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Best Writing Web sites, Blog, Don McCandless, Holly Michael, internet writers workshop, IWW, Jake Byrne, Nick Byrne, word count, Writing, www.writingstraight.com
What Do You Really Want? Author and critque partner, Don McCandless, posted this question and some great advice on Internet Writing Workshop (IWW) after some grumbling posts about trimming words.
I know what I want. I want to write a lot of books. I want to keep my agent busy selling my novels. I want to continue mastering the craft of writing.
To make this happen, I depend on IWW and excellent critque buddies like Don McCandless. IWW is like writer’s boot camp. We work out, tearing apart each other’s chapters, toning our grammar, paring down our prose, trimming our beloved darlings, and wiping out those sagging clichés.
Below is Don’s post from IWW. It’s great advice, not only for writers, but for anyone. Thanks Don!
What is it that you really want? Why do you write?
Once upon a time, when I was an aspiring athlete, I worked out hours and hours every day. I sacrificed many things most people take for granted. This isn’t something you can hide from anyone. Everyone who knows you, is related to you, works with you, knows you’re paying a price they’d never consider. And yet, many of these same people would ask, we have this league, this team, this event, this company picnic. Come and play with us.
To a trained athlete, there is no situation more dangerous than being in close quarters with a recreational athlete. They don’t know what they’re doing, and you’ve reduced what they see as exceptional, to trained reflex.
So what does this have to do with writing and word counts, you ask. The answer is, simple logic.
Literary agents make their living by representing writers the general public support by purchasing their product. If this is your goal, to be one of these writers, then one must learn the rules of the game, perform the required exercises, build yourself up to completion level, and compete. One must be lean and mean. No fat. None. Zero. Nada.
Traditional publishing is a game. If you don’t play by the rules, you automatically lose. If the game isn’t for you, there’s always the co-ed recreational league that meets at the Salvation Army Hall on Tuesday nights. Sign up, and have fun. It’s easy. Anybody can play. But no one will ever read about you in the paper. So what is it that you really want? What price are you willing to pay?
Do you really need every one of those 100,000 words? Or could you work off ten or fifteen thousand. No pain, no gain.
*****
Thanks Don!
My first novel, Crooked Lines, landed on my agent’s desk at a hefty 126,000 words. She insisted I trim it to under 100,000 words. It wasn’t easy, but I did. Hoping for a sale soon.
I’m spending this week finishing my second novel, “I’ll Be Seeing You,” and hope to have it to my agent by November 1 to begin NANOWRIMO, National Novel Writing Month. NANOWRIMO is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel-writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30.
I probably won’t be blogging much during November. No Pain. No Gain.
Sitting on my butt writing, I won’t gain muscles (like my athlete boys, above) but I do hope to gain a new novel by November 30! Write on!
Way to go, Holly! You can do it. As you and Don say, no pain, no gain. I can see your writing muscles flexing. 🙂
Keep on keeping on! You always did want to write. It is one of your many talents.
Hey Wanda, thanks. What I lack in talent, God fills in.
Good luck and keep writing!
Thanks Hugh!
Thanks for sharing some inspiration, Holly. Good luck with your novel!
Hi I have tagged you for the blog-A-thon via Biltrix! Please see my post for rules and info. Sorry to post this in the comments- I wasn’t sure how else to reach you. God bless!
http://foragingsquirrel.com/2012/10/24/blog-a-thon-madness/#comment-574
Ever since the Olympics where I was working like a dog to finish up my novel, I’ve been thinking about writing like an athlete. It takes hours and hours of training. And yes, you can get writer’s injuries. Ask if you don’t believe me.
Yet somehow, in the end, it’s all necessary. And it’s all worth it. Thanks for this reminder, Holly & Don. Might have to check out IWW for myself. 🙂
Holly,
I’ll be sitting on my butt right beside you (on this side of the divide)! I’m already praying for my NaNo buddies.
Hugs,
Becky
Aww..Becky, you’re awesome. Praying for you, too
Holly, I want you to know I forwarded this to a blog friend who also aspires to write a book. Bravo to you for going through the pain. Hope I can participate in NANOWRIMO someday.
Margie, thanks. It is pain and fun at the same time. Kind of like giving birth in some small way, I guess. Hope you can participate in NANOWRIMO, too. Just gotta keep on working on our goals.
Good luck Holly with NANOWRIMO!
Thanks Darlene, Hope I can come out of it with a good first draft
That is some fine advice Holly! And best of luck with NaNoWriMo.
Thanks Graham.
You go Holly, keep flexing those writing muscles! Incidentally, your boys are total hunks 🙂
Haha! They think they are, and I do too! 🙂
Holly,
Just wanted you to know I’m thinking of you as you write that novel. May God’s hand be upon you and His spirit motivate and move you to write something special for Him.
Hugs,
Glenda
Aww, Glenda. You’re a sweetheart. I appreciate your prayers. I certainly hope to create something special for Him. That’s my prayer, too. God Bless you!!!
Thanks for your visit and follow on my blog. I love the photos of you and your boys…they melt my heart since we have two sons. 🙂
I hope your writing project went well. 50,000 words is. HUGE accomplishment. Good for you!
Thanks, I’m just reading some of your blog post. Very inspirational.
Thank you. 🙂