Good Writing Takes Time

 

There are a lot of writers out there who believe they must or that they should be able to write everything super-fast. It’s almost as if having this ability to write everything faster than the average writer makes them stand out. From writers challenging themselves to bang out a 50,000-word novel in one week by writing 10,000 words a day to writers promising to meet a deadline for their article by the next day, these writers feel that being able to get work done in record time makes them more desirable or competent.

 

However, if you want to write well, you should give yourself the time to write well. Don’t try to force the words or the story in order to finish writing a project really fast. Don’t try to rush it. (Trust me, your readers will know if your writing seems forced.)

 

As frustrating as it can be for some writers, it takes time to write a good article, a good story and a good book. For some writers, it may come naturally to write something fast, because they have been writing for so long that they have a good grasp on how to get their work done in good time. These are the writers who can easily get their work done quickly – and still be able to produce good work.

 

For other writers, they may need some time to write that first draft or to even finalize their fifth draft. That’s perfectly acceptable!

 

Good writing takes time to write. If you try to rush through the writing, you might miss something or make mistakes. You might end up with something poorly written or a story lacking depth, characterization and good description. I have come across many published stories that are obviously first drafts. They contain many mistakes and are poorly written. I couldn’t help but wonder if the author felt rushed to write this story and get it out there. Your readers may end up thinking the same thing if you don’t give your writing the time it requires to be written, revised and edited.

 

If you are a writer in such a situation where you do have to write something quickly (such as a news reporter), then remember how you were taught to write. Stick to your training. Write the best piece you can and go over it carefully before submitting.

 

If you are a writer with a deadline, then get to work on your assignment as soon as you can. Try to write your first draft as far away from your deadline as possible so that you have the time to go over it. Use the days leading up to your deadline to continue to research your piece and complete interviews so that you can add them to your work as your deadline moves closer.

 

In the event you have the time to write, however, then give yourself the time you need. Go at a pace that is comfortable for you. If you start struggling with your work, then step away from it in order to figure it out while doing other things. Write it as often as you can, yes, but don’t try to force it.

 

It can absolutely make a writer a more desirable candidate for work if they are able to write fast, but what you want to be able to do is produce good work. What matters the most is that you are able to produce good writing, even if it takes a little time to write it. Give yourself time to write and your work will turn out better for it.

How to Find the Right Words to Write

 

When we get an idea for something to write, we get a pretty good grip on what we want this kind of thing to convey. If it’s a story idea, we pretty much know what kind of story it is and what will happen in it. If it’s an idea for a blog post, we have a good grasp of what that blog post is going to be all about.

 

That’s not the problem. What CAN be the problem is figuring out how to say what you want to say. What is the best way for you to get your message across?

 

In some cases, this will already be figured out. You’ll have an interview lined up or, if this is an assignment, an editor will share what exactly should go into your piece. However, in other cases, it’s just you and your idea. The words are up to you.

 

What I have found to be a good starting point in writing about an idea is to just write what I know about the topic. I usually don’t agree to write about something unless I am familiar with it in some way. Also, before I actually do any writing, I do A LOT of research, note-taking, and pre-writing. This way, I come to the piece armed with some idea of what to write.

 

Another thing you can try when you know what you want to write but can’t figure out the right words is to just think about it for a while. Don’t force yourself to write. I often have ideas for things cooking in that workshop in my mind while I go about and do other things. While I’m doing other things, those ideas are being analyzed, put together, fleshed out and worded. It is only after I feel I have enough of that idea put together in my mind that I will start writing it. I can have an idea in my head for weeks or months before I start writing it.

 

You should try “stepping away” from the idea, too, if you are struggling to get that idea onto paper. Don’t obsess over trying to figure that idea out. Take some time to think about it. The words will come to you and pretty soon, you’ll start writing and have paragraphs of words.

 

Ideas can be hard to figure out sometimes. Ultimately, you should ask yourself: What exactly am I trying to say? What message am I trying to get across with this idea? What kind of story do I want to tell? What kind of theme does my idea have? Start there and soon you’ll know what words to write in order to make your idea an actual piece you have written.

Doing what sells

Some time back, I finally got the chance to read the lyrics of the songs on the New Kids on the Block CD, The Block. I'd been a semi-fan of them for some time. (And I say "semi" because I can't even hear them and I'm not one of those CRAZY OBSESSED FANS that hunt them down, scream when I hear their names or spend hours looking at their pictures. Sheesh!) Well, I'd only been able to read the lyrics of a couple of their new songs (thanks to the fans who posted them online!) and I liked what I was reading. So after I bought the CD, I was hoping I could read the lyrics to their other songs.

Well, that didn't happen. The CD cover-label-thingy didn't have the lyrics on there. Sigh! So I did some searching on the 'Net and found a site that had the other lyrics. I started clicking on the other songs and started reading. But I didn't read ALL of them. I soon grew disgusted with the theme of many of their songs. Talking about seeing women as sex objects and talking to them in a patronizing way. I DID NOT like it!! I especially wasn't so thrilled with how they presented women as acting all self-conscientious and seeking others' approval of their appearance to feel validated. I especially didn't like how the songs were mostly about sex and not about love or romance. (Is it so terrible to want a little romance these days??)

Those are definitely NOT female-friendly lyrics! They send the wrong message to young, impressionable girls. Girls who live in a society where the rate of teen pregnancy is off the charts. They should send messages that EMPOWER girls. Inspire them and support them. Not demean them or view them as nothing more than objects of a man's pleasure.

I was so disappointed with the lyrics, I wrote a looong rant about it. Which I turned into an essay. One of my sisters read both the rant and the essay then emailed me back saying, "They're just singing the songs that sell. Look at Justin Timberlake."

Apparently, it's not the New Kids saying "we don't respect women." It's just them singing the kinds of songs that girls OBVIOUSLY are going crazy over! Sigh.

I bring this up because, just as doing what sells happens in the music industry, the same thing goes in the writing industry. A lot of writers are just writing what sells. Ditto with authors. We just....work ourselves into a niche and it's like people EXPECT those kinds of articles from us and those kinds of books.

And once we're in that corner, it's very hard to get out of it.

That is the way it is with me and my writing. I ended up just...writing myself into a niche. What started out as my attempt to understand a topic better by writing about it turned into my "niche" of writing about it. Believe me, I have nothing against writers who are doing this. There is NOTHING wrong with having a niche and writing about the thing you are known for writing about. But, for me, personally, it's not really something my heart is in anymore. I guess you could say I reached a certain "point" with it and I just don't want to be a part of that anymore.

I mean, to be honest, I REALLY want to make more leeway in fiction and get into screenwriting, as well.

It's just hard to break away from it. To break away from what you are known for. I mean, just when I think "I'm going to do it!" I get tapped for an article or approached by someone with something to do with this topic. That stuff doesn't happen by accident, though I realize it could just be what could make me either stand by my decision or just...."go back to what's familiar." I seem to do that a lot.

Maybe one of these days I will be able to break away from my niche. Right now, I can't do that, because I have certain obligations and things I said I would do. But maybe one day, it will tone down and I can focus my energies writing more about other topics and other things. I know some things about my niche are ongoing. Being the way I am, sensitive to those things, that's part and parcel of living this life as a writer. But maybe instead of including them in the writing life, they can just be in "everyday life." I don't ALWAYS have to write about them. Not everything should be written about....and that's why I think I really do need to find a way to move out of the niche I have written myself into. There are other things that ARE worth writing about. Things that have to do with LIFE. Because life is about living, and not just about what's selling.