How? Mostly through persistence. I get a vague idea for a story and I sit down and write the opening. Then I write whatever seems like the right next thing, and the next. Eventually I get to the end, revise as little as humanly possible (spell check and clean up any grammatical booboos I spot) and then I'm done with it.
If you've been reading my posts, you know that I seesaw between thinking any given story is good and thinking its complete crap, going nowhere, unsalvageable, etc. (The current story I'm writing, "Home Invasion", for instance. At this very moment I'm wondering if it's going anywhere and whether it's worth finishing.) From what I've heard/read published writers say, that's just how it is. You never get past that.
That's when Robert Heinlein's rules for writers come in. I ignore my inner critic and just keep writing. My goal is not to create a perfect (or even good) story; it's just to write--and finish--a story. Period.
My job when I'm writing is simply to write. Editing comes later. When they're done, I let my wife read them and get her reaction. Then I send it out to let editors tell me whether it's any good or not. Preferably by sending me money, but even rejections tell me something useful.
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Date: 2009-05-22 05:20 pm (UTC)If you've been reading my posts, you know that I seesaw between thinking any given story is good and thinking its complete crap, going nowhere, unsalvageable, etc. (The current story I'm writing, "Home Invasion", for instance. At this very moment I'm wondering if it's going anywhere and whether it's worth finishing.) From what I've heard/read published writers say, that's just how it is. You never get past that.
That's when Robert Heinlein's rules for writers come in. I ignore my inner critic and just keep writing. My goal is not to create a perfect (or even good) story; it's just to write--and finish--a story. Period.
My job when I'm writing is simply to write. Editing comes later. When they're done, I let my wife read them and get her reaction. Then I send it out to let editors tell me whether it's any good or not. Preferably by sending me money, but even rejections tell me something useful.