Three valuable lessons I learned about writing.

Over the last two years, I’ve worked on my manuscript, A Picture of the Heart. October of last year, I thought I had it completed at 60,000 words. That was until I started a writing class with 12 other students. That’s when my novel went from 60,000 words down to 35,000. I joked with the instructor and asked if I would need to add pictures and include crayons with each book purchase. Before the class, I heard three things I considered valuable, but it wasn’t until I started the class that I learned them. We’ll briefly talk about each one below.

Lesson One: Hard Work Pays Off

As it turns out, writing a good book involves a lot of hard work. If you currently think, as I did, you’ll sit down and write something extraordinary; you might be in for a surprise. As I mentioned above, I edited nearly 24,000 words from my 60,000 word manuscript. There were days when I wanted to quit, and others where I could hardly wait to get some time alone to write. I learned that writing, in most cases is, 98% perspiration and 2% inspiration. I don’t mean to say that your book or my book isn’t inspired, but that alone isn’t enough to make it a great read.

Lesson Two: Self Doubt is more common than you might think

I’m sure we all understand the power of positive thinking, but it’s easier said than done when you’re staring at a black page, trying to figure out where the inspiration went and when it’ll be back. Speaking of inspiration, I wouldn’t suggest waiting to write until you feel inspired. Writing to be published is hard work. There may be days where you doubt your ability, but we need to understand we’re learning a craft. That brings me to my next lesson.

Lesson Three: It’s okay to be bad at first

I had a major misconception when I first started writing. I thought I could sit down and write, and whatever ended up on the paper would be good. Boy, was I wrong. I wrote 26 pages of bad prose, which, if I’m honest, wasn’t readable, and I got discouraged. Several years later, I joined a writers guild, where along the way, I heard several well-known Authors say, “It’s okay to be bad at first.”

It sounds simple, but it was a profound revelation to me. Writing is like anything else we set out to accomplish; we get better with time and effort. It’s okay to be bad at first, and it’s okay to learn to be better. While writing this book I realized I wasn’t ready to write a 300 or 400-page book, not if I wanted it to be a great read. Instead, I wrote 177 pages of the best prose and storyline that I was capable of writing. In the end, I’m satisfied with the accomplishment.