Today’s post is written by Matthew Turner.
I recently wrote a guest post about self-doubt, asking people how they dealt with it and offering solutions for other self-doubting writers.
The response was fantastic, and despite dozens of solutions proposed, it seemed people split into two main camps (affectionally described as)…
- Fine Wine Writers
- Imported Beer Scribblers
Here’s what I mean:
Fine Wine Writers are those who need to take a step back, look at their work, and go through a rather long prolonged process of editing, self-doubt, and generally driving themselves insane (in the same way that fine wine takes a long time to make).
Imported Beer Scribblers are the opposite of this, composed of people who just keep on writing. It doesn’t matter how much they doubt themselves, hate their writing, or stumble into creativity barriers. They simply pick up the pen and write. They trust the process to sort itself out and guide them down the road to a satisfying end (in the same way making beer is a rather quick process).
What Type of Writer Are You?
I fall under the category of a Fine Wine Writer, which is rather ironic as I’m not a huge fan of wine in general, let alone fine wine. It’s, quite frankly, wasted on me.
In terms of writing however, this is exactly what I am. I go through huge—often daily—bouts of self-doubt. Roller coaster rides of loving my work one day and looking at it with disgust just 24 hours later.
The process I follow is inefficient and lengthy, but it works for me. Although I hope certain things will change in the future, I like my crazy Fine Wine process—the tune of which often follows this format:
- Write a chapter, read it back straight away and really, really like it
- Come back to it a day later with the intention of writing the next chapter, re-read the previous, hate it, and sulk for an hour
- Walk away from writing altogether for a few days in the hope that a fresh head will make things better
- Come back, re-read, re-edit, make changes here and there, and eventually walk away with a smile
- Come back the next day and start the next chapter, ready for this tortuous process to begin once again
I imagine however, the reverse looks this way:
- Write a chapter, read it back, smile
- Move on to the next chapter
- Repeat
Hmmm, slightly more productive, right?
These fine folks leave editing for editing, and creating for creating. I’m sure they still have doubt, and I’m positive they hate their work from time to time, but the big difference is they move on and trust in their writing to guide them.
I often read blogs about authors releasing over a dozen books a year. They have huge numbers in the Kindle store and, as such, have thousands in income each month. This is something unfathomable for me. Considering I’m still on book number one after six years…well…I think I’ve a way to go before getting to this level.
These people are clearly not Fine Wine Writers. I suppose the defining question is, however, does this make them better writers?
Is One Method Better Than the Other?
I’m proud of my Fine Wine status because it’s what makes me the person I am. I hope to become more efficient in the future, but I feel this will occur naturally as my writing improves, and as my self-doubt decreases.
For all you Fine Wine Writers reading this, hold your chin high and be proud. You may never be the author with ten books for sale per year, but that doesn’t mean you won’t become a success.
And for all you Imported Beer Scribblers, well done too. Be proud of how you go about things and have faith in the process you follow.
There’s so much advice thrown at us these days, it’s easy to deny our natural processes in an effort to conform. Although conformity can be advantageous sometimes, I always believe being yourself is the general rule to follow.
So what are you? A Fine Wine Writer or Imported Beer Scribbler? What are the advantages and disadvantages of your process?
Matthew Turner is a strategic marketer who blogs about how aspiring authors can market themselves. An aspiring author himself, follow him on his journey to becoming published at his blog and on Twitter
A beer guzzling connoisseur of wines?
My doubts and editing occur along the way – every paragraph is examined minutely for flaws and corrections as it hits the page, and again when the chapter is done. But then I move on, writing the next “horrible” part to be rehashed and revamped and ultimately given the seal of approval. And then the next…
I think I tread a fine line between both, depends on what stage I’m at in the writing game. First drafts flow like a imported beer, by second draft in indulging in fine wine and riddling holes in myself. In the end we have to find what pace works for us and use it to our advantage. (Hugs)Indigo
Janelle –
A mixture of both is probably the best way to go. Like most things mixture and balance is good.
Indigo –
Totally agree Bout finding the process that fits you. Efficient or not, as long as you’re comfortable then that’s the main thing.
Interesting. How would a Single Malt Wordsmith write?
Hmmmm, i imagine they sit around with a rather satisfied smile most of the day, occasionally writing, reading, and generally being a sweet son of a gun. Think James Bond being played by Samuel Jackson and i think you’re just about there
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
I guess the second method seem to be a lot better for me. I used to do the first method and I hate what I write so much that I end up not finishing my work.
It’s a tough one, Laine
The long way round is certainly frustrating, and as someone who struggles with patience, it seems i should absolutely hate it.
Evolution is key though, and with time you will become quicker and more efficient. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way though, simply a way that suits one better than others.
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
After reading this article, I have come to the conclusion that I have a serious drinking problem with my writing. I am a wine imbibing perfectionist but now I see how being a beer guzzler is a much better fit, beer belly aside!
Truthfully, my drink of choice is chocolate milk and I’d like to believe my writing is as rich and yummy as my glass of milk.
This was a very enlightening article and I really enjoyed the analogies!
Glad you enjoyed it, Debbie, and Milk would be a much healthier option in the long run 🙂
Oh, and there’s nothing wrong with being a perfectionist… at least that’s what i keep telling myself
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
I’d probably be more in the beer category (though I tend to be a vodka girl 😀 )
But, even if I wanted to be a fine wine writer, I couldn’t – as my deadlines are what push me when I am feeling doubts or those “ungh ungh!” moments. Nothing like a deadline to have you focus on the manuscript *lawd* But, in general, I have learned to trust the process – I can’t imagine a dozen books a year, but I am expected to turn in at least one a year ( so far, so good!). When I plunge on ahead, usually something emerges from the chaos!
What a fun analogy!
Yes, i can imagine a deadline can do wonders for the Fine Wine writer. We all strive under pressure, right?
I do feel a fine wine writer can produce a book a year though if they have some strong goals and good people around them. If, however, you have a job and kids to juggle in between, then a book a year may become impossible, or at least reseved for those beer (or Vodka) drinkers out there
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
I had to go to SCA (Self-Criticism Anonymous) to rid myself of the nasty fine wine problem in my writing. I am now proud to say I am on my four month chip and I rip my work apart less and less each day. I am learning to just “go with the flow” and have broken the stronghold of the urge to re-read incessantly.
I usually do my blog postings in one sitting, then editing goes like this:
1) Spell check
2) Read it again right there in the creation window
3) Do a preview of how it will look on the blog and read it there one last time.
That last step is where I catch most of the errors and changes I want to make to how it flows. Then I publish and don’t look back over my shoulder for fear I will pick up the glass again. Recovery from harsh self-criticism is hard. Thankfully, baring my humorous soul in my blog is quite therapeutic.
This is good, Cindy
I must say i forcefully use a more beer like approach for my Blog. I usually write a draft, go through it a second time (often realising how much i hate the original..hmmm, i suppose it’s not all that different to my usual Fine Wine self) and then have a final read through
It’s then a case of publishing the damn thing before i doubt myself. If i didn’t follow this then i worry i’d only produce one post a month 🙂
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
Imported beer (though I hate beer). I like to fast draft just to get the skeleton down, then go back after I’ve finished the whole novel to add layers and cut unnecessary stuff. I used to be Fine Wine, but it took too long and I had to keep pushing back deadlines. Personally, I think neither is better than the other. You have to do what works for you and if later you find you become the other? Does it really matter? Nope. So long as you keep writing, you’re doing what you must.
Couldn’t agree more
If you change through evolution then great, and if not, then who cares?
I think it’s when you start to force it when you may see issues occurring. There really is no right or wrong way though. I truly believe that
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
I went to the book Fair in Tucson last weekend, where one young woman panelist said in answer to a question that while she was not making any money at it, she “believed in her writing” (which was about vampire love, but okay), and got great satisfaction from knowing that her work was being read, even if it didn’t support her. I left the forum for lunch with a friend who has been a journalist and writer for 40 years. He and his wife were talking about whether they could get an article out of our upcoming tour of southeastern Arizona. There was an “insatiable thirst for stories,” he said, in specialty magazines and one of them might be interested. I laughed at the two philosophies about writing — fine wine satisfaction or plebeian money-making. They both sounded fine to me. Your article sounds like they would both be fine with you too. Thanks.
Yeah, i think there’s two sides to the story. It’s a very interesting thought really
Writing is an art, so we all like to think money doesn’t matter and as long as we’re proud and making a difference then it’s all ‘Happy Days’ (which it absolutely is by the way)
Money, however, is important and if we want to eat and stay alive then we need to consider it. If we get an opportunity to write something where we know there’s a market then why shouldn’t we take it?
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
I’m like Indigo; I’m both beer with the very finest of fine wines in it. Usually I write 2500 words or so, come back the next day and read it, make a couple of corrections and move on. Finish said chapter, print it, then sit and wonder if this chapter has led me into the woods and off the story path I want to take. It can truly stop me in my path. For grins and giggles I wrote out outlines of each chapter of my current wip and found, no, I haven’t gone off and the book, if not bloody brilliant, has it’s brilliant, funny, sad, great moments. There rest can be worked on. I’m good.
Love the sulks you wrote about. I’ve been there, do that. Have even yelled at the ms, “I hate you. You’re ugly!” and then gone to work on the carcass to make it more beautiful. Nice to add “story surgeon” to all our other talents, isn’t it?
Ha it’s good to know i’m not alone
I feel my story could get a restraining order, if it did indeed have it’s own human form, which because of my picky, perfectionist itself it still does not
It sounds like you have a process that works for you though, so that is cause for celebration. Beer ort Wine? the choice is yours 🙂
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
Great post Matthew. You captured the struggle in all of us. I think your best advice was your last:
“There’s so much advice thrown at us these days, it’s easy to deny our natural processes in an effort to conform. Although conformity can be advantageous sometimes, I always believe being yourself is the general rule to follow.”
This is very true. If we try to be anything but the writer we are, then the results will be disastrous.
I have always struggled to be a Fine Wine’er but then I realized how much it was holding me back. I made a conscious effort to just write, and that is what I started doing. It was hard not to look at yesterday’s work before starting today’s but once I did, things began to flow and flow. I now have accomplished goals rather than goals in progress.
It’s so true, Sharon. Being yourself will generally bring good fortune
I’m also glad to hear your writing has reached new levels by making a conscious change. I’m always weary about changing for changes sake, and feel evolution will take you where you need to. Sometimes a conscious moment of epiphany is what it needs though, and it sounds like this happened for you
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
Hard to say which works for me. If I let my demons take over, I would probably be distilling wine till it turned into vinegar – page by page. I am hyper critical of my writing: I can tweak something to perfection then over-tweak it to its demise. I once asked a writer I really respect, “How do you know when your writing is good enough?” and the answer was “never”. I feel that way too.
Nanowrimo is a beer fests!! One big boozy month of crappy writing. Great for writers like me as it takes me out of my comfort zone. There is something intensely satisfying seeing a huge number of words slapped down on a page. It’s cheap ole Bud Lite but it can be distilled into fine wine with good editing.
“I can tweak something to perfection then over-tweak it to its demise.”
I really like this. I once read that 90% of writing is re-writing, and i think this fits well. We edit and edit and when do you ever truly know where the finish line is?
I need to Nano one day, because like you say, it gets us out of our confort zone. Cheap Bud Light maybe, but it can still taste good on a crisp summers day 🙂
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
Hi all thanks for the comments so far, they’ve been great. I will comment on each comment on my return home but at sxsw at the moment so doing this kind of thing on my phone is a drawn out process
Glad it resonates with some, and certainly glad I’m not the only person to go through the long drawn out issues 🙂
Matt (turndog millionaire)
Hi, Matt,
Fantastic post. Imported Beer Scribbler here (thanks for making us sound like we have taste). There’s productivity, for sure, in the high output and fast movement, but that doesn’t mean we don’t descend into soul-killing doubt at certain times. I am currently ripping up a novel that I’ve rewritten more times than I can count, at the behest of my agent. What I’ve realized is that I jump the gun way too quickly. I get feedback, race off to my garret, and write furiously. Then, I proudly wave my work in front of people, such as my agent, only to realize that my scribbles aren’t necessarily very well thought-out. Sometimes, the scribbling is really deep, but too often, I get enamored of word count and the output over the long, hard process of thinking that often has no clear or tangible rewards. So all that fine-wine sulking and mulling (fermenting and barrel soaking if you want to overdo this metaphor with me) is worth it, I think. If I could be some of both, I’d be happy.
Lyn
Lyn, i think you hit the nail on the head with the idea of balance. Like everything, balance is ideal. How we get there is another story though and one i have yet to discover.
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
I thoroughly enjoyed this post. It’s funny because I’ve noticed that I’m much more quick to scrutinize my short-format writing (blog posts) versus long-format writing (novels). For the latter, I’ve found it far more enjoyable to force myself to write rather stream of consciousness once I’ve identified in my mind what scene I want to work on. I have one completed first draft novel that I haven’t re-read any portion of since it was completed. While I’m mildly horrified to go back for the first re-read, it’s the only way I was able to push through something 60,000 words.
I especially appreciate your analogy as I’m in the wine industry and blog about wine-related things 🙂
Interesting, Lisa
As i say, i’m the opposite, much more harsh on my Fiction than my Blog posts
And i’m glad the Wine analogy resonates with you. Being in the wine industry i’m sure you understand the long drawn out, patient process more than most 🙂
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
Matt! I love your blog, Turndog Millionaire and am so happy to see you here on another blog that I love dearly.
I am definitely a Fine Wine Writer. I have been working on a book since 2010 and still haven’t made it near where I want it. It’s disheartening, but I am me and I have my own style. I can’t be anyone else.
Great, great post.
Good to see you on here, Ashley. Always loving your comments over at my own site
It is very true too, be yourself and all will be well. And 2010 isn’t too bad. I first started my book in 2006, and although it’s been an on-off project, i feel your pain of the never ending ideal
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
Imported Beer Scribbler is probably the best description of my writing style. I mean I do quite honestly piss and moan and sulk and stamp my feet when things aren’t going well, but the only way to get passed that is to keep slogging on. Even if its just 500 words a day that I’m certain are totally awful!
Not because I trust myself at editing stage particularly – because that still takes AGES and is incredibly painful – but because I want to tell the story. And if I stop to go back and read over it and agonise over every clunky sentence and slight digression, I’ll never tell the story. I’ll be too busy worrying about how rubbish it is! lol
So… it seems to work for me, though we’ll see how I get on now; I’ve just finished a novella and I need to start pulling apart. I forced myself not to keep going back over it (which is the only reason I’ve finished it) but now I need to see how much of a mess I’ve made. :p
Good luck, editing is a cruel mistress, for me at least
The important thing is you have got there, and at some point you will finish editing too. It takes time, and for everyone it is different, but getting there is the only thing that matters
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
It all depends on the day! I guess I am both.
Balance is the ideal world, so well done 🙂
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
Great analogy. I think, like you, I’m more of a fine wine writer…though sometimes I compress the process. I’ll start writing, then get stalled and mess around as I mull over where to go next and edit along the way. In other words, it can take a long time for me to get where I want to go. I wish I could just write without stopping, but I think the “hiccups” in the process are necessary for me.
It’s a good way of looking at things. It’s annoying, but i do like my long winded approach. It means i learn and can fully digest where i am. I feel that’s important and in the long run it will put me in a good position
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
To follow the analogy, I’m more of a gin cocktail person. I get buzzed easily during writing Happy Hour and then have a headache about my work the next day.
I guess that means I’m kind of a mix?