I’ve spent the last few years finishing two books. They took forever to write. And by forever, I mean I avoided them as much as possible, consequently stretching out their completion. I just wasn’t feeling “writerly.” Not blocked, mind you, oh no. Can’t admit to that. But I will admit to discouraged. Publishing can be a rather pernicious enterprise, and it’s easy to feel adrift.
When I did feel the muse’s tentative tap on my shoulder, I was lured away by a bright shiny new thing. Then I felt guilty, and didn’t work especially hard on anything except my garden.
I’ve always had pretty good reviews, but I read somewhere the “average” writer makes less than $5000 a year. Thankfully, I can top that comfortably, though I’d never be able to support myself comfortably, LOL. But I’ve never been in it for the money anyway, which is a good thing because now I have to spend some.
This year I’m finally going to get those finished books “out there,” which means some expense for cover design and formatting. And although the books have been edited, I am going through them for the umpteenth time and have discovered they have not been edited enough.
When will it be enough? Hard to say. It seems I am an inveterate tinkerer, never content to leave good enough—or average enough—alone. I’m not talking about typos and punctuation, but content. This is why I don’t read my books after they’ve been published. I always want to change a phrase or add a scene I didn’t think of, or even, Heaven forfend, strike out entire purposeless paragraphs.
Apparently, I do not know when to stop. I’m not sure what this says about my character—perfectionism? Perseverance? Persistence? Those words sound rather grand, but it’s more like me beating a dead horse. I don’t want to kill the life out of these books by being overly fussy. But as an example, I just looked up synonyms for fussy.
Obsessive might work.
So, wish me and the barely-alive pony luck. I’ll keep you posted when Lady May makes her long-delayed debut!
How do you know The End is really The End? As a reader, do you ever want to “fix” a book? Do mistakes drive you crazy? I get bothered if words repeat too close together.
I understand the tinkering bug. I tend to do 10 page increments and rework, rewrite and rework. A lot of the time it helps me get ‘better’ character stuff, get ‘more specific’ sometimes it’s about what adjective do I think is ‘best’. In my head I imagine every other writer out there writes the perfect sentence, moves the plot along effortlessly and I am a big ugly tortoise with a limp. On less ‘poor me’ days I accept it’s all a personal process. But I agree – when it’s time to get it out into the world – it is TIME! Love the photo and looking forward to Lady May.
Big Ugly Tortoise with a Limp. LOL. We need T-shirts!
I’ve had books where I changed a single word back and forth several times before letting it go. Just reread the last four Thea Kozak mysteries in preparation for writing the next one. Found a few typos but also decided they were better than I remembered. And yes, I did want to do some pruning. Now I am in the “cooking” phase while I wonder up the next plot. I love your label “a pernicious exercise.” Yes. Absolutely. No matter how professional we are, we can get sucked into the vortex of second guessing, poor me-ing, and avoidance. Probably why I am reading your post instead of writing.
Kate
I am happy to provide a distraction!
Sometimes it’s only the deadline that forces the end of the writing. However, when we have self-imposed deadlines we can move them, can’t we. That’s a challenge. In my experience, a trusted first reader can help call time on a writing project. As for ‘mistakes’ in books: typos are annoying but not deal breakers, but mistakes in the plot are egregious.
I think you are right about the deadline. Must draw line in sand. Or snow.
I tend to use the nausea quotient. When I’ve been through the book so many times I can’t bear to look at it again, it’s time to format and do a final readthrough. I still find and fix stuff, but I take comfort from knowing the story has been read by multiple betas and an outside editor before I push publish. When I was traditionally published, it was midnight on deadline day that I managed to push send.
Nausea, LOL. I haven’t quite reached that milestone yet. But I am sort of sick of it!
I imagine purgatory is similar to finishing a book. I’m two chapters away from finishing the first draft of one I started in 2017. THEN, I should look at the other seven unpublished, nowhere ready for prime time YA books I’ve written.
Good luck! I’m working on something I started at least 10 years ago!
I wish you well! Am in the same spot with a mystery trilogy several years in the making. Perfectionism is definitely a problem with me too! I wrote my doctoral thesis MUCH faster!!!
Fiction is harder than a dissertation? I bow to you!
Boy does that sound familiar! Whenever the new books come out, I definitely want to read them.
You shall be amongst the first!
Maggie, this made me feel less alone. thanks! I so GET the editing not really done well enough…..frustrating about forking over the fees. Thanks for sharing what many of us often feel! Not sure who it was who said to write the last sentence first, but I have tried it and it just feels hopeful….
Sandy