No doubt many of you have seen the poster photo for today. Anyone who has written a book, or attempted to write one, looks at it and laughs. They laugh so they don't cry. At least, some of them.
Our plan of writing a book, or even a short story, essay, or article, doesn't always work out like we planned. Ah yes, the Plan. Books that center on writing a novel usually suggest that you have a plan. Get a story idea, make an outline, do character sketches and more. It's a good suggestion, but we all know what can happen to the best laid plans.
We are familiar with the quote from Robert Burn's poem, To A Mouse, that says: The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray.' The quote came into common use after the publication of the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck in 1937. That quote can be applied to the plan of a writer.
The reality is one of ups and downs from start to finish. Things like the writing feeling flat, characters not appearing real, characters not interacting with one another very well, impossible happenings popping up, time frames not working, and on and on. We run into problems whether writing a full-length book or a shorter piece. Do you throw up your hands and walk away?
That might be helpful for a short time. Let the piece of writing sit while you do something else, whether for an hour, a day, or a week. When you come back to the story, you might see it with different eyes and find a way to fix whatever was wrong.
Fix one problem, and another arises. What to do? Fix each problem as it comes up. That's probably easier than to wait until you've written a full draft of your book. Going back at that point might seem overwhelming. Of course, there will be little things you want to change once the first draft is finished. Every writer approaches the writing of a novel in a different way. If waiting until the draft is completed works for you, then do it. If working out solutions to problems a little at a time feels better to you, then do that.
The main thing is to know that writing a book, or a short piece, is not without problems. Rare is the writer who writes a first draft and calls it finished, ready to submit to a publisher. Meet those problems with a positive attitude. You can usually find a solution to whatever is wrong if you don't let anger or frustration get to you. If those emotions rise up, walk away for a while. Come back when you're calmer.
What about the writer who has little self-confidence? Those hills and valleys of problems might feel even higher or deeper to them. They might have a little more trouble working out the problems, but they can do it.
Meet the problems you encounter when writing with a positive attitude and some self-confidence. It helps.
Yes, every problem is an opportunity.
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