It's a new month and a new post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. My regular readers should be familiar with them, but if you're not, check them out on their website, Facebook, and Twittter. Our hosts this month are Erika Beebe, Sandra Hoover, Susan Gourley, and Lee Lowery. For this month, we've been posed the following question: What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?
I think the most important pitfalls to be wary of are scams. There are all kinds of scams directed at writers, from agents who recommend "book doctors" to people who overcharge for publishing services. One of the best sources to learn about such scams is the Writer Beware blog. I also recommend Kristine Kathryn Rusch's Business Musings blog series. She doesn't just discuss scams, but also practices in traditional publishing that are harmful to authors.
As far as writing craft goes, I think one pitfall to avoid is overwriting or putting your work through countless drafts. As a beginning writer, I did this a lot. If you're part of a crit group or writer workshop and getting feedback from multiple people, it's tempting to revise your story to try to please all your readers. Unfortunately, that's impossible. I definitely did learn a lot from participating in workshops such as the Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror and getting feedback on Lyon's Legacy and Twinned Universes. However, some feedback I received on them didn't fit the vision I had for those stories. Eventually, it's possible to get sick of a particular work. You'll learn more by releasing that story into the world and working on something different.
What writing pitfalls have you encountered in your journey? Feel free to share them in the comments.
8 comments:
You can't please everyone and if you try, you'll end up with a mess.
Good advice.
Very true, Alex!
Thanks, Pat!
Writers Beware is a good place to check. I'm still upset they took down Preditors and Editors.
We are a pretty hopeful bunch. It would make us vulnerable to scam artist and the like. :-)
Anna from elements of emaginette
Scams are so scary. I almost got sucked into one two weeks ago and they got me so worked up and I finally saw through it before it was too late. I like your advice too about letting go and moving on. I've decided this will be the last draft of one of works in progress. I've changed it so much in the last 10 years because I've loved it so much. Thank you for all your honest thoughts. Happy IWSG Day :)
Hello Sandra!
So true about getting sick of a particular work, or the work you put into it.
I try to put my work into one draft or often two.
And I tend to warn other writers about literary and commercial scams when I see them.
For example, there was the famous Poetry.com one.
I've heard of Predators and Editors too, Diane, though I refer to Writer Beware more often.
Anna, it's a shame one of our strengths can be used against us.
Glad you found out about the scam in time, Erika!
Hi, Adelaide, nice to meet you!
Post a Comment