My Writing Missteps
My corner, where I indulge my passion.
My writing journey has been a long one. I’ve seen little of my output in the public eye. Am I a slow learner? No, but I’ve made many a wrong step. I was reminded of my writing missteps when I read Writing Tips: 31 Most Invaluable Pieces of Writing Advice From Famous Authors, an excellent article published in The Huffington Post. To have known and heeded this advice years back might have helped me avoid some of my blunders.
Decades ago, I became a member of Upwords, a screenwriters’ critique group, based in Vancouver. A goodly number have had their scripts produced, quite a few have gone on to teach at the Vancouver Film School, and at least one has had his books published. During my time with them, I wrote three screenplays and secured an agent both in Toronto and Vancouver. I got as far as Jody Foster’s agent, who liked one of them, and passed it on to Ms. Foster for her consideration. She unfortunately passed.
Screenplays on bottom shelf of my bookcase.
My three screenplays, though garnering some interest from other producers, now lie on my bookshelf. One of the film producers wanted to take it to the Banff World Media Festival to see if he could get any further interest, but because he didn’t offer any money for his option (to produce), I didn’t take him seriously. Was that a misstep? Who knows.
I think the major error I made was to listen to all the criticism in each rejection letter or meeting and take each suggestion for improvement to heart. I never thought the critic could be wrong. That might’ve been okay, if I had balanced that with all the positive feedback I got. What I should’ve done was continue to pitch (and find that perfect match). Instead, I worked and reworked my script for about ten years until I had wrung all the juice out of it. And then, spent another five or so years rewriting it as a novel (now sitting in my desk drawer). I not only ruined a good script but the time I spent rewriting could’ve been used to create fresh new works.
The other misstep, although this one I would not change, was my focus on family.
More of my books in my corner of the world.
My family has always come first. As famous authors say, you need to carve out time and space for your work. Now, that my family is grown, and my grandchildren seem to be on their way, I have more time to indulge in my passion. Up until a few years back, it’s been hard juggling family demands and staying focused on my craft. Writing is hardly a part-time occupation. It’s a personal choice how you manage those external demands and I admire those who can manage it all. This is one area though where I have no regrets.
I highly recommend these writing tips from famous authors. They know firsthand how to write gems, the ones that get readers asking for more.
Do you have any thoughts about this? Any missteps you’d like to share?
My path has meandered, and it has taken some unexpected turns, but I think the only thing I really consider a misstep is wasting time…especially the times I’ve let doubts keep me from beginning a creative work.
Some great quotes in that link…thanks, Diana.
Thanks, Shari, for adding wasting time as a misstep. I’ve certainly been guilty of committing that error myself. Self-doubt is a killer of creativity.
Thanks for such an honest piece, Diana, as well as the link to the author quotes!
Like you, I have made many missteps but I’d have to say the greatest (well, not so great!) is having waited so long to send my message out to the world. While I believe one is never too old, I do wish I had gotten in touch with my passion and started writing sooner.
You’re welcome and thank you for your honest reply, as well. Yes, there’s that, too, about sending work out and not waiting. I have short stories, poetry, children’s stories and one completed play and another waiting for my attention. It’s a matter of focus, and again priorities. I’m getting better, which is a newfound joy.
Interesting. I write what I write. I took the critiques of my college professors to heart. That’s it. Good or bad, wrong or right, I write what I write. As Popeye says…. I yam what I yam and that’s all what I yam.
Julia, I like that. It obviously works for you. I still take critiques to heart but no longer hang on every word. I trust my own instincts more now, which means, I will revise if it makes sense to me and my story. And if there’s a better way of telling it, I’m all ears.
Diana, I can tell from the articles you post that you can write well. It’s obvious. I’ve read your posts on LinkedIn. You just need to get your work published, whatever route you take (traditional, self-publishing, vanity publisher). That is a start, and it will pick you up. At least it did for me. My first novel is out and is not selling great, but I have some avid fans, and great feedback! It inspires me to continue to write. The book signing I did was such an awesome event – seeing the happy looks on the faces of people that got signed books. It just made it all worthwhile. I will be doing more events. I have learned a lot from publishing one novel, and with that knowledge, I will take a different route for my next novel, which I am having a great time writing. I am learning some important information connected to publishing, of which I had no idea before I actually got a book published. So get your book published, and continue to write. Just get your work out there and things will start rolling.
Denny, thank you for taking the time to give me your encouragement. Very sweet. I wish you the best in your new novel and in sales of your first. It’s true, what you say, sometimes you have to just plunge in. If you wait until the water is the right temperature, you’d never take a dip in the publishing pool.
Denny, thank you for taking the time to give me encouragement. Very sweet. Good luck with your new novel and sales of your first. It’s true what you, say, sometimes it’s better to just plunge in. If you wait for the right temperature, you might never take a dip in the publishing pool.