By Brenda W Hargroves
OK, I admit it. I dream of signing an agreement with an agent, followed by a contract with a publishing company. So, where am I in the process?
During the past year I reworked my novel so many times I can probably recite the entire story from memory. Well, maybe not all of it. But, after major editing, which included incorporating input from trusted beta readers, I was sure my completely gutted masterpiece was ready to share with the world, or at least an agent or two.
THEN – I received an oh-by-the-way comment from one of my beta readers casually stating her observation that I used the word ‘was’ a lot and should probably do a find and replace when possible. OK, no problem until… my search revealed I had written the word 997 times.
You’ve got to be kidding! Oh well, another round of editing. Only this time, it felt like a challenge to complete a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. As I plowed through my manuscript finding ways to rephrase my wording, I saw vast improvement in my writing. Although I did not choose to eliminate the cursed word every time it appeared, the number of times used decreased dramatically. When finished, it was what it was. See what I did there? I know. Corny, right?
The irony is that shortly after completing the puzzle, I came across Tahlia Newland’s article 3 Little-Known Writing Mistakes: Avoid them and Improve Your Prose. I urge all writers to read this article. It will save you much time and grief. But for now, I challenge you to seek and destroy the word ‘was’ as many times as you can. Your writing will thank you for making the effort.
Another Not-So-Fun Aspect of Writing – I’d like to move to a completely different topic – rejection. I belong to a writer’s group where I often find chatter about this painful reality. All I can say is that after twenty-five years of writing grant proposals, I’ve raised millions of dollars for worthy causes, yet many more of my submissions have been rejected than not. Immediate gratification rarely accompanies success. Rejection is an integral part of achieving victory. So, if you believe in your writing, by all means, continue to fight for it.
Two thoughts come to mind as I forge the journey to achieving publication. Patricia Highsmith said, “The first person you should think of pleasing is yourself. If you can amuse yourself for the length of time it takes to write a book, the publishers and the readers will come later.” And I say, if you continue to enjoy your manuscript the entire time you are going through the editing process, others will experience the same enjoyment.
Conclusion – I offer the following as encouragement to my fellow writers. You will never stop editing your work. Even after publication, you are likely to find ways you could have improved what you wrote. The key is to love and have faith in your story. Right now, that’s enough for me!
Comments