The Hardest Things About Writing
I’ve been writing now for a few years. I’ve written several novels and published six. I’ve published countless short stories, several blog posts, and maintain a newsletter. Writing is kind of what I do. Now that I’m retired, I’ve had more time to devote to the craft, and more time to look back on how I’ve developed. Three things stand out that I feel are the hardest about writing.
When people ask me about my works, I speak in terms of novels. It surprises them when I say the easiest part of writing is the first draft. Though I begin with a visual of a story in mind, I don’t outline. My brain is simply not wired for that. So staring at that first blank page can be terrifying, but once I get over the initial heebie-jeebies, the ideas flow freely if I’m in a fairly secluded environment. When I look back over the years, I find three things that repeat each time. They are Write, Revise, and Proofread. I repeat that process for as many times as it takes before moving on to the grueling initial editing phase. So let’s talk about it.
Phase One - Write
The writing phase, the first draft, is the most fun. It’s where the ideas flow freely and come at me hard and fast. I Identify the characters and define their personalities, skills, and roles. I create the environment, provide situations of conflict, and generate the storyline. It’s a free for all. The sky’s the limit during this phase. Things come together quickly, albeit haphazardly, as I just throw stuff against the wall to see what sticks.
There’s nothing really hard about this phase, as most of the time, I end up with a jumbled mess. Out of that mess, however, comes the building blocks of a story that I can mold into anything I want. The goal is to keep focused, and it’s easier during this phase than at any other time. I cherish the freedom I have with the first draft, because what follows is the part where I have to make it all make sense.
After the first draft, I try to stay away from windows because I’m easily distracted. Things don’t come together as easily and the temptation of gazing and wishing I was some place else can be overwhelming. It can rob me of motivation and, more importantly, momentum. I’ve mentioned several times before that I’m a pantser. Outlines and such don’t work for me. I visualize the story as I go. I admit it makes the experience a little harder. But it gives me the freedom to change the direction of the story at will.
Phase Two - Revise
This is where the fun stops and I get into the meat and taters of the process. It’s where I take a breath, prepare to deal with the chaos of the first draft, and begin the process of “fixing” it. It often begs the question,
“What the heck were you thinking?”
Without wasting even a minute trying to answer that, I get on with the revisions. This phase can be grueling, but I usually find ways of saying things much better during the second, third, or fourth pass. If lucky, this part will move along quickly. If that question above, however, proves to be as bad as it sounds, things can get ugly and I’ll get stuck trying to answer it. It may call for a rewrite of a couple of paragraphs, scenes, a chapter, or worse case, the entire thing.
As stated above, the revision phase can be grueling. Every manuscript I’ve ever shelved, I did it during this phase of the writing. Some I get back to within a few weeks/months. Some, however, as with my book, Requisite Evil, sit untouched for years. That title was a total rewrite when I finally got back to it.
The hard part about this phase is resisting the urge to deviate from the original vision for the story. Even minor changes in setting, character names or traits can throw everything out of whack. If I’m not careful, I can end up with someone named Jack in chapter one, referred to as Ben in chapter nine, with no explanation why.
Phase Three - Proofread
This is the most difficult phase. I usually take a break before getting into it. That break can take a few days, a few weeks, or a few months. I find the more time that passes between the revision and the proofreading phases, the better. I employ a three prong approach to help get through it.
First - Read it aloud. I will read every word aloud and it always amazes me how many mistakes I find by doing so.
Second - Read random paragraphs backwards. Doing this forces me to focus on each word, which allows me to catch the gotcha’s like misspellings, punctuation errors, or poor grammar.
Third - Use an app to read the text back to me. This is my favorite because even when listening to a robotic computer-generated voice, it makes mistakes stand out.
To complete the proofreading phase, I’ll step away again and in a few days re-read the entire thing. I will go through this time looking for consistency. You know, things like why a gal with short blonde hair in chapter one suddenly becomes a natural redhead in chapter three. I know it seems like a lot, but it works for me and I’m comfortable with the process. It also reduces the amount of red that comes back from the editor.
Conclusion:
These are just a few of things I consider the hardest about my writing. There are more, of course, but these are the ones that dog me the most. It can be a mind-numbingly repetitive process, but an essential part of writing. I consider these steps crucial after learning the hard way that not doing them can lead to bad, bad things, some tantamount to literary suicide. I hope you found this article informative. Be sure to check back next month for a new one.
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