Writers and Effort

 

Today's quote seems made for writers. When you get stuck in one of your writing projects, don't give up. If one way doesn't work, try another and keep the effort going until you find the right solution and can finish feeling some satisfaction.

If anyone ever told you that a writer only needs to sit down, tap away at the keyboard, and turn out a delightful story, article, or essay, they have led you astray. To come up with a good piece of writing, you need to make a lot of effort. Not once, but perhaps several times.

Writing is hard work. It's also satisfying and inspiring. You are the one who must decide how hard you're willing to labor. You're the one who has to choose one door, two, or several before you are happy with what you've written. 

When you've written your first draft, proofread, and edited, let it sit a few days. Then read it and ask yourself one very important question: Am I happy with what I've written? If you are, that's great. If you have the slightest hesitation, then you'd better give it another try. 

You can go through several doors while writing, not only an entire piece, but even one small portion. I often see the writers in my online critique group subbing a piece for the group with something like this before it: "I don't think this flows well." OR "Something is wrong int the middle section (or opening, or conclusion)." They know the spots that need work, but they're seeking help from those with objective eyes. The good part here is that they are trying to find another way to write what didn't satisfy them. 

How many doors are you willing to try before you either feel satisfied or give up? I hope you won't give up on a problem piece entirely. If you've worked on it several times, and it still doesn't make you happy, put it in a file and don't look at it for a week or two or even much longer. When you pull up the file and read it again, you'll often see what the problem is and be able to find a solution. Work at it too long without a break, and we're often blind to what needs to be done.