j mark miller | a writer's fantasy

Writers, Don’t Be Afraid to Take Your Time

I’ve been reading blog posts and news stories here and there speaking about the changing nature of publishing. There are so many changes happening so fast it’s sometimes hard to keep track, and honestly it’s foolish to try. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good thing to stay abreast of what’s going on in the industry—all segments of it—but there’s no need to know it all.

One of the things I’ve seen lately is this push for authors to produce as many books as they can as fast as they can. There was a time not too long ago when, if an author published a novel once a year they were on a rapid schedule. They were producing!

Now there’s talk, because of the “ease” of publishing ebooks, that if you’re not putting out a couple of novels a year, then you’re falling behind.

Photo credit: re_birf (Flickr)

Don’t Forget, Writing is a Process

Check out this post from Rachelle Gardner about Six Thing to Learn from Hemingway. Here’s one of the things she gleaned from studying his writing habits.

He wasn’t afraid of the process. He knew that a book or short story had its own timetable, and he didn’t try to force it. If a project needed weeks, months or years in the editing and rewriting phase, that’s what he gave it. Despite the same anxiety for publication that all writers share, he still gave his books the time they needed to develop.

I don’t know much about fines wines, or coffee, or cheeses, but I do know one thing. Some of them need time to age to produce the flavor that makes them desirable. If makers of any of these premium delicacies rush their product through production in order to get it to market, you know as well as I that they would soon have a severe drop in sales because of the corresponding drop in quality.

Writing, I believe, is the same way. Crafting a good story takes time.

Time to let your ideas percolate. Time to flesh out those ideas and turn out an outline and a plot. Time to develop characters and run them through the wringer of life. Time to write the story, then edit it, then revise it, and revise it again, and again.

You get the picture.

I write a lot, and I write as fast as I can. I’ve got novels I could push out into the world, but as a self-published author I think I owe it to those who will read my works to give them the best product I can. If I create something they enjoy and think is of value, they’ll become a fan and be more willing to buy the next work I publish. They’ll be more willing to spread the word.

You know the same won’t be true if I put out a bunch of shoddy work, no matter how great the volume.

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Filed Under: The Writing Life

Writers, Just Write

There’s an old adage that says “Quality over quantity.” I suppose this applies to writing as well, or does it?

There’s a related adage that says, “Practice makes perfect.”

Well, no, not really, because if you’re practicing incorrectly you’ll never become perfect. But, if you’re practicing with a mind focus toward improvement, using a work ethic that pushes you to create a better end result, then yes, you’re on the way toward possible perfection.

Sometimes we read about overnight successes and wonder why that hasn’t happened to us. An author submits their first novel and it’s accepted right away, or rockets to the top of the sales lists.

What we fail to recognize is how many years it took them to get the book done in the first place. How many books did they write and never submit? How many story ideas ended up in the trash? How many times did they rewrite every single scene in that “overnight success” book?

Write, Write, Write

I submit to you that authors need to simply buckle down and write.

Finished a novel? Write another one. Submitted a novel? Good for you, now get back to writing.

There seems to be a critical mass a writer needs to develop. It’s not true in every single case, but so often you find out that a writer has been slogging away in obscurity for years before they make their first sale. It’s akin to Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hour rule from his book Outliers. The idea that you need to put in your time to become an expert at something, and then you need to put in even more time to become phenomenal.

Here are some anecdotes that spring to mind.

  • Ray Bradbury once wrote an essay about how he got rejected 500 times before he got his first acceptance.
  • J.R.R. Tolkien created entire languages, cultures, and a world before writing the Lord of the Rings. He produced ream after ream after ream of notes, history, and character development.
  • Isaac Asimov once said that a writer needs about a million words of prose under his belt before he’s ready to be published.
  • I met a young man at a recent writing workshop who’d never written anything before five years ago. Since then, he’s written over 1.4 million words.
  • Robert Silverberg once said that he once wrote about a million words per year.

Now, you can say that most of the examples above are the cream of the crop type author. I would agree. However, the point is these authors produced and kept on producing.

Was everything they wrote worth publishing? Nope. I’m pretty sure each of these authors produced more unpublished works than published. They understood that a writer’s job is to write. Sure, times have changed, and we’re told we need to worry about marketing, and creating a buzz through social networks (an idea that J.A. Konrath might take exception to), but our real job is to write.

The more you write, the better you’ll get. Those millions of words will have a cumulative affect as we work on honing our craft. Every story will be a little better than the ones before. Each chapter more coherent. Each paragraph more pointed. Each sentence tighter.

Have you crafted a million words? What are you waiting for?

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Filed Under: The Writing Life

Zoom Zoom

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Oh, how she loved the wind blowing through her hair. Fresh, clean air brought lovely scents her way. How nice it was to get out of the house and into the sun. The day was warm, not too hot and not a bit cold. Just right.

They were going so fast, faster than ever before. She loved the new car. Loved how comfy the seats were. Loved how the top came off to let the air and sunshine in. Loved how they could spend time together as a family.

Everyone around them was so slow. Those going the opposite way barely registered, little more than blurs in her eyes. She wondered why most of them were all locked up inside instead of enjoying the sun like she was. She didn’t worry too long, though. The day was too nice to do anything but enjoy herself.

They took the long way around the lake, slowing down a little as they went around the curves. That was okay because the curves made her body sway back and forth. Curves were just as fun as going fast.

The trees thickened on one side, blocking the sun for a little while. That was okay too, because it made it easier to seen the water. There were people running along the shore, playing in the sand, and swimming in the water. A flock of geese landed on the water in the middle of the lake.

The lake faded behind them and so did the curves. The sun was starting to drift low in the sky, and her tummy rumbled a little. They went straight and fast for a while, the wind a little cooler through her hair.

She started recognizing the area, they were getting close to home. Home meant dinner, which was a fine thing. How could she be disappointed when she’d get to eat some good food soon?

They turned down the last tree-lined street toward home. People smiled and waved as they passed, and she called out to them all with a happy smile and bright eyes. She saw her best friend Tillie walking down the sidewalk, and hollered at the top of her lungs. Tillie turned her head to look, and hollered back when she saw who called her. They needed to get together soon and have some fun.

The family pulled into the driveway and rolled to a stop. Coming home always made her happy. There was so much love at home.

She sat in her seat for a little bit looking at the house, looking at her family. She was filled with love for them all. One of them made a kissing sound to get her attention.

“C’mon, Fluffy,” they clapped their hands, “let’s get you some dinner.”

Fluffy bounded from the car wagging her tail in delight. She raced across the grass toward the front door.

Zooming was fun, but she was glad to be home.

Author’s Note: This was written in response to seeing a dog hanging it head out the window of a pickup truck as it went down my street. I was working in the yard and had lots of time to think. “I wonder what’s going through that dog’s head,” I mused, then started writing this story in my head as I pulled weeds and crabgrass.

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Filed Under: Flash Fiction

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Book Progress

Warlord: The Judgment Cycle Book 1
Phase:Writing
6%
Rise of the Sun King
Phase:Proofing
20%
Bitter Water
Phase:Proofing
65%
250 Story Seeds
Phase:First Draft
64%

Categories

  • Fantasy (1)
  • Flash Fiction (1)
  • Non-Fiction (1)
  • The Writing Life (7)

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The Foundlings

The world’s only hope is in a prophecy hardly anyone believes in. The Foundlings is the beginning chapter in the epic Swords of Xigara trilogy—a coming-of-age story full of peril, intrigue, and discovery. Follow these adventurers as they strive against impossible odds to save their world—a world that may not want to be saved.

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Behind the Hidden Places is an anthology of science fiction and fantasy short stories interspersed with free verse and true-to-life stories. Travel to the universe found just next door or found across the vast reaches of the multiverse. Discover, cherish, lose, and regain true love. Find a cure for cancer. Honor the fallen. Delve into the genesis of artificial intelligence. All within the pages of Behind the Hidden Places.

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