100 Things You Should Know About Writing (Part 3)

58) The Necessity to Be Brave

All new writers seem to have this miss-conception about writing: That it's all done once you've finished the rough draft. 

Everyone likes to think that things become easier once the rough draft is complete. And in a way, this is true. It's just too bad that there's this small matter of the debilitating fear that comes with having to revise a book. 

I mean, look at MENEC, my newest imaginary creation. It took me months, even years to write. Blood, sweat and tears went into it. The story came from my soul. And now, suddenly, I'm confronted with the truth that my baby, my book... the story I was so passionate about all this time... isn't perfect. 

In fact, there's nothing farther from our mental picture of a book than a rough draft. 

All that we have in our rough drafts is the smallest essence of what we want the world to see. And that essence can be lost so easily. We can either edit it away by being over-zealous. Or we can add so much while editing that we completely lose track of what the story wanted to say. 

On top of that, the essence is often so... ethereal that you have no idea about what will make you lose it, but at the same you know there's about a ton of issues that you need to clear up. Because if they weren't there, the book would have been what you pictured. 

Needless to say, this is a terrifying place for a writer to find themselves in. 

And for this reason, I want to say that you need to have courage. This isn't about purging your fear in some way. It's about knowing that you have to move forward despite your fear. 

This is another reason why it's so necessary to move in with a plan. Plans make the entire process feel concrete and that much safer. 

But this step of being courageous is in fact your first step, especially when you have the sense that you're going to make big changes. 

So make the decision to do what you have to do as soon as you've written "The End." 

And after that, rest. 

You read that right. You thought I was going to tell you to jump straight in? 

No. 

This commitment to bravery is a huge one. The task to perfect your writing is epic in its importance. And for heaven's sake. You've just finished a book. Take a breather. Let your commitment settle in. Spend a few weeks or a month on letting yourself gain a distance from your story. Distance helps. 

Maybe try working on something else. 

Then, when you come back to it, you'll be better prepared for taking the first steps onto the editing journey. 

Thanks for reading all! Please feel free to ask questions about writing/editing etc in the comments. I will reply, and if your question inspires a new section, I'll dedicate that section to you. In the meantime, please vote if you've found value in my sections. 

Coming up in 100 Things:

Revisions: 

Finding Your Feet

When to Rewrite

Point of View

Genre Aspects

Structural Edits:

Plot

Theme

Characterization

Pacing

Order

Content Edits:

Characterization

Worldbuilding

Dialogue

Voice

Consistency

Pacing and Flow

Content

Tension

Copyedits:

Variation and Flow

Reading Out Loud

Active and Passive

Proofreading Tips