The latest in my series, When You Hate the Book You’re Writing, is an interview with author and journalist, Beth Winegarner. Beth tells us about the strategies that help her persist in writing her latest book.
- Lynette
Beth Winegarner
What are you working on?
I’m writing a book for parents about teens and media influences. Specifically, I’m writing about the influences that have been blamed for teen violence or suicide: violent video games, the occult, heavy metal music, and a few others. I’m hoping to clear the air and show not only why these influences appeal to teens, but how they can be a healthy part of growing up. I realize it may be an uphill battle convincing parents that Grand Theft Auto and Satanism are OK for your teenager, but I feel strongly enough about it to try.
Do you ever hate your manuscript? If so, why?
Oh, absolutely. Mostly, I liked it when I was in the drafting stage; I’m a full-time mom right now, so getting the chance to write was exhilarating. But now I’m in the revision stage, which I loathe.
First, it reminds me that I didn’t knock out perfect prose on the first try. I’m one of those people who likes to do things perfectly right off the bat, even if it’s not realistic. Second, it takes forever. You can revise and revise and revise and never finish. It’s like painting a bridge: it takes so long to do, by the time you’re finished, it’s time to start repainting.
I’m also second-guessing myself a lot: is my tone right for my audience? Do I even HAVE an audience? Who’s going to pick up this book? What are their beliefs and values? How do I write effectively to reach someone with those beliefs and values? And why would they want to listen to me, anyway? I find myself “coaching” myself through these doubts on almost a daily basis.
What strategies and tactics do you use to push through those feelings so you can continue working on the difficult manuscript?
I use a variety of tactics, not all of them necessarily recommended! I procrastinate a lot. I’ll open up my document and read through an unrevised passage. I’ll cringe at it and look at something else for a few minutes, then go back, reread it, cringe again, and look at something else. (Facebook and Twitter are wonderful distractions from how much your first draft stinks.) In the background, though, my mind is working on a better way to phrase the content. So by the third or fourth time I look back at the manuscript, I’m ready to write a few sentences. Sometimes that gives me the momentum to get through several passages before I’m burned out for the day. Sometimes it gets me to the next ugly passage, where I have to repeat the looking-away process for a while.
Another thing I do is make sure the book isn’t the only thing I’m working on. If my only project is one I dread, that makes life pretty miserable. But if I’m working on other stuff, too, such as blogging, guest blogging, poetry, etc. then I get to switch back and forth between tasks I like and tasks I despise. The downside, of course, is that revision takes a lot longer.
Also, I find commiserating with other writers is helpful. It doesn’t make the revisions go any faster, but when I’m stuck in that place of hating the work, it helps to know that other writers hated theirs too, that it’s normal, that they got through it and loved their books again one day.
Visit Beth’s provocative, yet reassuring blog, Backward Messages. Follow her on Twitter @beth_winegarner.
