Four Writing Concepts I Learned the Hard Way
Write badly, delete nothing, utilize technology, and banish self doubt
A good friend I highly respect is struggling to write her first book. It will be a memoir of her father on a very important topic. She has a Master’s Degree in the topic, has a ton of material, yet is stuck where I was four years ago before I published my first book. On overwhelm.
I invited her to lunch.
As we talked, I realized how much I have learned, and how much I appreciate other writers who have shared their lessons with me. In a world full of critics, we can all be encouragers.
I share these lessons with other new writers as advice I wish I had known long before I published my first book four years ago. What I know now is hard-learned, from trial and error, making mistakes, and moving on. I sense if there was a hard way to do things I found it on so many things.
1. Give yourself permission to write badly
Perfection is the enemy of completion. My friend kept writing and rewriting her first chapter, insecure that she would ever get it good enough. I told her to write her first chapter, briefly proof for spelling and grammar, and then move on. Then write some more and move on.
“Give yourself permission to write badly.”
She stared back. For her, doing anything ‘badly’ is anathema to who she is.
“You want me to write badly?”
“No. Give yourself permission to write badly. At first. The purpose of a first draft is to write. Editing and refining comes later. Even if she only used five percent of the first draft, she had content. Conversely, five percent of nothing — is still nothing.
2. Delete nothing— keep earlier versions
When I started out, I kept doing the same thing. Editing and editing more, especially when I received feedback from different people or beta readers. Sometimes I wanted to go back to an earlier version. Unless I had printed the draft, I couldn’t remember that nugget of deleted writing.
Because I kept editing the same writing, I found that there were some changes I wished I could undo, but because I had overwritten them, they were lost. Now when I delete text, I first copy it into a Word document entitled “Deleted Text Chapter X.”
Sometimes what didn’t fit at the time becomes perfect text two chapters later, or even a different project.
Version control in Word is manual and requires an organized system of files and folders. In later versions of a manuscript, I use the Track Changes feature in Word. But on a first round of editing and major trimming, I find it easier to keep separate documents. The important concept of not deleting text and keeping multiple versions leads into the next piece of advice.
3. Use technology whenever possible
Part of working too hard is the lack of awareness of just how many tools, websites, and software exist to automate the writing process. Some did not exist when I began my book fifteen years ago. Today, more and more resources for writers continue to evolve.
Use dictation software and apps to type a draft. This can be useful for writers who draft long-hand, are reading from original sources like diaries or letters, are poor typists, or have those brainstorms for which they can’t write fast enough.
Consider software designed for writers like Scrivener or Vellum to speed the process. There are other writing programs and software. While these programs have a learning curve, I know some writers claim it has saved their writing time by a third. I can’t speak to these as I’m still using Word, but at least I know they exist. They also handle version control.
Use transcription websites or services when needed. I spent weeks transcribing oral interviews for my nonfiction book. It was slow, tedious and very time-consuming. Nonfiction writers may come across original sources that are oral interviews, speeches, or videos they want to quote. Or perhaps they recorded a voice memo on their phone. There are multiple websites and services. Costs begin at $.10/word. This technology alone could have saved me at least a year of work while I plodded through transcribing, accurately, forty hours of interviews.
Consider grammar checking software and apps. There are multiple options out there, and the lists of best options changes each year as more products enter the market. An important caveat here, however, is these are imperfect aids, and should not have the final say. Final manuscripts will need to conform to standards of style, usually the Chicago Manual of Style. But for less formal writing, faster writing, they can be very helpful.
4. Self-doubt is part of writing
As a first-time author, I often suffered from an insidious sense of self-doubt. The internal refrain of “Who am I to write this?” played every few months in my head. I didn’t want to tell many people I was writing a book, because what if it wasn’t good? Or worse, I never finished. I persevered through sheer determination.
Then, at one particular writers’ conference, a favorite author gave the keynote. When he said “If you’re not insecure, you’re not an author” I felt freed. And among friends. In time, the refrain in my head changed from “Who am I to write this?” to “I have my voice, so why not me?”
You’ve got this
Writing a book is a marathon anyone can enter if they truly want to. Creating a first-draft is an exercise in showing up for work and filling a blank screen with words again and again.
I concluded lunch with my friend with a hug and the closing phrase “You’ve Got This.” She wrote to me later, thanking me for giving her the energy and belief in herself to attack her project once again. I looked in the mirror to remind myself.
You’ve got this.
