Sometimes lonely but never alone

Writing is a solitary business. There’s no way around it; in order to write you have to spend a lot of time sitting by yourself in front of a blank page. That’s good, up to a point – introspection and contemplation and all that.

But the classic stereotype of the writer as a neurotic loner, separating himself from reality isn’t totally undeserved. Yes, you have to be alone to write, but it’s equally important that a writer get out into the real world so that they have something to write about. In my case my day job won’t let me retreat in splendid isolation to some ivory tower. In fact I’ll throw this idea out for free: if you’re spending too much time talking to the mirror, try opening and/or running a couple of restaurants. And, as a bonus, put your ass so far in hock that you wear a rut in your office floor, pacing back and forth, jumping every time the phone rings. If it’s stark reality that’s lacking in your prose, this course of action will give you a little dose. I might caution though, it may not be for everyone.

But let’s say you don’t need that kind of stress in order to write and you’ve actually struggled your way through your first draft. And let’s assume that you’ve lived your life enough to give your writing a dash of zing and authenticity; that you’ve written something that someone will actually want to read.

Another problem that writer’s face is that of perspective. It’s important to put some distance between you and your work so that you can look at it with a critical eye. That’s why it’s never a good idea to dash something off and send it out to an agent or publisher, or even your significant other. Let your pages season a while and then go back and revisit them. Chances are that you’ll be surprised, not just with technical errors that you missed before but with logical gaps. After all, when you’re having a conversation with yourself, you already know where the train of thought is going, and it’s sometimes hard to see where you’ve forgotten to describe your process in sufficient enough detail that your readers can follow the tracks. Even when you’re working under a deadline put your pages aside, if just for a few hours, and then read them again. You’ll almost always end up with something better than the original.

Another thing that’s important is to find readers – before you attempt to become published. This is harder than it sounds. Consider that you’ve written a 85,000 word novel and it only exists on your computer and a couple of back up drives. It’s essential that you find someone to comb through it, offer good critical advice, and turn it around and get their comments back to you on a timely basis. And the word good in that last sentence is imperative. It doesn’t help to have someone review your masterpiece and then discover that their notes are complete drivel. You’re not going to find subjective criticism from your mom. You have to respect your critics as writers and as readers if their comments are going to help you get the most out of the process.
That’s why writer’s groups can be invaluable. Again, a good writers group. A regular meeting with other people who can actually write and who are comparatively well read; who care about the craft. That can put you leaps and bounds ahead of the competition.

The other night I had dinner with one of the guys from my old writing group. Darwyn Jones went to Columbia College with me and we wound up in the same class – Patricia Pinianski teaches an excellent course on writing thrillers and from it she, from time to time, culls a few prospective novelists who meet and discuss their work. So when I finished a draft of my novel, it was a natural that I seek out others in my group for advice. The title of my book is Opening Day. It’s a heist romp set around Chicago’s Wrigley Field. Darwyn read it and then we sat down together and the first thing he pointed out was that the critical, climatic scene happened away from the ballpark. Many, many miles away. DOH!

Like I said earlier; as a writer you’re often so close to your work that you don’t see obvious errors like that one. You do your best and then you’ve got to trust your friends. But first you have to have friends that you can trust. So as I wrap this up I want to give a final word of thanks to my group and the readers and writers who have helped me so much in this whole journey. And a special thanks to Darwyn and Sharon (and Patricia) who not only read my manuscript but saved me from sending it out with huge problems.

Yes you need experience (and experiences) and yes you need to get to work and set your thoughts to the page. But the next step – at least if you’re serious about this whole thing – is to cultivate a group of people that you trust to share your work with and then to use that input to make your writing better. It’s the only way to get your work to the next level and it’s also a way to meet people and get out of the house. That’s something many writers could use more of. Unless you’re in the restaurant business.

— Ric Hess, May 2, 12:54 PM

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