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One of the difficulties that confront new writers is the myth that writers work alone. I am sure you know the legend: the writer in his/her garret, struggling through the night, creating the perfect bit of writing. Done. Published. Fame and fortune.
Despite the fact that the author’s name stands alone on the book, it just doesn’t work that way.
If you have followed this blog you will have seen many references to the editor. That person has an enormous impact on what finally is written and published. Then there are copy-editors who can make a big impact. It’s also not that unusual for an editor to have a second reader, (not visible to the writer) who makes comments though not directly to the writer. Then the writer might have an agent who makes comments and/or suggestions. A couple of summers ago I submitted a manuscript to my agent and she came back with what her summer apprentices thought. And someone else in her office gave her opinion, too.
Then there are spouses, partners, writing club members, friends—I share my manuscripts with my publicity agent—all of whom can and do offer suggestions, often key ones.
Yes, a lot of writing takes place in a room of one’s own—but then writing is often a crowded experience. My advice? Don’t try it alone. It usually doesn’t work that way.
2 thoughts on “It doesn’t work that way”
So true. As I’m writing, I type my stories into a Google document and share with my family and a few other readers, some of whom I have never met. They all then have the ability to directly comment on the text and let me know when I’ve made a typo, or there they noticed an inconsistency, or if there is something that would be really cool to add to the story. From their comments I have made several plot-changing alterations to my series.
In reading your blog, it brought to mind all those credits that roll at the end of a movie…it always stuns me to see how many people were actually involved to make the clip come to life…It totally makes sense that writing a book, a blog or a news article requires so many more support people than meet the eye. A great perspective to bare in mind as we keep pen in hand…it takes a village to embrace life, to reflect on it and to document it. Thanks for your insights. Kathleen of Portland.