea that I'm going to stick with and the next thing I know I've got half a book in my documents folder and three chapters of an Alice in Wonderland retelling in my lap...
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think the last one is the one that gets me the most. And it isn't that I don't have trouble chasing shiny new ideas or that I dislike watching my wordcount shrink, but I have easy fixes for those problems. But if you think about writing and publishing as a dream you want to accomplish, rereading a WIP while you're reading someone else's work is like, "Why would they want me when they can have this?" and it can be very depressing. :/ Still working on how to solve it.
ReplyDelete