It’s the Journey.
When writing,
time should be important, but honest thought holds more meaning. We all get
those moments when we wish to type those two special words (The End),
but know to do so will cause
our work to be less than what we had imagined. On the other side of that
equation, some of us hold on to a project too long by making small tweaks that
are insignificant to the overall storyline and feel of our work. The question
now becomes where is this imaginary finish line that say your ordeal has come
to an end or the surprise when you realized that you have written enough that
you had actually had written a sequel, but hadn’t realized a few moments of
over enthusiasm had given birth to your second (or third) child. Now the questions have become what are
expectation, procrastination, and expansion. Let us not forget what is most
important, the journey.
Expectation
There is no writer on the planet who isn’t looking for perfection. It could be in the form of sentence structure. It could be in the tone and pace of their story. It could also be in following a predetermined outline of content. But, the overall expectation of the work has an ending point and perfection has nothing to do with it. It is our own insecurities which drive and dictate what we expect our work to be viewed by others. Not good enough is one of the strongest and most used excuses to prevent any writer to realize they had come to the end of their journey. I will not tell anyone that there isn’t merit in that thought, nor will I say that there is foolishness in that way of thinking as well. Every writer has to make that decision when their; not good enough is good enough to share with others. Every writer has to take a close look at their expectations and give an honest thought as to where it stands on the spectrum between extremely poor work to perfection unattainable. Of course, what makes this even more difficult is the truth that the scale slides according to the reader, market, and time (current popularity). However, in all cases, expectations can be controlled with the help of others who can give you honest feedback and if you are willing to accept what you receive from them. Now procrastination is something totally different.
There is no writer on the planet who isn’t looking for perfection. It could be in the form of sentence structure. It could be in the tone and pace of their story. It could also be in following a predetermined outline of content. But, the overall expectation of the work has an ending point and perfection has nothing to do with it. It is our own insecurities which drive and dictate what we expect our work to be viewed by others. Not good enough is one of the strongest and most used excuses to prevent any writer to realize they had come to the end of their journey. I will not tell anyone that there isn’t merit in that thought, nor will I say that there is foolishness in that way of thinking as well. Every writer has to make that decision when their; not good enough is good enough to share with others. Every writer has to take a close look at their expectations and give an honest thought as to where it stands on the spectrum between extremely poor work to perfection unattainable. Of course, what makes this even more difficult is the truth that the scale slides according to the reader, market, and time (current popularity). However, in all cases, expectations can be controlled with the help of others who can give you honest feedback and if you are willing to accept what you receive from them. Now procrastination is something totally different.
Procrastination
I have previously written about this subject, but it’s worth looking at it again. This time let’s explore the one simple problem of all writers (pointing the finger at me), and that is letting go. The manuscript has been done for quite some time now and there are small things tied to the book, and yet it isn’t the manuscript itself. Let’s take a look at the book cover (previously R&R, Shameless Plug). Taking your time on choosing the right cover is far from the same as picking the perfect cover. This is especially true when the only thing you need as a cover is something that gains someone’s attention and not cause them object worship of your chosen artwork. Don’t let your cover outshine your book or the disappointment might be hard to recover from. Been there, purchase several, and the disappointments was great. Another form of a perfect reason to over think is the publishing format and through whom you wish to distribute your work. This one should be a no brainier, but I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Can you keep a secret? Hush and listen to this one, it will blow your mind. Just between you and me… YOU DON’T HAVE TO PICK ONLY ONE! Now that this one was solved, you might want to look at the different requirements, formats, and especially the length limitations of your work. Sometimes what we had envisioned might actually be a bit larger than expected or might not be enough to fill a standard novel. Bigger isn’t always better (stepped on that landmine, didn’t I), and in cases like this expansion may be needed.
I have previously written about this subject, but it’s worth looking at it again. This time let’s explore the one simple problem of all writers (pointing the finger at me), and that is letting go. The manuscript has been done for quite some time now and there are small things tied to the book, and yet it isn’t the manuscript itself. Let’s take a look at the book cover (previously R&R, Shameless Plug). Taking your time on choosing the right cover is far from the same as picking the perfect cover. This is especially true when the only thing you need as a cover is something that gains someone’s attention and not cause them object worship of your chosen artwork. Don’t let your cover outshine your book or the disappointment might be hard to recover from. Been there, purchase several, and the disappointments was great. Another form of a perfect reason to over think is the publishing format and through whom you wish to distribute your work. This one should be a no brainier, but I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Can you keep a secret? Hush and listen to this one, it will blow your mind. Just between you and me… YOU DON’T HAVE TO PICK ONLY ONE! Now that this one was solved, you might want to look at the different requirements, formats, and especially the length limitations of your work. Sometimes what we had envisioned might actually be a bit larger than expected or might not be enough to fill a standard novel. Bigger isn’t always better (stepped on that landmine, didn’t I), and in cases like this expansion may be needed.
Expansion
That old saying (especially for writers) is that it is easier to trim than to exaggerate is true. In a blink of an eye you can eliminate a storyline or character that will not change the overall content of your work (good editors do this all the time). However, what if your 100,000 word manuscript somehow had become larger than you realized. Let’s say 260,000 words and that isn’t including a (for this example only) a substantial bibliography, glossary, or package of artwork (maps, people, animals, places, etc.). How will you deal with this? I can almost guarantee cutting a story line or two, and eliminating a few characters isn’t going to give you a 160,000 word reduction. I can also guarantee you are not going to start over or toss all your hard work away. You must have experienced a wonderful journey and probably didn’t wish it to end, but it had. Before you do some drastic trimming and cause you many sleepless nights, do a little math and see where you can go from there. I would think having three books close to 87,000 words would be something worth considering. The only problem you would now have is changing your expectations and stopping yourself from procrastinating when it’s time to let the first book go. Oh, but in all cases, remember what had started it all, the feeling of satisfaction when you typed those special two last words, and most importantly, the journey. The End. SD
That old saying (especially for writers) is that it is easier to trim than to exaggerate is true. In a blink of an eye you can eliminate a storyline or character that will not change the overall content of your work (good editors do this all the time). However, what if your 100,000 word manuscript somehow had become larger than you realized. Let’s say 260,000 words and that isn’t including a (for this example only) a substantial bibliography, glossary, or package of artwork (maps, people, animals, places, etc.). How will you deal with this? I can almost guarantee cutting a story line or two, and eliminating a few characters isn’t going to give you a 160,000 word reduction. I can also guarantee you are not going to start over or toss all your hard work away. You must have experienced a wonderful journey and probably didn’t wish it to end, but it had. Before you do some drastic trimming and cause you many sleepless nights, do a little math and see where you can go from there. I would think having three books close to 87,000 words would be something worth considering. The only problem you would now have is changing your expectations and stopping yourself from procrastinating when it’s time to let the first book go. Oh, but in all cases, remember what had started it all, the feeling of satisfaction when you typed those special two last words, and most importantly, the journey. The End. SD
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