Just for Writers

[C. Lee McKenzie]

I keep finding wonderful bits and pieces of wisdom and information that I find helpful in this business of writing, so I thought I'd start a discussion and see what other ones the YaLitChat people have in their bailiwick.

 

I love these from Lukeman, The First Five Pages

 

"Agents and editors don't read manuscripts to enjoy them; they read solely with the goal of getting through the pile, solely with an eye to dismiss a manuscript--and believe me, they'll look for any reason they can, down to the last letter."

 

"There is no such thing as a great writer; there are only great re-writers."

 

I hope you'll jump in and share some of the ones that you find informative, inspiring, helpful in any way. 

[Kym Balthazar Fetsko]

Great topic C. Lee ~

Loved @literaticat's tweet this morning ~ If I decline your work, I'm saying "I don't want to be your agent. I am not saying "You won't get an agent" or "You won't be successful."

It's always nice to hear it reinforced :)

[C. Lee McKenzie]

That's a great tweet. I've met Jen and she's quite a kick and a full-bore agent who gets the job done well.

 

Thanks for adding to the discussion.

[Nicōle Olea]

Oh Thank you Lee! These are great!! 

[Christopher Wills]

Great topic. I love this subject.

I have two main pieces of wisdom that I write by; one is very similar to one of yours;

"You can't edit a blank page."

"There is no such thing as great writers, only great editors."

I take both together and they tell me to just get on with it and get something on the page so that I have something to edit. I take this even further. I love nanowrimo http://www.nanowrimo.org/ because I love the philosophy of getting lots of words down in a short space of time. It has given me 3 editable novels one of which I am self epublishing in a couple of weeks.

So my pieces of wisdom really work for me; they drive the way I write. 

[Jennifer M. Hartsock]

I’ve realized that in order to get anything published, you have to work at it. I’d like to think that writing a great story is all it takes, but it’s not. You have to put a lot of time and effort into not just the content, but the craft. Now that I’ve taken several college courses in writing, I’ve began to figure out the craft. Hooks, connecting sentences, plot, ect.

 

So, in order to be successful, write a novel or short story the very best you can. And then send it out for feedback. Be willing to spend more countless hours modifying. I know it’s tough, but it has to be done. Like anyway, you learn and grow as you go. You might even spend a bit of money on editors because, hey, it’s their job to detect the errors you don’t catch, and polish the scenes you think are great.

 

It also helps you meet a lot of great people in the writing industry when you ask for help.

 

Anyway, good luck to everyone!

http://jennifermhartsock.wordpress.com

[Suzanne Linn Kamata]

The quote I have on my desk is:

 

"A writer should always feel like he's in over his head." - Michael Cunningham

 

This reminds me to push myself, push the envelope, and try new things.

 

 

[Cayla Kluver]

I keep a word doc of all my favorite writing quotes.  I love this one by Anne Lamott from Bird by Bird:

 

“I know some very great writers, writers you love who write beautifully and have made a great deal of money, and not one of them sits down routinely feeling wildly enthusiastic and confident.  Not one of them writes elegant first drafts.  All right, one of them does, but we do not like her very much.  We do not think that she has a rich inner life or that God likes her or can even stand her.”

 

Another one of my favorites is:

 

“A critic can only review the book he has read, not the one which the writer wrote.” – Mignon McLaughlin

 

These two quotes keep it pretty real for me.  Great topic!

[Ruth Frances Long]

That's a great quote Suzanne, especially for me at the moment as I'm in the middle of edits!

Suzanne Linn Kamata said:

"A writer should always feel like he's in over his head." - Michael Cunningham

 

My quote:

The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.' Sylvia Plath

And another quote (as much about reading as writing, and perhaps more about the amount of tea I drink!)

‘You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.’ C. S. Lewis