Is there anything more desperate than an unpublished writer?
I’ve been participating in some of the writers’ group discussions over on LinkedIn and I swear, never have I seen so many people trying to augur the entrails of the publishing world, never have I read so many vaunted “rules” of writing, and never have I heard so much illogical “advice.” Never.
And yet, I understand it. I understand it all.
Writers desperately want their work to be read, and to make this happen, many of us will glom on to any tip, trick, or bit of advice, hoping against hope that we’ll hit that magical combination, thread the gantlet, and make it to the Promised Land. We will believe that, if we only use the word “said” to carry conversational action, if we never use adverbs, if we eschew prologues altogether (or disguise them by labeling them Chapter One), and if we put “voice” into our query letter to make it “pop,” we’ll win the writing lottery. We will never use the third-person omniscient POV, never use words of more than three syllables, never ever ever use passive voice, and never plunk more than two exclamation points in the entire book, all because someone said we shouldn’t.
In short, we will gladly overthink the minuscule while ignoring the elephant in the room: the quality of our writing.
Again, I understand it. It is so much easier to follow these “rules” than it is to honestly and dispassionately evaluate the quality of our work; but that is exactly what we should be doing. Writing, rewriting, editing, polishing, these are the big tasks, the important tasks. You can follow every rule and every piece of advice on every discussion board on the web and you will still be unable to sell a poorly crafted novel.
Are all these rules garbage? No, but they’re not “rules.” They are guidelines. There are reasons to use the word “said” as the primary carrier of dialogue. There are reasons to avoid adverbs and prologues. There are reasons to limit the use of passive voice and exclamation points. But there is no “never” and there is no “always” in writing. Know the guides, understand them, and know when and why to deviate from the norm. Don’t overthink it.
Concentrate on craft. Everything else is tea leaves and rabbit’s feet.
this is BRILLIANT. thank you for saying something that needed to be said. While improving your grammar is always a good tip there’s SO much more to good writing than that!
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Thank you, Victoria. Sometimes I get lucky. 😉
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Reblogged this on Nature’s Abhorred Vacuum.
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Reblogged this on welcometosuccess and commented:
Reblogging! 🙂 http://www.welcometosuccessonline.com
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I’m doing an MA in creative writing at Bath Spa University after sneering for years at those courses. But I’m happy to say the tripe coefficient is really low. The (published) tutors steer clear of rules and treat every manuscript as having its own set of problems. My current tutor just looks at what’s happening, and how it might happen more effectively. Don’t know how this compares with other MAs, but I’ve been impressed.
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Hi, Faye. I’d certainly hope that the Tripe Coefficient would be lower at a program like the one you attend. I mean, from the start they’ve already weeded out the “I want to write a book; how do I start?” crowd. Writer’s discussion groups on the internet are a completely different animal; a vast pool of mixed grade talent. What a great town and region to take your studies, though! I do love Bath for a relaxing day away.
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You’re right, of course.
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Obviously, it’s a trap.
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“Everything else is tea leaves and rabbit’s feet” – what a cracking expression, made me grin like a loon.
Oh, and I totally agree about the LinkedIn threads; personally I find them soul-crushingly depressing in their sheer abject desperation. And myself equally so for returning to them so frequently, just in case…
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It’s not _all_ tripe, but between the self-promotion, the “discussions” that are nothing but links to someone’s blog post, and the maundering and hand-wringing over “rules” and “tips” of the type I mention, the threads of value are hard to find. I’m still exploring the various groups, but I find a strong relationship between membership numbers and the Tripe Coefficient. Smaller membership means more substance, but a smaller pool of ideas and discussions. If I find any standout groups, I’ll let you folks know. Thanks, Jon!
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The Tripe Coefficient – what a fantastic band they were! 😀
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I saw them open for The Rock-Bottom Remainders once.
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