Good advice from Iain Banks

[John Jarrold]

In an article in the Guardian newspaper:


What advice would you give to new writers?
The Three Ps: practice, practice, practice. Writing is like everything else: the more you do it the better you get. Don't try to perfect as you go along, just get to the end of the damn thing. Accept imperfections. Get it finished and then you can go back. If you try to polish every sentence there's a chance you'll never get past the first chapter.

Is there a secret to writing?
Some people have just got it and some haven't. Although, I think it can be brought out of some people so it is worthwhile joining writers' groups or studying it. If a creative writing course produces one writer who wouldn't have been a writer otherwise then it's worthwhile. You kind of know if you are a writer or not. The real secret is to do it because you love writing rather than because you love the idea of being a Writer.

[Anthony G Williams]

I must confess that I'm a "constant polisher", but that doesn't stop me from finishing books. By the time I get to the end, I've done almost all the revision and editing, apart from a final read-through and polish.

One thing I have learned about writing is that everyone has their own way of working which suits them.

[John Jarrold]

Too right. But one thing I would say to everyone: don't let constant micro-management get in the way of finishing and submitting.

[ctg]

I think that Mister Banks words are very true and are aimed for those who hasn't done much of writing in their life, but feel that they are able to tell a story. The sole message that comes through his words is that 'one should keep on writing, and only worry about getting to the end. Editing and polishing comes afterwards, and not in the middle.'

You see that same message coming time after time, and it is the the only lesson what aspiring writing should take on board when one starts their writing career. Like John said in his 'questions thread', one should do more writing and less talking about writing, although studying the craft of writing is as important as doing just writing, but it really comes as second, because as they say 'you learn as you go'.

[Ian Whates]

Originally Posted by Anthony G Williams

I must confess that I'm a "constant polisher"

So am I, Anthony. I had a short story that I really believed in but which seemed destined to never find a home. It was rejected eleven times -- always nicely and often with positive comments, including some in a personal note from Sheila Williams when Asimov's turned it down.

Every time I got it back I would go over and polish it here and there, refine this sentence and adjust that. On the twelfth submission it was accepted, and now sits on the 5-strong shortlist for 'best short story' in this year's BSFA Awards.

There's a moral in there somewhere... Hanged if I can work out what it is.

[Scarfy]

Originally Posted by Ian Whates

Every time I got it back I would go over and polish it here and there, refine this sentence and adjust that.

Yep, I have the same problem. Feels a bit like you're working on a model railway; it's never quite there.

Is that bad? I'm spotting sentences and parts that I think are a little weak and could be improved, so hopefully that means my writing skills are improving..?

Or maybe I'm just trying to be a perfectionist...

[John Jarrold]

Writing a novel is like working on a painting. It's never completely finished. You have to stop at some point.

[Havlen]

Originally Posted by John Jarrold

Writing a novel is like working on a painting. It's never completely finished. You have to stop at some point.

Exactly. I see a lot of sites (agents/publishers) that request only "completed" manuscripts. I substitute in the word "polished". I will send in a polished manuscript, but that doesn't mean I won't keep polishing

[John Jarrold]

I know you don't think that is what they really mean by a 'completed' maunscript, but for other readers' benefit, I'll say that they are talking about the story being complete, running through to the end, not just a partial novel. Editors are not allowed to commission an unfinished novel from a new writer, everyone has to be sure that said new writer can keep up a wonderful prose style to the end of the book, not just for the opening chapters.

Iain Banks has proved he can do that over twenty-odd years, so he (or any other well-known and successful novelist) can get a deal on a brief proposal. This is not true of someone who has not had novels published successfully by the major publishing houses. You have to prove yourself.

[Troo]

Originally Posted by John Jarrold

Writing a novel is like working on a painting. It's never completely finished. You have to stop at some point.

This has to be the single best analogy I've ever seen, John. And I speak as someone who's ruined a painting with constant fiddling in the past

[David Elliott]

Just spotted this quote from Pablo Picasso, which I suppose is kind of relevant to this thread ...

"To finish a work? To finish a picture? What nonsense! To finish it means to be through with it, to kill it, to rid it of its soul, to give it its final blow, the coup de grace for the painter as well as for the picture."

Not sure if exactly the same thing can be said of writing ... but it's quite an interesting way of looking at it ...

[John Jarrold]

Picasso could afford to say that, of course! Newer writers need to 'finish' at some point, if they want to be published.

[David Elliott]

Wasn't Leonardo Da Vinci a bit of a bugger for not finishing things too? Maybe it's a "painter" thing ...

[Karen Dales]

Originally Posted by John Jarrold

Writing a novel is like working on a painting. It's never completely finished. You have to stop at some point.

I think that is true to ever creative field. My husband is a musician/recording engineer who has been in the biz for 20 years. Even with his own compositions he has to make a decision when to say enough is enough of the editing. For his recording clients...well, needless to say, he likes it when they are overly picky and wants to spend the time and money to revise, re-record, etc every single track. He will eventually tell them that it's time to let it go and let it 'publish' on cd.

He's been a great help with my ability to say when enough is enough with my novel.

Karen

[David Elliott]

Yeah, I'm a musician myself, and have certainly destroyed more than one recording by constant tampering ...

As such, I'm scared to death of doing the same with my writing!