Writing help: Finding my way back

I’ve reached a place in my writing where I’ve become complacent, especially when it comes to revisions. I need some discipline, maybe a kick in the butt to get myself back on track. I’m not sure how this happened. Maybe I have become uninspired when it comes to rewrites. What frustrates me is I can read through an unknown manuscript and easily find what needs to be fixed, but when it comes to my own writing, I’m blind. Something needs to be done to find my mojo again and get me out of this writing funk. I wonder if other writers experience this at some point.

I thought back to when I first started writing and how excited I was to get those words down and get them right without worrying about how I did it. Maybe it’s inspiration I need in order to find my way again—inspiration and some discipline when it comes to revising my work.

Discipline I can manage. So, how do I get that elusive inspiration back that I need? That’s the million-dollar question. This is almost as bad as writer’s block. One thing I noticed is I worry too much about breaking the writing rules now, and I think that fear is holding me back. When I was a newbie writer, I didn’t worry about the rules because I didn’t know all of them yet. I think some of my earlier writing is also my best, or at least, more unfettered than it has been lately. To be creative, I think you need to let go and not worry about rules too much. Yeah, I know. I just said I need to be unfettered and have some discipline—contradicting meanings. Surely, I’m crazy. Possibly. But, what I mean is there needs to be a balance of letting go of the rules and having some discipline during the revising process. I can’t just casually read through my manuscript. I need to go through it line by line and have a list of things I need to look at. This is where knowing my weaknesses can be useful. My editor helped me with that one.

So, how do I find the inspiration to write and revise my book to make it the best it can be? I need to let go of my hesitation, my fear of breaking a rule. I need to let the words flow naturally. That and a little kick in the butt of discipline might just help me get back what I lost.

 

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

Two mortals are caught in the midst of the battle between the Titans and Olympian gods.

http://kelleyheckart.com/daughter_of_night.html

My biggest frustration as a writer

I think everyone gets frustrated at some point with himself or herself. I’m feeling that way now. After writing and publishing seven books, I thought I could do a pretty good job of editing my own work. Since I’m self-publishing this time around, I decided to have an editor do a sample edit on ten pages. I was wrong about being able to do my own edits.

And here’s the worst part—I’m also an editor. I work for a couple of publishers and I also do freelance work. How frustrating is that? And not to mention, embarrassing. I can easily spot a writer’s weakness, but I am blind to my own weaknesses. It’s like having a super power you can use to help everyone except yourself. Or maybe it’s a writer’s curse. Writers have been gifted the skill to create stories, but we are unable to polish the stories by ourselves because we are too close to our own work to be able to really “see” the obvious errors. Another pair of fresh eyes is always needed.

Professional editors aren’t cheap, so it really bothers me that I have to shell out a lot of money to give to another editor when I am capable of editing. But this is necessary in order to publish a good book. I have reluctantly accepted that I need an editor, though I still complain about it. It makes me feel better to know that I’m not alone in this—all writers need an editor.

If I can give new writers advice, it would be this: Don’t cut out the editor. This is the same advice I would give experienced writers as well, especially for self-publishing.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

Two mortals are caught in the midst of the battle between the Titans and Olympian gods.

Direct buy links on author website: http://kelleyheckart.com/daughter_of_night.html