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5 Writing Mistakes I’ve Made That You Could Learn From

Posted on | January 27, 2011 | 10 Comments

Skyla Dawn Cameron, saint, author, acquiring editor for Mundania Press and generally awesome person, said some really nice things about me here.*

As I said to her on Twitter; it’s nice to be the good example sometimes, instead of the dire warning.

I am FAR from perfect. Despite Skyla’s seal of approval, I have made grievous errors in the past. I thought now would be a really good time to point a few of those out so you can learn from my festering incompetence.

1. Had Excerpts From Unfinished Work On My Site As Skyla points out her blog, posting up an excerpt of your unfinished work (or even work you’ve made while you’re still learning) is just a bad idea.

Some of you may remember I had some bits of an unfinished novel on here when I first started up the blog, along with a few short stories. At the time, I was very proud of them.

Now I cringe when I think of that work out in public.

Unless you are happy to be judged (and I do mean judged, agents can use Google too) for work you did when you were still in your writing diapers then keep all excerpts off your blog.

Twitter isn’t so bad because it allows you to test single lines, but never more than one at a time, and that line had better be good.

2. Given People Things To Read Before The First Draft Is Done This is my greatest sin, I can’t resist getting feedback on stuff before it’s done. In theory it’s because I’m trying to avoid mistakes before they happen.

What actually happens is I spend forever re writing the same stories. I started being determined about finishing things a month ago, and my writing is already better.

Why?

Because now I have a complete work to edit. Don’t make mistake. Step one is finish your work. Step two is edit and Step three is get feedback.

3. Tried To Write Two Novels At Once

Some people can do this. I can’t.

4. Put Things Up Here And On Twitter Without Proofreading I know this seems like a minor thing, but the simple fact is that anyone wanting to make a career of writing has to be good at.

The odd small mistake isn’t a big deal, but if you’re writing about writing, even on Twitter, cast you eye over it before you push ‘send’.

5. Spending Too Much Time On The Peripherals Building a platform is a good and necessary thing. Spending time growing you audience is a good and necessary thing. Researching and speaking to agents and editors is a good and necessary thing. Doing book research is a good and necessary thing.

But they aren’t writing.

I’ve had days where I’ve spent the entire day online only to end up trying to cram the days writing into the hour between 11pm and Midnight.

I had a day like this yesterday, where all I ended up with was 400 hundred usable words and Eskimo Pie stains on my keyboard.

400 words isn’t a tragedy by any means, but it was far short of what I could have achieved if I’d spent less time reading Dr Who’s Wikipedia pages.

Do you have any awe inspiring mistakes you want to share? Let me know in the comments!

* I haven’t blushed since I was a teenager. Blushed yesterday. Looked like a big bearded beetroot.

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Comments

10 Responses to “5 Writing Mistakes I’ve Made That You Could Learn From”

  1. Matt BlackstoneNo Gravatar
    January 27th, 2011 @ 2:25 pm

    Great article, Andrew. I admit that I am guilty of sins #2-5, as well as a possible sin #6: spending WAY too much time on the first few chapters.

  2. WerevikingNo Gravatar
    January 27th, 2011 @ 2:33 pm

    Yes. You must write. This coming from the man who has the site linked below! Will I be judged? Maybe in a good way …

    W

    Zephyr — a superhero webcomic in prose
    http://wereviking.wordpress.com

  3. Tweets that mention 5 Writing Mistakes I’ve Made That You Could Learn From | Andrew Jack Writing -- Topsy.com
    January 27th, 2011 @ 2:49 pm

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Philippa Ballantine, Skyla Dawn Cameron, Chuck Wendig, Jamie, dobby newroc and others. dobby newroc said: RT @PhilippaJane: RT @ajackwriting: "5 Writing Mistakes I’ve Made That You Could Learn From" http://wp.me/pyMqx-bJ #amwriting #writing [...]

  4. Krista D BallNo Gravatar
    January 27th, 2011 @ 3:00 pm

    I have a few small unpublished scene excerpts (usually a paragraph) on my blog, and one short scene and I’m ok with it. Having said that, it’s only recently that I’ve been comfortable doing that. I also generally take down those posts when I finally send the manuscript/story out. So, I do the compromise.

    BUT I have been through several multiple edits of my work, both fiction and non-fiction through the publishing process. I’ve been published various times and know what the process is like, and what things are commonly wrong with my work. It makes it a little easier to get a cleaner piece up. Is it perfect? God, no. For me, it works (but, again, I’m doing in a smaller amount).

    I also agree that the current trend of unpublished writers to have massive platforms a little scary. what’s the point to order bookmarks of a cover art that will never be used (unless you self-publish)? What’s the point to market to people who can’t buy anything you have…because you have nothing to offer? What’s the point to get fans, only to discover that you can’t write and can’t get published? Or, worse, can’t even figure out how to finish a book!

    Write. Learn. Do small things regarding platform to learn how it’s done (and have fun and “meat knew peepul to learn knew skillz” :) ).

  5. Eric SatchwillNo Gravatar
    January 27th, 2011 @ 3:02 pm

    Putting any work in progress away for more than a day. I was ridiculously luck to be able to pick novel up after letting it languish for more than a year, and if I hadn’t kept at it since, it would still be languishing.

    I’ve definitely been guilty of #5, #2, and a little bit of #1. I dunno. I’m divided about posting the occasional flash piece. #3 didn’t last long enough to cause much trouble. I’m usually a bit fanatical about #4, but mistakes happen.

  6. AndrewNo Gravatar
    January 27th, 2011 @ 3:55 pm

    You’ve been writing long enough to know how good your online pieces have to be, so you’re not really making the same mistake I was, which was thinking I was totally awesome whenI really wasn’t :)

    Also, you have been published, this give the rights and abilities to do some things thus us aspiring ninjas can;t get away with yet.

  7. Krista D. BallNo Gravatar
    January 27th, 2011 @ 4:09 pm

    I still don’t think I’m awesome. I have moments where I think I am, but they are generally after I’ve been drinking ;)

  8. zachNo Gravatar
    January 28th, 2011 @ 5:11 am

    I think confidence is an important thing for developing writers. A good way to build confidence is collaborative writing. At Write in the Clouds you can participate in collaborative story telling which is a good way to build confidence and boost your control of language.

  9. Skyla Dawn CameronNo Gravatar
    January 28th, 2011 @ 8:23 am

    I also posted an excerpt from an unpublished novel several years ago on my very first website. BUT…the excerpt had been published in an anthology and I’d been through it with a real life editor.

    I was maybe nineteen or twenty. And I didn’t even try publishing that novel–all references are long gone from my site. The only reason I don’t cringe in horror that I made it public in the first place is because at least it had been edited. Nowhere near my best work, but I don’t want to stab myself in the eyes when I think about people reading it now.

    I just think writers–especially newbies–get so excited when they write that they just want to share that first draft with the world. I totally get it. But the world is not a writer’s critique circle. People browsing your blog shouldn’t be your beta reader.

    I think what saved me is that I loathe failing and if I’m going to do it, I’d rather do it privately.

    As for other mistakes newbie writers make that I made…I used to run my mouth off A LOT. (Imagine that! Yes, the me you know now is subdued.) I still state my opinions and I’ve irrecoverably damaged a few relationships with other writers I had considered friends over issues in our writing community, but I weigh the cost involved first now. I can smile and play nice until it comes to compromising my morals.

    I think that’s another something people can learn: watch what you say and who you say it to. Especially publicly. For example, I support people wanting to make their political affiliations known or to express support (or bigotry–people are entitled to that too) for this cause or that issue, but be prepared for it to potentially bother people. I visited the website of an author in my slush pile once; his site looked like an ad for Sarah Palin’s presidential campaign to the point that I could find his author info. Oh, reasons I rejected that guy, let me count the ways…

  10. AndrewNo Gravatar
    January 28th, 2011 @ 2:51 pm

    Thanks for posting Skyla :) in my case it was definitely a case of getting over excited and posting the first thing I’d put out.

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