Elsa Has A Message For Many Of You Writers

Starting a book is relatively easy. You just write whatever comes to mind. Stream of consciousness. 

Then organizing it is a little harder. 

Then actually writing it can be painstaking.

I’m a slow writer, and the writing process for me can be downright painful. Some people say, “I love writing.” I prefer to say, “I love having written.”

Then you finish your first draft. Although it still needs work, it feels good to know you’re running down the homestretch.

But at this stage, many writers fall into a black hole from which they can’t escape. They overwork. Overthink. Get worked up. Become paralyzed with self-doubt.

How do you know when your manuscript is ready?

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Kill the Monster

My favorite quote about writing comes from Winston Churchill:

“Writing is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement. Then it becomes a mistress, then it becomes a master, then it becomes a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster and fling him to the public.”

 

Killing the monster and flinging him to the public isn’t for the squeamish.

Persistent doubts about whether your book is done or not plagues seasoned authors and newbie writers alike.

And the honest answer is, there's no one-size-fits-all answer. Every writer's journey is as unique as their literary fingerprint. 

Five Ideas To Move your Manuscript Forward

Here are five ideas that can help guide you toward that elusive finish line.

Idea #1: Differentiate Between Instincts and Perfectionism

No one knows your message or story as intimately as you. Pay attention to the subtle whispers of your muse, those moments of clarity when the story feels whole and complete, like a puzzle finally falling into place.

If you feel your message or story is complete and now you’re fiddling with word choices and subtle nuances, KILL THE MONSTER AND FLING HIM TO THE PUBLIC.

Read that again.

Trust your intuition.

As you strive for progress, beware of the clutches of perfectionism—which is much different from intuition. 

THIS. KILLS. SO. MANY. MANUSCRIPTS!

It's easy to fall into the trap of endlessly tinkering with your manuscript. I've been there—and it rarely improves your writing. To get through it, I had to make peace with the fact that I will never write the perfect manuscript.

Pro tip #1: Successful authors opt for the good enough manuscript rather than the perfect manuscript because they know the perfect manuscript doesn't exist.

While revisions are essential aspects of the writing process, there comes a point when you must learn to embrace imperfection and follow Elsa's advice from the movie Frozen:

Let it go!

Idea #2: Get Outside Feedback

This one is tricky. Some writers send their manuscript to dozens of beta readers, asking for their input. Then some of those readers go to town and offer dozens and dozens of suggested changes.

This only sends the perfectionistic author further down the wormhole. Some never climb out of it.

If you’re working with beta readers, be selective about who reads your writing. Some people understand literary devices, story arcs, central themes, etc. Others just have an agenda—and they want you to write their book for them. Others simply know not that they know not.

Pro tip #2: You don’t need to integrate every suggestion from your beta readers into your manuscript. If you do, you’ll never finish it. Look for common themes in their feedback and consider them. 

Idea #3: Take A Break 

Sometimes we get too close to the situation and all we can see are trees when we should be seeing the forest. Step back from your work to gain perspective and reboot your brain. This may mean a week, perhaps even a month.

Idea #4. Enlist A Sage

Beta readers can be very helpful. Heck—my mom gave me some extremely helpful feedback on one of my books. 

At the same time, you might want a full-scale manuscript evaluation.

Larry Yoder just turned 80 this week. He’s (mostly) retired, but he’s a dear friend and a mentor to me in the publishing industry. 

Larry spent 20 years working at Macmillan as a bookstore rep—and discovered some of the most successful authors in the world, including Brandon Sanderson.

After his years at Macmillan, he managed one of the most successful bookstores in the Denver area.

The man knows books, and he evaluates manuscripts for our authors.

If you write religious books, you might also want to know that he has a PhD in theology.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to enlist his services, you can schedule a strategy appointment with me by clicking here.

He only charges $800. That’s a screaming deal!

Idea #5: Trust The Process

Moving your manuscript forward can be scary. 

What will my copyeditor think?

What will the typesetter think?

The good news is, you can still make minor revisions at the copyedit and typesetting stages without any additional charge.

Here’s some more good news: if we publish your book and you catch a glaring revision that you need to make, we can gladly accommodate you.

The bottom line is this: please avoid those endless cycles of revisions, overthinking, and self-doubt.

They WILL NOT serve you well.

Need help sorting through your book ideas? Click here to schedule a meeting with me and let's turn your dream into reality.

Let’s bring your book to life!