Dare to Write Bad

Scribble (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One great fear of writers is that they will write something bad. I say “Write away!”

• Practice: To write well, you first must write badly. Writing is a skill that can be improved only through practice. Bad writing is writing where you make mistakes. A diligent writer will learn from those mistakes and gradually stop making them. That you know your writing is bad means you have a feel for the criteria of “good” work but didn't quite make it this time.
• Edit: Many first drafts are read badly. Good writing often comes through edits. Plan to revise and you can write as badly as you need. The important thing to remember is that you cannot improve a WIP that has not been written.
• Create: There's a need that drives any piece of writing. By writing something, even something bad, you are making, creating, doing. Even if you don't dare show it to anyone else, it was worth the time and effort it took to express yourself.
• Flow: You write what is on your mind. By writing, you put those thoughts into words. Sometimes the flow is the goal, rather than the aesthetic quality of the work. And who knows? The bad writing may trigger a great work, a healing, or a personal revelation.
• Critic: Maybe the finished product is not as bad as you think. If you are your own worse critic, then it might be a good idea to show the (polished) product to someone you trust to kindly analyze it. Even if it is awful, a kind critic will find the nuggets of goodness inside.

90% Perspiration

idea (Photo credit: Tony Dowler)

Everyone, it seems, has an idea for a book. A book they will write “some day, when I get around to it”. Of the few people who actually start to write that book, many (maybe most) soon give up. Welcome to the world of the writer! “10% inspiration, 90% perspiration”.

Every day has its challenges, some seem insurmountable. The story goes off track, the words won't come, you hit a dead end. It takes work to recover, make up for lost time, and find solutions. Creativity is a necessary ingredient, but so is relentless effort.

Then there are the edits. Few first drafts clearly convey the writer's intentions. Sometimes you remove vast chunks, realize there are holes to fill, or find places where logic just broke down. Creativity is still an important element, but no one who has revised a WIP would discount the importance of “elbow grease” or a red pen.

Even after the WIP is finished, if you decide to pursue the publishing track, there are rejection letters. Publishing typically means research, test readers, submission guidelines, and multiple tries. Success means not giving up.

Tenacity is an often overlooked quality in writers. You may have a very supportive environment but there is probably no escaping the voices (inside and outside) that say you are not good enough, that what you write is trashy/escapist/frivolous, and that you should look for a “real” job/hobby. To keep writing under such pressure is another dimension of hard work.

So as important as it is to have an idea or three, any writer knows that alone is not enough. A poem, a book, a lyric, a screenplay, any of these takes work. And to produce a piece that clearly communicates the writer's idea usually takes a lot of work. But most writers will say that the process and the result are worth the effort.