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Joined: 1/10/2012
Posts: 192
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Since becoming a member here, I've been part of some great discussions. I've also been forced to really look at my writing style and skills, and I can't help but wonder: how can we become better writers if all that we've learned thus far isn't enough? Yes, there are workshops, classes, mentors, peers and online resources, but at what point can any wanna-be writer feel satisfied with what they've created, with the skills they have? When is any of it "enough"? I guess what I mean, simply put, is if we are constantly learning and honing our craft, when can we feel satisfied with putting something in print? (Sorry for getting philosophical.  )
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Joined: 4/30/2011
Posts: 662
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The true answer. We never finish our work, we just abandon it.
We are lifetime learners as artists because we are never satisfied. There is this constant drive to improve, to make something better. I have improved over the years as I keep on writing, but I know I can keep on improving. I still talk with people, read, take the odd class in the hope that I may gain a new tool for my belt, yet the most important thing is the hard work I put forward. I sit down and write. Through practice I have seen improvement and have found persistence to be the key. Yes, there may be some point where you are happy with what you have written and don't mind letting others see it. At that point put it in print, but then start a new project. Satisfaction, complacency, is an artist's worst nightmare. You will no longer improve, want to improve, if you feel that way.
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Joined: 1/10/2012
Posts: 28
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One of the oddest methods to improving as a writer came from Twyla Tharp's book "The Creative Habit." She mentioned that a well-known writer friend of hers learned to write partly by copying or retyping works of other writers he admired. The thesis being that before you can create, you need to be a master of technique. While it is certainly true for other art forms, like dance or playing an instrument, I never thought about it as it applies to writing.
In short, I thought it was so much hogwash, but decided to give it a try. So I picked up a book by Erich Maria Remarque that I love, and retyped it. And I'll be damned if it didn't make me pay attention to phraseology, voice, and other devices that Remarque used that I never noticed as a reader. So I'm now a convert.
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• I guess what I mean, simply put, is if we are constantly learning and
honing our craft, when can we feel satisfied with putting something in
print?
You're thinking in terms of a destination, I think. Like any other profession it's a journey. We all write crap and we all write gold. The goal is to change the ratio of gold to crap for the better. And that never ends. I suppose, were you to be offered a six book deal, and have your work optioned for film, you might be justified in thinking you've reached that point you wondered about. But till then, the way to judge is simple. Finish the work. Edit the work. Query the work. The one you query will tell you if you're ready.
Till then what can we do but keep working?
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Joined: 4/27/2011
Posts: 608
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How do we become better writers?
By writing. Reading. Looking, listening, smelling, tasting, touching. Fighting. Loving. Thinking, praying, dreaming. Writing. Reading . . .
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Joined: 11/17/2011
Posts: 26
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LeeAnna, I really like what you said: We never finish our work, we just abandon it.
That is exactly how I feel. My question is; when is the right time to abandon the work?
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Joined: 1/10/2012
Posts: 28
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@ A J, the psychology of gambling shows that people will continue to play a losing game in an attempt to recoup their loses far past where it's rational to do so. To me, making the decision to "abandon" a work, puts it squarely in the loss column, and I have noticed that I then can't let it go. So I decided to look at all of these works as being on a long sabbatical, enjoying a holiday while I work on other things. Once I started looking at them as a non-loss, I could make a more reasoned decision about whether I'm banging my head against a wall and would do better to concentrate on other projects for a while.
And I think that that's an actually truer representation of what's happening because pieces of these works will reemerge somewhere else - a character may fit into a new novel you're crafting, or a whole scene will be repurposed.
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Joined: 3/13/2011
Posts: 412
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Maria, do you mean retyping as in, just typing it out, or actually rewriting the scenes in your own voice? We tried to get a competition doing the second together, but didn't have enough interest.
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Joined: 1/10/2012
Posts: 28
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Alexander, retyping as in typing it out. The physical act of typing, or writing it out, forces you to interact with the written word in a totally different way than just reading it.
Again - would have never believed it had I not tried it myself.
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Joined: 1/10/2012
Posts: 192
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Thank you all for the thoughtful replies. I guess my motivation for that topic comes from my insecurities as a writer. Then again, that's why I'm here: to learn from all of you and to improve!
And Jay, I guess for practicality's sake, I'm looking for a nice resting place along the journey, AKA the query. That doesn't mean anything I write will ever truly be finished, but that certainly will make me feel better about moving on to the next project.
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