Sorry, Writers, but Writing Takes Work
There are no shortcuts, but writing and rewriting does get easier.
A few years ago, I edited a comic script… the first issue in a limited series. I thought it was a good start, but with more conflict and tension, better pacing, and a stronger reveal/twist at the end, it could be stellar.
About a week after providing my feedback, I met with the writer to discuss it. It was a great conversation, and I was hyped to see how the revisions improved the story. With a strong artist, I knew it’d be worth pitching to publishers, and if that didn’t work, it’d make a strong showing on Kickstarter.
A few days later, the writer reached out to tell me he wasn’t making any of the changes.
“Did you not like the edits?” I asked.
“They were great,” he admitted.
“Oh. You don’t think the suggestions we discussed would help?”
“Don’t get me wrong. I know it’d be better if I made them.”
I paused for a moment, unsure how to proceed. I asked if maybe the artist was waiting for pages, but that wasn’t the case. I asked if he wanted to go a different direction, and that, if so, we could discuss other options.
“The changes, I don’t know... it’s just a lot of work.”
I asked if he’d consider options that would require less rewriting. He declined, saying he’d rather keep it as is.
Although I don’t understand his decision, I’m okay with it. I gave him guidance on what he might do to improve his story, and he decided not to proceed with any of them. That’s his prerogative. There are plenty of ways to find success as a writer, and he chose to focus his efforts elsewhere.
Unfortunately, this writer isn’t alone. In fact, I’m seeing more and more writers willing to do less and less to make their stories better.
Last summer, I worked with two writers back to back who had very similar responses to my edits:
“Oh, I thought you’d like it enough to tell me to publish it as is.”
Followed quickly by:
“Can I pitch this to agents without any revisions?”
If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you know my message is that the quality of your story matters and that to improve your storytelling skills, you’ll need to work for it.
Here’s a review I received from author Brandon Barrows after our third collaboration:
Personally, I love this review. I did my job. I not only helped him improve his story, but by pushing him and making him “work for it,” I helped him see how to improve his next story, too.
I’ll admit, my message is a hard sell, especially when there are so many people out there promising quick, easy success. For $50, I’ll share the secret for landing an agent. For $30, I’ll show you how to get 1000 fans overnight. For $100, I’ll prove that the quality of your story doesn’t matter, only marketing does.
Meanwhile, I’m saying that if you work hard for long enough, you’ll find the success you’ve always dreamed of.
Heck, even my mindset articles are a tough sell. So many of us are taught to “just write” and that it’s so much easier to ignore the imposter syndrome and perfectionism.
Me? I’m saying that your self-loathing is a comfortable blanket you’ve wrapped yourself in for years, and it’s ruining your writing practice. I’m saying that you can find ease and harmony with your creativity if you listen to what your thoughts are saying and slowly change the message.
“Wait, you want me to work for it while this guy over here promises success for fifty bucks? Fuck that.”
I hate to say it, but there are no shortcuts. You can either accept that and put in the time now, or you can fight it for years while life passes you by.
If you disliked reading that, here are a few more harsh truths you’ll hate:
If you want to work with a publisher, you not only have to write, but you have to write well.
That unfinished novel you don’t want to finish? It’s not going to help you entice an agent.
That comic series that’s poorly paced and has almost no tension? You’ll need to self-publish that one, and your readers probably won’t be clamoring for the sequel.
The Writer’s Nonnegotiables
If you’re reading an article by a guy who calls himself The Fiction Coach—a name I’m still not sold on, but it sort of stuck, and here we are—you want to improve your skills and calm the self-doubt so you have a little harmony with your writing and find success with your stories.
To get there, here are a few things you’re gonna have to do.
1. Write.
Yep, that’s the first and most important thing. You have to write. A lot.
I know you’re busy. I know it’s hard. But if you want to be a writer, you must write.
And you have to do it consistently, too. It’s the consistency that makes it easier. That consistency is what helps ease the way for improvement, too.
I talk with so many writers who tell me all of their plans, then when I meet with them a month later, they’re upset that it’s not getting any easier, that they haven’t gotten any better.
When I ask what they’ve written, they say, “Well, I haven’t… not really.”
Well, hate to break it to you, but you’ll need to write. Sorry.
Or you know what? Screw it. You don’t have to write. Fine. Don’t bother unless the stars align. Write only when you feel motivated if that makes you feel better.
But from here on out, if this is your plan, you can’t get upset that you’re not getting anywhere. Take a deep breath and accept that, for you, writing is little more than a hobby.
And that’s totally fine. Millions of people write for fun.
But you know that guy who’s publishing another book this month? The guy you’re secretly pissed off at for publishing so frequently? Guess what… he writes regularly.
You know that writer whose fans promote new releases? She spent years honing her craft to create a story that resonated enough to get her readers excited.
You know that woman whose seminar you paid for? The one who got you so hyped about pitching agents? Well, you can’t get upset that she sold you bogus information. No, she just took it for granted that you understood the unstated rule: you have to actually sit down to write the damn pitch.
Write.
Or don’t.
Just stop getting upset when you realize not writing isn’t working as well as you’d hoped.
2. Share.
Notice I didn’t say “publish.”
If you want to be a writer—here, I’m talking about being a paid writer since most of my readers in some way equate success to pay—you need to share your writing.
This might be publishing your comic via crowdfunding or putting your novel on Amazon. Or maybe you serialize it weekly on Substack or some other delivery system. Or maybe you share it with beta readers or a writer’s group, or you hire an editor to review it.
But you need to put your words out into the world. No one’s going to pay you to leave another novel on your hard drive.
More importantly, without sharing, you’ll never get feedback, and hearing what others have to say is important because you have to learn to write well before you earn real money from your stories.
3. Learn and Improve.
If you want to be successful, you have to learn to be a better writer.
There, I said it.
That feel-good story about some dude who had never written a word in his life who woke up and hammered out a novel in two weeks and sold it to Random House without changing a word? It’s complete bullshit.
Let’s say it did happen, it’s still rare enough that you shouldn’t hang your hat on the idea you’ll follow the same path. Sorry. You have to write, listen to feedback, and try to improve like the rest of us sorry souls.
Yep, you guessed it. You’re gonna have to get used to rewriting and revising.
I know, I know. It’s easier to curl into a ball and cry on the floor, but while you’re down there, the job’s still waiting to be done, and it’s not going to rewrite itself. Might as well get through the suffering now.
But you know what? Writing gets easier the more you do it, and so does rewriting.
Seriously, I can’t emphasize this enough: rewriting and revising gets easier the more stories you rewrite and revise. Like with writing itself, you’ll have your own unique revision process. The sooner you figure out what works best for you, the better.
And as it turns out, there’s joy to be had with the revision cycle. Turning that crappy first draft into something legible? Realizing what you’re trying to say and then finding the words to make it a reality? That’s magic!
Secret Revealed: The Only Way to Find Success as a Writer
There’s a secret you don’t hear very often, but I’m going to share it free of charge. You might love it, but it’s more likely that you’ll hate it.
Here it is:
There’s only one way to find success as a writer.
Yep. Just one.
But here’s the trick: That one way is different for everyone.
For some, that’s the best news in the world. It’s freeing. It’s fun. Woo hoo.
For others, not so much.
Anyone who tells you their way is the only way is trying to sell you something. Either that, or their ego is so fragile, they’re worried they won’t be taken seriously, so they beat their chest in the hopes you’ll follow their advice.
Here’s the problem with the secret I just shared: You won’t know what works for you until you figure out what works for you.
I worked with a writer over the holidays who was struggling with her outline. She desperately wanted to go write the story, but instead, she was floundering to map out Act II.
“If you want to write that opening scene, why not go write it?” I asked.
“Because they said I need an outline.”
“Who said?”
“I took a class last month, and they said I need a full outline.”
Sigh.
Look, the sooner you figure out the process that works best for you… the sooner you accept that writing process that’s uniquely your own… the sooner you accept your goals… the sooner you do all that, the sooner you’ll find some ease with your writing.
But there are no shortcuts.
The only way to discover what works best for you is to try something and see how it feels. Then try something else.
If it feels right, stick with it. If there’s something fighting inside, that’s a sign it’s not working.
Of course, you have to ask yourself if you’re fighting it because it’s too hard or because it’s not the right process for you. There’s a difference.
If you’ve learned to listen to your thoughts, if you pay attention to your intuition and your emotions, you already know. So, technically, you don’t even have to try a bunch of options. You can just do what feels natural.
But as writers, we’re always looking for solutions to problems that don’t exist. Why? Because it’s easier than writing.
Me? I sort of hate my writing process, and I still fight it sometimes.
Here’s what it looks like:
I write really fast just to get the ideas on the page.
I realize I’m a hack. The writing is horrible, and I tell myself I should give up.
Then I rewrite it from scratch. Ugh. Seriously, this step sucks just as much as the others.
I read the rewritten version and realize it’s not bad, but it’s not quite saying what I want it to yet.
So I sit with it for a bit, trying to figure out what exactly this story should be. Eventually, I figure it out.
Then, I rewrite and revise smaller and smaller chunks until it’s where it needs to be.
When I fight that process, I struggle.
When I try another method, I struggle.
When I try to take shortcuts or ignore a step—even step two, which you’d think I’d overcome by now—the story fails until I take the time to do it the right way, which is to say, my way.
In fact, I tried to write this article quickly. I thought I could hammer it out in one sitting. Nope. This article took me forever, and it was painful every step of the way.
Until I took a deep breath and accepted my process. Then boom, it all flowed with ease.
Look, I don’t care what process you use. I just want you to write more and to enjoy doing it.
And as far as I can tell, those three steps I listed above are not negotiable. Not if you want to be a professional writer.
Unless I’m wrong.
It’s possible that your process, the method that’ll work for you, maybe it doesn’t include all three.
I doubt it, but maybe.
But you won’t know until you try it.
I think you should include READ in your list of things you have to do to be a better writer. Writer's who don't read ALL THE TIME are squandering one of the fundamental resources for improving their work.
Yes read read read