"...I need it to be mine alone while I carve it... When I'm
finished, then the world can have it, but when I work on it, it is to be
my vision and mine alone."--from Terry Goodkind's Faith of the Fallen
As writers, I think it's in our nature to talk about our work. Especially with each other. If nothing else, fellow writers understand. You can talk to them about the problems you're having, and they won't look at you funny when you talk about characters running away with the plot or how you had to go back and change things since you blew up the wrong half of a city or the troubles with writing an interspecies romance when the beings involved don't have compatible parts and fluids.
This is the part where I look back at what I just wrote and understand why I often don't talk to people who aren't writers about these things.
I'm not saying talking to other writers about your work isn't a good idea. It's an excellent idea. I've had talks with friends where they helped me close plot holes and the like before I ever started, and riffing ideas back and forth is great fun. Talking with others has led to some great stories. But there can be a downside to it as well.
If you talk about your stories with other writers, odds are good they'll ask if the story goes how they think it should go, or they'll tell you what they've done before and how it worked for them, or they'll talk about things they've read that sound similar. And if you ask for advice, well, get comfortable. Because I think it's safe to say most if not all of us love talking about our craft.
While this all seems like a good thing, if you have a bunch of other people's words in your head when you're actually writing your story, it's easy to feel like it's not your story anymore. And if you feel like the story's getting away from you and realize it's because now you have someone else's idea in your head and can't get it out . . . it sucks, to say the absolute least. As much as I've tried, you can't unthink things. You can't unhear someone saying "Well, what if you do this?", no matter how well-meaning their advice was.
This is especially bad if someone tells you, "That sounds a lot like this other thing I read." It might just be me, but it's so hard to stick with an idea if I think it's too similar to a published story.
So, with deliberate irony, here's my advice on this: when it comes time to write the story, keep it to yourself. Keep it your own, and only your own; Stephen King referred to this sort of thing as writing with the door closed. I've seen many different writers say to write the story that you want to write, and I think the best way to do that is to make sure that when you're writing it, you're the only one telling the story. Once you've finished it, then yes, get a bunch of people to read it and take their advice (or don't) as you see fit. But make sure the heart of the story, what makes it what it is, comes only from you.
I'm writing about this for November's IWSG because on October 3rd, I started writing a book and didn't tell anyone. Thirty-one days and 94000+ words later, I finished it. And I don't hate it, which is nice. Now that the first draft is done, I'll talk about it next week.
And if anyone's wondering, no, I'm not going to do NaNoWriMo, seeing as how I just did. :P
LOL, Mason. No, non-writers just don't get it. I agree about keeping your work close to the cuff until it's time to reveal it as a finished product. I may release a broad concept of what I'm working on, maybe a tiny sneak peek but I only share the deets with my critique group. I also never read the genre of book I'm writing in while I'm at the keyboard.
ReplyDeleteNot reading the same type of book makes sense, and I hadn't thought of that. I'm way too easily influenced, so that's a good thing to keep in mind.
DeleteHaha, yes, most non-writers do tend to look at us funny when we talk about "the troubles with writing an interspecies romance when the beings involved don't have compatible parts and fluids." LOL. But, as for the rest, you're so right: it's a balancing act. We need to talk and vent about our work, and we very much need feedback to give us perspective (cuz we lose that after the ten thousandth read-through), but we also need to stay rooted in our own vision and what we want and not let others' opinions influence us unduly. It's hard work, for sure.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, you wrote a 94000+ word book in a month? That's...amazing. Seriously.
I just like the phrase "compatible parts and fluids" - I actually used that in a book once. ^_^ And yeah, talking about what we do is so important. I really had to narrow it down to when it's best to not talk about it to get this entry right.
DeleteAnd thank you, though it doesn't seem that amazing to me. Not bragging or playing at false modesty - it's just how I work, and this book did go really fast for me.
Whoa! That's a lot of words.
ReplyDeleteYou're right the heart has to be ours. Although I have asked for input on an outline before.
Yeah, getting input at various points is important. I've chatted about plots and characters and the like a lot, but always before writing. During the actual writing is the only time I think it's best to not tell anyone about it.
DeleteI have struggled with this before when sharing my work with CPs. Sometimes it causes me to freeze up in a first draft because of the feedback I'm getting. I wonder if it's counter-productive. On the other hand, these are my go-to people when I'm stuck, and what they already know about the story is very helpful in working through the blockage.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I take a compromise. With my last WIP, I stopped sharing the work as I entered the part of the story I was most insecure about: the climax. I had a very unclear vision of it, and I was feeling my way. The CPs couldn't help me here. I had to grope through blindly.
But having finished it (last Thursday, hurray), their early feedback is shaping the way I look at the manuscript when planning revisions.
True, it's going to be different for every work. And this book I just wrote is the first one where I didn't tell anyone; it worked so well I figured it was something I should stick with. ^_^
DeleteYou're so right about non writers just not getting it. Do you know how many times I've wanted to bang my head against the wall when my husband asked me if I was "still working on that same paper?" Paper??? No. It's a NOVEL! Sometimes people's eyes will glaze over when you talk about your WIP or your process, so chatting with other writers is sometimes a breath of fresh air. But I do know what you mean about writing with the door closed. I never discuss my WIP until I have a first draft. I strongly believe that this pisses off my muse. Kudos to you for finishing up that draft! Can't wait to hear about it next week.
ReplyDeleteI think it depends on what you tell people - if it's something really out there, then you get the funny looks. Over the years, I've learned exactly what gets me those looks, so I can weird people out if I want to. ^_^
DeleteAgree with making non-writers look at us like we've lost our minds.
ReplyDeleteI only partly agree with the advice on getting advice. It depends on how skilled we are (the better I get at this, the less help I need), but I still benefit from brainstorming. *shrugs* I guess it's because I don't have difficulty taking the idea and making it mine. I have enough confidence now to mold such advice to my story and my voice.
Congrats on the word count! NaNo NaNo!!! :D
Thank you. ^_^ And as I said, I think discussion and advice are great, just not when you're actually writing the thing. Everyone's going to see it a bit differently, though.
DeleteYep, got that you just did NaNo before NaNo arrived! Good for you. Talk about self motivation, which is the only thing that keeps us going. I agree and then again not about talking about the writing. I think it depends on what one actually talks about. And I don't seem to have too much trouble letting ideas in and then letting them back out again if they don't fit. Good advice though to keep your story your own...
ReplyDeleteI've had people ask me how I stay motivated. I tell them about my current job, and ask if they'd want to do that for the rest of their lives. They understand. ^_^ There's also that whole thing with needing to get the stories out, but I don't think many non-writers would understand that.
DeleteYeah, that's pretty much one of the best excuses not to NaNo. As for when people tell you about how your book sounds just like something else, I say, write your book, then go back and find the other book and READ it. OR watch the movie, or whatever it is. That way you can be well educated in your market, a key point for selling the book later. After all, how can you pitch your book's differences if you don't know it's similarities.
ReplyDeleteStill, it's hard to hear that your work sounds just like something else, but they're really just trying to help you. But totally write the book for yourself first.
I was thinking about some of our conversations when I wrote that part, so I know that some people do mean well when they say that. ^_^ I just never like hearing it, because I don't want to make changes to my own stuff in an effort to *not* have it be similar to someone else's work.
DeleteI never used to talk about stories-in-progress with anybody, but now I'm married, and there are no secrets. Only surprises.
ReplyDeleteI've never been married, but I'd like to think that a theoretical wife and I could come to an understanding about this sort of thing. ^_^
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