About Writing and How to Publish. Cathy Glass
of that creative first draft. I imagine the process of creative writing as having a basket full of words and once that basket is empty I have to wait until the following morning for it to be replenished. Ernest Hemingway, writer and journalist, described it as a ‘well’ that refills overnight from the spring that feeds it. The creative process needs to be respected for its limitations, as much as for what it gives us.
The creative process is usually helped by having a writing routine: a place and time set aside for you to write and with a little ritual leading up to the writing. If you approach your writing in the same way every day, very soon you’ll find that by the time you sit down to write your subconscious will be fired up and ready to go. Your imagination will instantly start producing the words you need to write creatively. Like Pavlov’s dogs, which were trained to expect food and therefore salivate whenever they heard a bell ring, you can train your creative juices to start flowing on your command by following your writing routine. The process is called classical conditioning and is triggered by the ritual of your writing routine.
I’ve had the same writing routine for the last fifteen years: I rise early (at approximately the same time each morning), put on my joggers and a comfortable top and creep downstairs so I don’t disturb my family. I make a large mug of coffee and then go through to the front room where I collect my paper, pen and the text I’ve written the day before. I then go into the living room and quietly close the door. I sit in the same chair and, with my coffee within reach, I begin by reading what I’ve written the day before, editing as necessary. By the time I come to the end of the previous day’s work, my new words are ready to flow. I still use pen and paper for the first draft. I write very quickly, often unaware of my surroundings as my pen dashes across the page. As the author Ray Bradbury said: ‘My stories run up and bite me on the leg – I respond by writing down everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off.’
I know exactly what this author means. When ‘the idea has run away’ and my basket of words is empty I type what I’ve written into my computer – first the revised draft from the day before, and then my new work. I print out the new pages ready for revising the following morning. This is my writing routine and it works for me. Your routine is likely to be different to mine, to suit your work and family commitments, and will also take into account when you are at your most creative. Some writers are early birds, like me; some are night owls, while a few lucky writers can turn on their creative juices at any time of the day or night. However, most writers (although not all) need silence and no interruptions while they are writing that first creative draft. I certainly do. I can’t even have music playing softly in the background while I’m concentrating. Stephen King, the bestselling author, calls it ‘the door closed’; that is to say his study door has to be closed against interruptions while he is writing creatively. You’ll soon discover the situation and time that suits you best and, once you do, I recommend that you keep to your routine. It will act as a catalyst for your day’s creative writing.
‘What shall I use to write?’
… Some people ask. You can use whatever you like for that first draft, which only you will see: pen and paper, Dictaphone or you can type it straight into the computer. However, if you are intending to publish your work, at some point you will need to type it into a word-processing document (such as Microsoft Word) so that it can be sent electronically by email. I explain about publishing in the third section of this book. Whatever medium you use for your writing, make sure you have at least one copy of your work. If you are using only pen and paper then I suggest you photocopy your work each day. Once your work is on the computer, back it up by saving it on a ‘memory stick’, a CD or to a ‘cloud’ – where a third party stores your data on the internet. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to back up your work. You’ve invested a lot of time and energy in your story and paper copies can become lost or accidently thrown away, and computers do fail. I always have three copies of my work: the paper copy, on computer hard drive and on ‘memory stick’.
It has been said that writing is 1 per cent inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration. Although this is a misquote – Thomas Edison, the inventor, actually said, ‘Genius is 1 per cent inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration’ – the words still demonstrate the point admirably. Writing, as with most other creative endeavours, requires a lot of hard work, and what you achieve will be the result of your labour rather than any sudden insight – although inspiration will be your guide. That first creative draft will have been an adventure, as your story unfolds and your characters reveal themselves through various, often dramatic, situations. You will have been on an adrenalin-fuelled rollercoaster of emotion as you wrote that first draft. Now you will need to spend time revising and rewriting your work until it is as good as you can make it. Unless, of course, your writing is for your eyes only; then all that matters is that you are happy with what you have written.
Most writers, however, want to share their work, and before you submit it to a literary agent or a publisher you will need to ensure your work is as clear of imperfections as possible. While an agent or publisher might overlook a few typing errors, he or she will not be impressed if your work is littered with irritating and basic grammatical errors, has a lack of or inappropriate use of punctuation or is poorly set out. Agents and publishers are far too busy with other writers’ work to spend time trying to decipher your illiterate text, and so what might have been a bestseller may never see the light of day. As the writer Isaac B. Singer said: ‘The waste-paper basket is the writer’s best friend.’ Or to bring this quote up to date, the delete key on your computer keyboard should be your best buddy. Like many writers, I probably throw away more words than I keep as I strive for perfection, finding a better word or phrase, restructuring a sentence, exchanging one idea for another or rewriting a paragraph, page, chapter or even the whole book.
Revising and rewriting are just as important as that first creative draft. While rewriting is hard work, it is also marvellously satisfying as you hone and polish your work to as near perfection as you can make it. Time spent on revising your work can make the difference between it being accepted for publication or rejected. You can revise and edit on your computer or on a paper copy. I do both, as I find some errors and omissions easier to spot with print on paper than on screen. I revise a book at least six times before I send it to my agent. When I write an article – where the length of the piece is preset and words are therefore at a premium – I often revise it a dozen times or more. I also read the article out loud, as hearing it gives a new and more objective viewpoint. I ask myself: have I said everything I need to say clearly and concisely? Are any words superfluous and can they therefore be removed? Does the article flow easily from one point to the next? As Nathaniel Hawthorne, the nineteenth-century American novelist and short story writer, said: ‘Easy reading is damn hard writing.’
A revised page from this book
In addition to checking your spelling, grammar, punctuation and layout (more on that later), ask yourself: does your story flow, and will others reading your work for the first time understand it? Have you given sufficient background information or far too much? I agree with Elmore Leonard, novelist and screenwriter, who said: ‘Leave out the parts that people skip.’ It’s very difficult to be objective about your own work; having invested so much time in it, you’re too involved. So if you have a family member or a close friend whose opinion you value, I suggest you ask them to read your work before you submit it to an agent or publisher. A fresh perspective is often invaluable for spotting inconsistencies or omissions,