How many of you are unhappy with what you write?

[wgjones3]

I just sent a copy of chapter one of my novel to somebody, and after I sent it, I got to reading it. IT WAS CRAP! Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad, but it was embarassing. I went through and made some changes--I changed 10 lines at most out of nearly 300--but those changes greatly impacted the quality of the story.

My question is, is the difference between good work and total garbage as simple as 10 lines worth of alterations? Can 3% of the total package make a body of work unreadable?

My girlfriend always says that I am too hard on my work, that I try too hard to make it perfect and end up frustrated because I can't accept the fact that it's good enough. Well, it's not good enough to me. Am I alone in this? Am I crazy? Depressed? Anxious? Tired????

I AM anxious to hear your opinions on the subject, so please, drop me a line (or a reply) and lets chat.

[HisServant]

wgjones3:

I know how you feel. I was so proud of the first book I ever wrote. And then I went and re-read it about a year after writing it and I was so embarrassed. Not just by my grammatical mistakes but also by the way I worded some things. Since it has been four years since I wrote my first book, I think a lot of it has to do with us growing as writers, not to mention we are our own worst critics! ;)

Have a blessed day!

HisServant

[LookingLand]

It really depends on what you perceive is "wrong" with it.

If it's grammatical or syntactical, then YES, 3% will make a huge difference with editors, etc. Sloppy work sends a message to an editor that you don't care enough about the craft to spell things write or make complete sentences.

If, on the other hand, you're just being hard on yourself for the way you turned a phrase or word choices, etc. 3% may not be a deal-breaker.

I think it's important to always keep perspective on your work, never rush stuff out the door, always allow yourself to let something sit overnight so you can read it again in the morning with fresh eyes, get feedback from whoever's willing to read or listen, and be open to the criticism you receive without cowing to every suggestion (it is YOUR work after all, not theirs).

We all have spaz moments where he hate something we wrote and want to do it all over again. Sometimes you have to let things go. If you have the luxury of fixing or changing, GREAT! If not, it's not worth losing hair over. Just move on to the next project and try to learn from what you perceive as "errors" on the last one!

Happy writing!

~ Alice

:)

[Jewel]

I think you're overly anxious, wgjones3. Don't hang your ego on your writing. Write it - let it "cure" and then correct it and leave it alone.

[whitehawke]

Hey, look what I found. (Or at least one of the guests found and I knabbed:) )
Anyway, it reminded me that I sent my first draft of my very first novel to an agent. :eek: Gasp, shock, horror.
Imagine that?! What a newbie I was. :o
Anyway, he was very kind and rather helpful. He edited my fisrt chapter and kindly said that I needed to do that to my whole manuscript. He said that when I was happy with it, I could send it back to him and he would see what they could do for me.
LOL...It felt like I had been told to write an essay in Arabic. I don't know Arabic and I didn't have a clue about grammar or anything like that. :D
He did me a huge faver by telling me that.
It's amazing what you can learn by trial and error.
Spot ya :)
Rulan

[dublinheart]

I have found that I am satisfied with my writing as long as I just write it and forget it. But if I do a reread of it, there will be changes made. I suppose that's good. I have one story I simply wrote and never went back to it. So, it must have been a masterpiece, right? :D

[kimme325]

Well, I guess it would depend on WHY you are writing? If you are writing to feel happy, well, that feeling may never come. If you are writing to make a lot of money, that might not ever happen, but if you are writing because something compels you...then write. See, we get mixed up when we put FEELINGS into it. Its not about how you feel but what you have done for someone else to be uplifted to the glory of God. I have always been competitive, particularly with myself. Some people say, yeah, she's anal. But I just like to be proud of what I have done. But I have learned to stop being so critical and learned to just be free. The Lord told me that my writing wasn't for me, anyway. It was for somebody else. So what you perceive as not good enough to you, may be great to somebody else. See, our gifts are not meant for us to enjoy but for someone else to be blessed by. So I have stopped worrying, stopped all of the over-editing and just allow the Holy Spirit to say, good, now move on. It is all good and for God. And anything that we are doing for God is going to be good, anyhow. So don't sweat it and always keep writing. The world needs you. And God has use for you.

[ellenjames]

The results of this poll "Are you unhappy?" shows at least two interesting points.

1. To date, no one voted for the first option: So everyone is here to learn, and we don't feel we have "arrived".

2. Most voted for the second option. That is at it should be. We are writers and have some success and enjoyment from our craft. Doesn't it also prove that we all need help and we need each other?


Ellenjames

[AngelAzariah]

_____I would look at it this way.
_____One: An artist always works on improving their craft, thus he/she can never be compleatly content.
_____Two: A few of us may get the job done, and all that's left is to be connected with the right publisher.
_____Three: A story only has quality to a reader that likes it. I say this because my wife loves my work, my dad hasn't read much of it (he dosn't read much of anything), others say my work is too blan, still more say it's fantastic, and in the end, an editor is no more than another reader. They remain just a reader untill one decides to edit your work.
_____After the amount of effort you have put into your work Mr. Jones, I wouldn't look back on it with too harsh an eye. Improve your work you must, but stress over editors you should not. :D They're as diverse as writers, some good, some dumb, some cute, some lacking, some happy, some mad, few on their way to retirment. :p

[ellenjames]

Angel

I agree, especially with the third point "not everyone will like our writing". That's why we search for the right editor (the editor that is right for our writing). !thumbsup!

Wishing all well with writing and publication!

Ellenjames

[DrRita]

I'm not sure where I was when this poll came out but I'm glad Rulan found it :rolleyes:

I think Christians write on two levels. Before I launch into my little explanation I want to say that I believe ALL talent comes from God and we produce little from ourselves. God is the one who gives us the ability, inspiration and talent. Having said that, I want to expound:


The first level is the work/idea/project that comes from the gut of the writer but is not necessarily generated by the Holy Spirit. Those projects are mostly subject to the raw talent and gifting of the writer (but still dependant upon the personal inspiration of God.) Some writers are very gifted and could write anything well. They can either be happy or critical of their own work depending upon the standard set for themselves. Perfectionists are driven to excel and won't be "happy" with much they write but simply get tired of a project and rewriting and either accept it or trash it. These are the "Van Goughs" of the writing world. To some degree, most artists are like this.

The second level is the work/idea/project that comes from the gut of the writer but is controlled by the Holy Spirit. These projects though still dependant on the talent of the writer, are primarily produced by the impetus of the Holy Spirit through the writer. This level is different in that the writing itself seems to be above the conscious ability/talent of the writer and he/she knows it. Though it rarely (if ever) rolls from the pen of the Holy Spirit through the writer, perfect, still there is a quality that is "other worldly" about the work and the ability to put it on paper.

The first level is commendable and by no means "ungodly" nor is the work useless. Paul wrote letters that were not included in the canon of scripture. There weren't useless just not what God wanted to put into the Holy Word. We are called to write. Not every idea nor manuscript will see publication and many will never be finished. It's okay. These are the projects I judge the most harshly.

The second level is something that burns in our heart and mind until we write it. It's as if it has a life of its own. This writing is not subject to my own whim as a writer but is subject to the obedience of the Holy Spirit. It still needs editing, needs rewriting, and sometimes organizing but it seems to amaze me that it is even written at all with any talent. It simply doesn't come from me. I find myself not being able to hate nor love the work in the same way as the work produced in level one. It's as if I'm simply the caretaker, like a nanny, overseeing the project until it's done.


Now that I've probably said a whole lot more than I needed to does anyone else find this to be true of their writing? So when I tried to vote, I found none of the questions fit how I view writing.

My vote would be:

If I'm writing on level 1, I'm a perfectionist and nothing is rarely good enough.

If I'm writing on level 2, God is the one who tells me when it is ready. I have difficulty judging it at all.

I'm interesting to see what others think.

[pb10220]

Dr. Rita,

Interesting post, and you've expressed in words what I've so often experienced but never really thought through. I vary only in small ways...on Level 1, I'm not as perfectionistic as I used to be (no more than Level 2); and then I'd have to say also, that while I think that some of my writing is more 'inspired' than the rest, I truly believe that, in the final analysis, none of it actually comes from 'myself'. (I'm not meaning to split hairs here. It's just that I've come to realize this on a personal level over the past few years.)

On Level 1, like I said, I'm not as perfectionistic as I used to be (tho I'm still probably perfectionistic!). But on Level 2, unlike your experience, I am able to assess it...mainly because it's so much better than what I'd ever have expected to roll out from my pen. I've had instances where whole poems have just rolled out, one line on top of another, almost faster than I could write...same thing with many sections of my book, and they tend to be remarkably free of needing editing. (In fact one poem is to be published this year in its first-draft state.) Wish it would happen more often (!)...but whether it comes fast and easy, or more slowly, it still brings the pleasure that using our gifts tends to do.

[DrRita]

Pat,
Isn't it marvelous that God uses us as such complete individuals!! I totally agree with you that when God is involved he is the controller and does his work through us USING us as the individual creations of his that we are. Oh, glory. I praise the Lord for your unique experiences in Him. I know each one of us can testify and glory in the way God has used each of us. Thank you for sharing. Your testimony makes me rejoice even more. :D

[whitehawke]

kimme325
Very well said. !thumbsup!
Rulan

[whitehawke]

WOW everyone, :)
Thanks to you all, I have now done more reading this morning than I normally do when I first wake up. !thumbsup! You have all said such true and wise things.

The book I'm editing would never have been born if not for the dream that I was given by the Lord. That dream burned inside me, I couldn't let it go. I drew a picture of the man sleeping on the wharf with the boat leaving, but it still burned within. So I wrote the dream down and the Lord gave me verses for it. I drew 6 more drawings thinking that I would make it into a picture book. Still it burned.

My writing as a youth had always been to release the anger inside me and when the thought came to turn the dream into a novel, I was so scared. Did God really want ME of all people to do that? I struggled with it. But how can you run from something that's burning inside? So, I finally allowed the Lord to use my tainted gift and as I did, He healed me inside. There is a lot of me in the story (if only you know where to look) I have found that there are some places He allows me the edit as I will, but others, He says NO.

There is a nightmare that Matt has which I tried to soften and/or improve. I played with it for weeks. Changing this, killing that. I even wanted to dump the whole scene, but couldn't. When I was finally happy with what I had done, it was like the Lord leaned down over my shoulder and gently whispered in my ear..."Okay, now that you are happy with how you've made it, put it back to how it was." So I did.

What we see as perfect, is not always perect to Him.
This book could never have been writen if not for Him.

Sorry for my rambling. Guess what I'm trying to say is that if this book touches one heart, then I am blessed, even if it is just my own.
Rulan

[Benji]

I tend to write with a loose hand. What I mean by that is that I write, hold, review, rewrite, clean-up, send off, forget. Sometimes I even forget before I send off. I tend to write a lot of things and if I hold it too closely and refuse to allow an editor the opportunity to make suggestions (some have included wholesale changes) then all I have is a piece that is all mine and I tuck it away as if it were a priceless gem only to discover that the world could care less. For most - they are simply words on a page that may inform, amuse, encourage or annoy. The writer will always have the strongest interest in their own work. Become a perfectionist and it not only drains all the fun out of writing, but causes significant self doubt. If you stink as a writer, let someone more knowledgeable point you in a direction you may have never considered.

I've worked with numerous editors over the last ten years and have done some editorial work myself. Some go at it as if they are an English teacher - others are soft enough to lend more encouragement than useful construct.

There have been three that I have worked with that always have come back with constructive criticism and a finger pointed squarely at rough patches, redundancies and weak spots.

They took a good piece and made it great. That is not a pat on my own back, it is just a truth that a good writer and a good editor can create something that is much better than the both of them.

Don't shun an editor, but pray for a good one. The good news is that if you get a bad one, you'll know what not to look for the next go around.

Fodder for the grist mill,

Ben

[Allie Webster]

Maybe I'm too much of a perfectionist. :confused: I find that after I've written a chapter, if I leave it totally alone for several weeks (sometimes months) I'm ready to "edit" it.. Then I can go back with a fresh eye and find those awkward phrases or wordings, and spell check and check again.

Even after editing and re-editing if I let the book "gel" longer I find more things that need changing. Only when I'm sure there isn't another word, punctuation mark or thought that I want to add too or change do I start my marketing pitch. :D

Then I'm ready to see it in print and say "Yes, it is my best writing." !thumbsup!

[ProfessorAlan]

I think this might be a tougher scenario for Christians. All writers experience "flow" or the "zone," where the words of that first draft come so smoothly and easily . . . we feel that rush that all writers feel when producing new work, and to some extent we are tapping into the mysterious nature of God . . . creating a little bit in this world that He has created. But I think our knowledge of the presence of God in writng that first draft can hinder our revising. And as any published writer will tell you, "writing is re-writing." First drafts are always bad, the hard work of writing is in the revising.

Our problem is that we sometimes attribute all of our creativity directly to God, as if we've just written a new Epistle or Gospel. We don't recognize that sometimes that's just the way writing works, all writers experience that euphoria, and I think we are sometimes blinded to our own writing faults and weaknesses because we take the approach that sounds humble, "I didn't write this -- God did," but which I've found can sometimes (not always, not even often) can actually be a prideful statement of "don't change a word, it's perfect how it is."

I've been in a writers group where someone was ready to send off for publication a work that "God" had written and thus could not be changed. So the errors in grammar and spelling and syntax and poor word choice stayed. When it was rejected by a Christian publication, whose fault was it? According to this writer, the publisher had clearly not "heard the voice of God" in the work and now sincerely doubts the presence of Christ in all of Christian publishing. The fact that the work needed polishing never crossed her mind, as still has not. The bitterness in her is stunning.

I took that as a object lesson for myself. I recognize that when I write, it's usually me exercising God's gifting, not God writing "through me" in any direct, perfect way. It's a shame how a paradigm that sounds so right, a belief that is so sincere in writers, can lead to such disappointment and heartache in such sincere believers.

[pb10220]

I recognize that when I write, it's usually me exercising God's gifting, not God writing "through me" in any direct, perfect way. It's a shame how a paradigm that sounds so right, a belief that is so sincere in writers, can lead to such disappointment and heartache in such sincere believers.

Well said. The fact that our writing may be inspired by God doesn't mean that we, His instruments, are 'perfect' and incapable of making a spelling error, etc. We live and work in a fallen world, and I would not expect any of the gifts He's given me to be used without the taint of that. But here's the ultimate grace--the coup! Even our mistakes are used for His glory! My having to rewrite something is not only cultivating and developing my gift, but it's developing my humility, longsuffering, faith, and all those other qualities which would make me more like His Son. And all of this development glorifies God, possibly more than any finished 'product.' God is more concerned with our 'being' than our 'doing'--His primary goal is to develop the image of His Son in us through all the 'doings' we undertake in this world.

[whitehawke]

ProfessorAlan and pb10220,
I couldn't agree more :D

When I finished my first draft, some christians told me it was perfect the way it was. They claimed I shouldn't medal with something that God had given me.

I'm so glad that I listened to what I believed and continued to work on it. :) I have learnt so much by editing it, reading it over and editing again and so on. We are only human, after all. Can't remember how many drafts I've done on it now. :D
Rulan

[ProfessorAlan]

My having to rewrite something is not only cultivating and developing my gift, but it's developing my humility, longsuffering, faith, and all those other qualities . . .
Exactly. I certainly hope to minister to others with my writing, but I know for a fact that God is ministering to me with it!

We are only human, after all. Can't remember how many drafts I've done on it now.
And all of those rewrites are for the Glory of God!

[whitehawke]

Exactly. I certainly hope to minister to others with my writing, but I know for a fact that God is ministering to me with it!


And all of those rewrites are for the Glory of God!

That's for sure and I have had so much healing through the writing and editing of this book, that I'm amazed and can't help but give the glory to God.