An Intimate Look at the Myths
In Today's Journal
* A Personal Aside
* An Intimate Look at the Myths
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
A Personal Aside
It's difficult for me to pass up commenting on misconceptions about fiction writing, but neither do I like spinning my wheels and not moving forward. So this should be the last post dedicated to the myths for awhile.
I much prefer passing along more of the advanced writing techniques I picked up as I put several million words of fiction on the page over the past 8 or 9 years.
For example, tomorrow or the next day, I'll talk about yet one more 'new' use for cycling.
Especially if you're fairly new to TNDJ, I suggest you click the recent Journal archives and download those fully searchable PDF documents for whatever topic interests you. They're free.
As an alternative, you can also visit the Journal website and enter your search terms right in the Search box in the sidebar. I wager you'll find more than you bargained for.
An Intimate Look at the Myths (and why writers should avoid them)
This is serious stuff, folks.
With only a slightly different slant, I could have titled this post ‘How Following the Myths Can Nip a Fiction Writing Career in the Bud.’ Because in most cases, they do.
There are many more myths that have to do with fiction writing and publishing, but these are the Big Six:
1. You must outline (plan, 'plot') (myth).
First, a minor digression—'plot' is a noun that some use as a verb. In an authentic story, as Bradbury said, Plot is only what the characters leave behind as they race through the story. The verb version was initially a construct of critics and Lit professors, not actual writers.
If you feel you have to follow the myths, please say you 'outline' or 'plan' or 'erect sign posts' or whatever. Grant me that and I'll try to be nice and not refer to you as a 'plodder' even when you call me a 'pantser,' a term that many do not mind but that I personally find disgusting, demeaning, and patronizing.
By whatever term you call it, when you outline you're writing the story in shorthand. Prepare to experience boredom when you start writing the actual story.
Frankly, I don't understand the value of telling a story you already know.
I liken it to watching a movie after someone has already told you how it ends. Why bother? No wonder writing seems like such drudgery to those who do.
2. You must write a 'rough draft' (myth).
Why set out intentionally to do something 'bad'—something you will then have to correct—in the first place? This is a waste of your time and proof positive that you don't believe in your own abilities.
3. You must revise (myth).
Ditto. Why not write the story to the best of your ability the first time and be done with it? Because someone else told you that's how you must do it?
4. You must seek critical input (myth).
Ugh. This is a two-parter:
One, the pundits advise you to write from the conscious, critical mind in the first place, 'thinking' your way through the story even as you write it (after following steps 1 through 3).
That's critical input from your own mind, second-guessing and overriding the authentic story your characters will give you if only you will trust them.
Two, the pundits advise you to seek and accept input from the conscious, critical minds of others, especially members of your critique group and beta readers.
Here are a few questions to legitimately ponder in the privacy of your own conscious, critical mind:
Would you correct your neighbors after they convey to you what happened to them or what they did during the past week?
Would you want someone to do the same to you? No?
So then why would you correct your characters after they've told you what happened during an event and how they reacted to it? And finally,
Why would you even allow, much less invite, anyone else to correct them?
5. You must rewrite per that critical input (myth).
Why? It's YOUR (actually your characters') story. If someone else tries to ‘should’ on you, why not smile and say, "Hey, that's a great idea. You should write that."
Each time you rewrite your characters' story, the story gets farther from the authentic story the characters gave you in the first place.
So each time you rewrite—whether to appease your own critical mind or to appease the opinion of members of your critique group, beta readers, agents, or editors—you're appeasing only that one reader out of potentially millions of readers.
Tell me, if one of those potential millions suggests a rewrite, will you rewrite yet again?
No? Why not? You rewrote for everyone else.
6. You must polish (myth).
Sorry. I've got nothing for this one. I don't even know what 'polish' means except as it applies to shoes or boots.
Well, except I would think you would have 'polished' more than enough during the revision process or during one of however many rewrites you've done.
Notice that in the common 'writing advice' of the myths, only one refers to actually writing. Everything thing else advises you to doubt your own abilities.
So another question arises: Why do those who propagate the myths try to convince you to doubt your own abilities?
The only answer I can think of is 'So they can also convince you to buy more of their nonfiction books on writing.'
Which, by the way, are only regurgitations of almost all of the other nonfiction books on writing.
But don't believe me. Check them for yourself.
Go to a bookstore if you can find one, stand in the nonfiction 'how-to' aisle, and compare the tables of contents. Or go to Amazon and use the 'Look Inside' feature to do the same thing.
If you want to be a fiction writer, write fiction.
Leave all the critical-thought silliness to critics and other readers.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
Donald Trump Effectively Wages War on Cartels This is not political. I linked to it because there are a ton of story ideas here if you write thriller, contemporary romance, or action-adventure. With a single twist, some of them would also suit SF.
Dr. Mardy's Quotes of the Week: "Four Tips on Aging Effectively'' We're all on the same ride. Might as well stick your hands out of the cart and enjoy it. (Perhaps a 5th tip.)
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………… 1090
Writing of Blackwell Ops 36: Temple's Dream
Day 1…… 2476 words. To date…… 2476
Day 2…… 1484 words. To date…… 3960
Day 3…… 2837 words. To date…… 6797
Day 4…… 4223 words. To date…… 11020
Fiction for January…………………… 98213
Fiction for 2025………………………. 98213
Nonfiction for January……………….. 26530
Nonfiction for 2025…………………… 26530
2025 consumable words…………….. 124743
Average Fiction WPD (January)…….. 3929
2025 Novels to Date…………………….. 2
2025 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2025 Short Stories to Date……………… 3
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………..... 106
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 10
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 274
Short story collections……………………. 29
Disclaimer: Whatever you believe, unreasoning fear and the myths that outlining, revising, and rewriting will make your work better are lies. They will always slow your progress as a writer or stop you cold. I will never teach the myths on this blog.
Writing fiction should never be something that stresses you out. It should be fun. On this blog I teach Writing Into the Dark and adherence to Heinlein’s Rules. Because of WITD and because I endeavor to follow those Rules I am a prolific professional fiction writer. You can be too.
Thanks for plugging my newsletter, Harvey. You're right, "We're all on the same ride" could easily be extended into another tip. Just think about how many different ways the following phrase could be completed: "If we're all on the same ride, then (complete on your own)"
>>> The first book took 15 years, the second only 7; the final mainstream trilogy volume is at least 5 more years in the future.
I subscribe via RSS to a mixed bag of writing blogs. I came across that this morning in the comments section of one of them. My review: Only 7? Good grief.
But, I hasten to add, to each their own. If they're happy with the rate of production, who am I, or who is anyone else, to rain on their parade? It makes for one less competitor in the book market.