Writing Tip 12 - Have respect for the craft...

 

 Artists need to work at their craft and writing is (I believe) an art form.

So my tip for this week is to have respect for the work that goes into writing a book. Often it takes years to write a book and to bring it to publishable standard. Expect that this will be the case. If it takes only a short time, and it is to the best standard you can do, good on you! Well done. For me, writing a book is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes as long as it needs to take. Mostly, in retrospect, the book it ends up being better for taking longer. The book it might have been if completed earlier, and the later version, are two different works. The earlier version will almost always be the less polished or accomplished one (although it is sometimes fresher). The trick is to create the best of both worlds.

Remember, once it is out there, it is out there.

 

Writing prompt:

Go back and read some earlier versions of your manuscript (especially if you haven't looked at them for some time) and compare to later versions. Try to be objective, to view them from the perspective of someone who is coming to the work for the first time. What is better in the second version? What is worse?

Keep writing and honing your skill!