Sharing a Longer Work-in-Progress

Isaac Watching the Planes Taking Off at Castle Island

Have you ever written a solid chunk of a work-in-progress and you wanted a second opinion to reconfirm you’re on the “right track”?

During this crucial time, you might be looking for a general reaction, constructive criticism, or unabashed praise.

However, for longer works-in-progress, I highly recommend that you hold off on showing it to readers for several reasons:

1. If your reader gives you a lukewarm reaction, it may destroy your enthusiasm to finish it.

2. If your reader gives you poignant constructive criticism, it may force you to rethink your vision for your work-in-progress–possibly destroying your enthusiasm to finish it.

3. If your reader gives you unabashed praise, you may suspect that your reader is only pitying you, and it may force you to rethink your vision for your work-in-progress–possibly destroying your enthusiasm for it.

In general, when writing, be confident with the story you are telling. You know why you’re writing it. There’s something there. Hold onto that something. Hold onto that feeling, that sense of wonder and possibility. Don’t let other people’s voices distract you from what needs to be done: writing.

Get it done. Then show it to your readers. Their feedback will be much more helpful at that stage of your writing process.

Write your heart out.

 

Photo credit: Chris Devers / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Editing and Proofreading

_revolucion#9If you’ve ever been a student in any of my classes, you know I firmly believe in the importance of editing and proofreading. The best college papers come out of this process. And not only that–go into any bookstore and I promise you that the books you see on the shelves have been heavily, heavily edited before earning their counter space!

While I write a first draft of a manuscript, I resist the temptation to edit. I lovingly craft each image that comes to me.

But when it comes to editing, as writers, we need to be merciless with our writing. We need to be able to say, “Even though I wrote all of these sentences, some (even some of my favorites) need to be cut for the betterment of the whole.”

Last weekend, my wife read through the first quarter of my novel, and her criticism mainly targeted my first chapter. At the time, it was difficult for me to take. I had invested so much time into it! But (hours later) after the initial shock wore off, I was able to take her feedback constructively, and I’ve cut lots of words and sentences that improve the speed and pacing of the story. Did I cut lines that I loved? Yes. Was it tough for me? Yes. However, if we really care to improve a piece of writing, editing and proofreading may just be what our stories need to get over the hump.

One of my past writing coaches used to talk about this stage as “killing babies.” The sharp language and imagery that phrase provokes have stayed with me through the years. What it comes down to is essentially this: We love everything we write because we give birth to it. We create it. But the best writers can temporarily brush these sentiments aside to cut the words and sentences that actually hurt our stories, essentially killing our babies. Man, that sounds awful… (Please don’t take this literally!)

A few years ago, one of my students sent me an email in which she rejoiced over strengthening her paper through the process of “killing babies.” She wrote something like, “Mr. S! I spent all weekend killing babies!” It took me a while to realize that she was talking about editing! And after reading her email, I thought: What have I done?! That sounds horrible! (She did turn in an A paper, though.)

To sum it all up: Always write your heart out. But when needed, make sure you edit and proofread, too. It is an essential stage of the writing process.

 

Photo credit: javier.:.vázquez / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

Consider Tracking While You Edit

Making TracksIn my last post, I briefly mentioned how beginnings and endings often know each other in fiction.

This lends itself for me to introduce a writing technique I’d like to discuss today: tracking.

By repeatedly addressing familiar objects, sounds, themes, and threads, a writer can effectively string together a body of work as one complete and coherent piece.

I often talk about this in my classes at Fullerton College because it can apply to essay writing, too. Like writing a thirty-page essay, writing a thirty-page story carries with it its own challenges.

One of them is establishing coherence from the beginning of the essay/story to its end. We want our readers to recognize that they are reading the same essay on page five as they are on page twenty five.

For example, I want you to think of one of your favorite songs on the radio. Though the verses may change, the meter and choruses in these songs hold everything together.

Stories are no different, whether the story is a short one or a longer one. The difference is what the writer allows us to track.

I often use Denis Johnson’s “Emergency” to talk about tracking. In this story, Johnson lets us track a hunting knife and his use of danger/humor, among other things. (He has this technique of presenting dangerous situations and ratcheting them up until we have no choice but to laugh!) If you haven’t read this story before, The New Yorker has posted a podcast of Tobias Wolff (another one of my favorite writers) reading “Emergency.” I’ve also embedded it below for your listening pleasure. (Thanks, George LidstoneWheeler!) If you’d like a complete copy of the story, it can be found in Johnson’s short story collection, Jesus’ Son: Stories.

https://soundcloud.com/george-lidstonewheeler/tobias-wolff-reads-denis

For this week, I would like you to think about how you use tracking in your stories, and please feel free to send me a comment below. I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time, write your heart out!

 

Photo credit: jenny downing / Foter.com / CC BY

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