I see a lot of unpublished work. A lot. In some stories, I can tell that the writer needs to work on mastering a few elements: voice, or arcs, or style, or viewpoint. Others I can tell still have a very long road ahead of them. Once in a while, when I come across a story that shows that the writer still has a lot of growing to do, I think about the kind of harsh, even cruel, criticism they could potentially get from others. Once in a while, I might imagine the kind of damage that might do to that writer. They may feel emotionally wounded, even betrayed. They have poured their heart into their work, only to have it get shredded. They may quit writing altogether, thinking they donât have what it takes. Maybe it will paralyze them so that they feel mentally blocked every time they sit down and try to write. Maybe it will make them bitter.
If you have not had many successes or still have much to learn, take heart. Contrary to the perennial myth that writers are born, or âelect,â or have some kind of secret element, all published writers have pretty much been where you are with your writing. Theyâve just been working at it longer. It doesnât matter whether you are 25 or 95, beginning writers are beginning writers, not bad writers. In almost every story I see that is not publish-ready, I see myself. I see my âyoungerâ writing days. You might be surprised to know how many struggles of âyoungâ writers seem to be natural phases of the growing process. For example, Iâve talked with other writers, who like me, went through the âpoeticâ phase, where we tried to make all of our writing sound very poetic by using uncommon, even sophisticated words, or so many adjectives and adverbs that our writing became purple-prosey. I believe this is a natural phase of a learning writer. Another phase I see, which usually happens with a very âyoungâ writer, is thinking that the longer a story or description is, the better. I remember going through this same phase myself, long ago, thinking, âWow, look how long and detailed I can describe this. (And so âpoeticâ too, of course!)â
I remember when I was in the âhead-hoppingâ phase. Look at almost any of my stories from a little over ten years ago, and I (in some ways unknowingly) jumped from one characterâs viewpoint to anotherâs and anotherâs and anotherâsâall in one scene. I had no âcontrolâ over my viewpoint. I even have a chapter where I was switching tenses. But even in those stories, I can find some talent, even if it was unrefined: my young gift for clever phrases, my stalwart ambition to foreshadow and create mystery, and (while quite uncontrolled) my desire to sink into character viewpoints. Your âyoungâ talents may be something different. Maybe you are drawn to crafting a good love story. Maybe you love writing creepy scenes. Maybe you come up with unique concepts.
Another phase I see is where the writer is learning how to create character voice. The characterâs voice might be slightly âoffâ or not quite natural or believable, often along with being overdone or overbearing. Unlike my other phases I mentioned, this one is a more recent one. I never did quite figure out how to intentionally create character voice until just a few years ago, and Iâm even worried that Iâve still overdone it in places.
My point is that pretty much everything a beginning or even unpublished writer is going through are things that just about every masterful writer has gone throughâwhether or not that master writer wants to acknowledge or admit it.
In an industry where there is a history of what is, in my opinion, elitism, it can be tempting for more experienced writers to pretend or fool themselves into thinking they were always completely, full-blown masters at writing. Thatâs not true. Even Michelangelo had to learn his colors. But this sense of superiority can lead to them tearing down, ripping up, or even straight-out laughing at writers who are âstill learning their colors.â They may think that âyoungâ writers are bad, foolish, or idiotic writers, instead of what they are, still-learning writers.
Iâve started doing yoga classes at a yoga studio, and this kind of behavior in the writing world is no different than a yoga instructor throwing insults at a new attendee because he hasnât yet mastered the Warrior II pose. Writing is like any other talent. You have to learn and grow.
Only maybe twice in the thousands of unpublished stories Iâve looked at did I think, âWhat were they thinking? What the heck is going on with this?ââand for one of those times, Iâm pretty sure the person was high or drunk when they wrote the piece. Iâm not exaggerating.
So know that youâre doing okay. Youâre normal. The magic trick is to keep going. Keep learning and then practice what you learn. Be committed. Get feedback from people you trust. And while a few writers may be elitist, in this day and age, youâll find that the majority are kind, helpful, and accepting.
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