I wrote a short story some years ago–a story I thought was fantastic.
It was funny. It was clever. It was sure to be snapped up by some literary magazine or another.
Instead, I ended up submitting it to a magazine, only to have it promptly returned, covered with red marks.
Boy, was I indignant. Obviously this editor had no idea what constituted good writing!
After I cooled down, I decided to look through the feedback I’d been given. It seemed there were a lot of unnecessary words, most of them circled or crossed out. I started to see that this person–although still in my bad books–had something of a point.
The Worst Writing Mistake You’ll Ever Make
So, where exactly did I go wrong? Was my story really that terrible?
Well, let’s just say it wasn’t nearly as fantastic as I thought. The reason I couldn’t see all the mistakes I’d made was this:
I didn’t give it time to breathe.
Instead of filing the story in a drawer for a month or two, then coming back to edit it with fresh eyes, I made the mistake of editing too soon. I didn’t give myself the chance to stand back and look at my work objectively.
The More Time, the Better
I never did get around to resubmitting this particular story to any other magazines. I figured one day the right opportunity would present itself and I might pick it up again.
Every so often, I’ll open that file on my computer. Each time I do, I see more and more flaws inherent in the writing–so many, in fact, that I am always relieved that I haven’t sent it out again.
Last night, I had another look at the story for the first time in at least 6 months. I was mortified by what I saw. Though I’ve read it over and over again, the more time I give it, the more I become aware of my mistakes.
And, I believe if I left it untouched for a year, my horror would grow exponentially.
How to Avoid Submitting Too Soon
I’m very aware that when one finishes writing something, there comes an overwhelming feeling of simply wanting the piece out there. No matter the consequences, you want to start submitting that story whether it’s ready or not.
You must resist the urge. To submit too early portends almost certain rejection of your manuscript.
Instead, follow these steps:
- Finish the first draft of your piece.
- Make any obvious necessary revisions.
- Stick it in a drawer or file it in the deepest recesses of your hard drive.
- Wait.
- Wait some more.
- Just a little longer.
- Revisit your piece to gain a whole new perspective. Read it out loud. Make revisions as needed.
- Proofread.
Remember, the longer you wait, the more flaws you’ll find. The more flaws you spot before you submit your piece, the better.
That’s not to say you’ll always have the opportunity to wait. If you’re working to a deadline, you may need to wait a little less time than if you’re sitting on an unsolicited submission.
But keep in mind, tired eyes miss mistakes. A weary mind is not the best judge of quality.
How much better might your work be if you give it time to breathe?
I’m an editor and a writer and this mistake is right on! Why do we always want to share our work with the world before its ready? Sometimes I think its because we want someone to tell us to get back to work.
Melissa,
I’m glad I’m not the only one making this mistake! I think it must be some form of self-torture that leads us to send out work before it’s ready. I know, in the beginning, I just wanted it out there, whether it got rejected or not. You’re right, maybe we’re just looking for someone to give us a kick in the pants 🙂
Oh so, so true. I’m appalled at some of the early picture book manuscripts I sent out to publishers. If only I had fought the urge to “get it out there” ASAP! Sitting on things for a while certainly allows for much better editing, and results in a much better finished product. Great advice.
.-= Read SquiggleMum´s last article ..Hello 2010 (+ Giveaway!) =-.
SquiggleMum,
“Appalled” is a pretty good descriptor of how I feel about some of my old writing attempts, too 🙂 It’s difficult to wait, but it’s so much more worth it. Thanks!
I just posted a new article on my blog, revealing how I am used to write in a rush instead of savoring the process (and consequently, submitting too soon), and then I struck this post by you, Suzannah. You complete me 🙂
.-= Read Diar A.´s last article ..Savor Your Writing =-.
Ha ha, thanks Diar 🙂 You’re right–we should spend more time savouring our writing instead of rushing it.
I totally agree with this post. I’ve found that giving a writing piece time to breathe (at least 6 weeks for a novel, at least a few days for an article) it helps me to have fresh perspective. What I end up finding is that I’m less critical of my work when I give it time to breathe. Thanks for the reminder!
.-= Read jennifer blanchard´s last article ..Are You Talking Yourself Out of Your Writing Dreams? =-.
Hi Jennifer,
Those time frames you give –6 wks for a novel, a few days for an article–sound pretty good to me. I suppose it’s different for everyone, but I think the key is to wait until you can no longer look at your writing and remember what words are coming next. Otherwise it’s too easy for your mind to skim over mistakes.
Thanks!
This is SO true! I’ve had experiences just like yours – makes me blush at first, then I get sick! On the other hand, I have had a few times where I’ve dug through old files to find something I loved so much I couldn’t believe I wrote it! Either way, I think letting your writing sit and “marinate” awhile is sage advice!
I wrote for a newspaper for years – the trouble with that background is you write fast and before you know it – it’s out there!!! Same with blogging really. I read some of my old blogs and just roll my eyes. What was I thinking?
.-= Read suzen´s last article ..2012 Curious =-.
Suzen,
I know what you mean about blogging. Unless I happen to be having a very productive week, my articles are often written and posted in the same day. Not much room to let them breathe! Looking back at my first posts, I’m less than satisfied by what I read.
You’re right too about revisiting older pieces and sometimes finding something so amazing you can’t believe you wrote it. It’s always wonderful when that happens!
While I agree in principle with letting your writing breathe before submitting or publishing it, I’m wondering about two underlying issues that we as writers must learn to balance. On one hand, we have the “writer’s high,” which finds us right after we’ve finished writing that story or article or poem, when we’re caught up in the thrill and momentum of it all, blind to the mistakes we might have made. Writer’s high is what I think you’re getting at with this post.
On the other hand, we have the “curse of the creator,” which sets in shortly after the writer’s high fades. This is the feeling of dissatisfaction we have with our work because we’re so close to it (in the same way we see imperfections in the people we are close to), forgetting that our readers approach our writing with an entirely different perspective. When we look back at past writing, we must be careful to distinguish between problems found due to our growth as writers and problems found due to changes in our preferences or due to the creator’s curse.
Just thinking out loud here. What’s your take?
.-= Read Jeffrey @ Simple Prose´s last article ..Writers, Strive First for Simplicity =-.
Hi Jeffrey,
Thanks for weighing in on this subject. I agree with what you’re saying about ‘writer’s high,’ which would be responsible for that need to share our work before it’s ready. Personally, when I look back at my own writing, I generally find technical faults like typos or awkward grammatical structure, but there are times I also just generally get that feeling of “what on earth was I thinking???” Perhaps that’s the ‘curse of the creator’ you speak of. I think we can definitely be too hard on ourselves when we look back at our work, but there are also moments where we’ll encounter an older piece of writing we find is better than we thought initially. I like that much better!
This is exactly my frustration with blogging. To blog daily or even a few times a week means submitting work that hasn’t had time to breathe.
So, I’ve tried creating my blog in a Word document then cutting and pasting the polished work into my blog template. But that doesn’t work. Upon reading and rereading it, I see a flock of mistakes before I hit Publish.
The great thing about a blog, of course, is that you can go back and make changes after the fact then hit Update. But just how long do you do that before you must just let that blog post go, with all its imperfections, into history.
.-= Read Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D.´s last article ..Happiness is Becoming What You Were Meant to Be =-.
Flora,
I feel your pain 🙂 I usually get my husband to proofread for me if he’s around, because it’s so easy to miss mistakes when you’re in a rush to get a post up. I don’t like letting mistakes through either, because once the post goes out in my feedreader, it can’t be changed. Oh well, just something we all have to put up with, I guess!
Ah, this one hit home! For me the trick is about finding that point somewhere between procrastination and perfectionism. Should I endlessly obsess over this piece or hit the Publish button/just send it out? I think you’ve hit on the answer: walk away, let it breathe for a bit, and come back to it with fresh eyes. Then fix it and send it out!
.-= Read Rebecca MacDonald´s last article ..Would You Volunteer for a Severance Package? =-.
Rebecca,
Yes, we can’t obsess over our work to the point where it’s never finished, but we do need to step away long enough to see the good and bad points about anything we’ve written. Thanks!
I love it when I find others saying the same thing I do!
In the writing strategy that I present, I call it ‘Incubate’ – that time when you make sure you’re not thinking about your writing; that time when your brain can work on it without your interference.
And yes, I’ve been guilty of not listening to myself (as I’ll do with this comment), but I’ve learnt to read short pieces like this out loud so that I can hear if I have written what I meant to write.
Reading your work out loud is a great way to catch mistakes and inconsistencies. It’s just so easy to gloss over problems if you don’t take time away from it. Thanks!