You won’t find a perfect writer. You’ll find only writers who, if they’re honest, are on a never-ending mission to improve. None of us has all the answers, but we have lessons we’ve learned along the way. Here are five of the most valuable lessons I’ve had the privilege of learning.
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1.
It will take longer than you think. Writing a
novel. Understanding the rules of the game. Developing your voice. Everything. Anything substantive in life
takes time and sacrifice—but it’s worth it. Do your research. Know the
marketplace. Readers can sense when something isn’t quite right, even if they
can’t identify what it is.
2.
Remove adverbs. Ninety-nine percent of the time, adverbs
are unnecessary. In fact, most writers and industry people consider heavy use
of adverbs the telltale sign of an amateur. Instead of writing that a character
spoke angrily, try describing the
character’s vocal tone, gestures or facial expression. That creates an
experience for the reader, which is why the reader grabbed your book in the
first place. On occasion, an adverb is the only route you can use. But when in
doubt, just nix it. One reason you have the freedom to do this is lesson #3 …
3.
Readers are smart. That offers an advantage to you,
because you don’t need to document every miniscule detail. Readers can read
between the lines and draw logical conclusions based on what you’ve told them
so far. They want to draw some of
their own conclusions. When I wrote my first novel, I thought I needed to
explain everything. But I discovered if you invest a lot of effort developing
your characters, you will end up with many psychological details you never
mention in the manuscript. To my surprise, readers deduced some of those
details anyway. Nowadays, I enjoy planting nuggets between the lines of the
characters’ psyches for readers to find—and sure enough, they find them! You
see, a book isn’t just a book. It’s a partnership between you and your reader.
It’s a relationship through the written word.
4.
Don’t churn out crap. A good reputation is more
valuable than silver or gold. I’ve taken that biblical advice to heart. When a
reader buys your book, it’s an act of trust on their part. They have chosen to
trust you. They trust you will provide a high-quality product in return for
their hard-earned money. They could have spent time doing countless things, but
they chose to spend time with your book. Don’t
violate their trust. It’s disrespectful and, yes, selfish. Spend time
developing your story, developing your characters, identifying holes in your
logic, proofreading your work.
5.
Save your work. All the time. Every time you think
of it, after every natural pause, hit Ctrl-S. Develop the habit. Let me tell
you, that has been my habit for years. But somehow, as I wrote this guest post,
I got so far involved in it that I forgot to do so—then I clicked something too
fast and lost everything I’d written. Save often! Be neurotic about it!
What lessons have you learned along the
way? I’d love to hear them!
Thanks for letting me stop by the blog. And
feel free to visit me at www.johnherrick.net
or on my socials. Never give up!
A
self-described “broken Christian,” John Herrick battled depression since
childhood. In that context, however, he developed intuition for themes of
spiritual journey and the human heart.
Herrick
graduated from the University of Missouri—Columbia. Rejected for every writing
position he sought, he turned to information technology and fund development,
where he cultivated analytical and project management skills that helped shape
his novel-writing process. He seized unpaid opportunities writing radio commercial
copy and ghostwriting for two nationally syndicated radio preachers.
The
Akron Beacon Journal hailed Herrick's From the Dead as “a solid
debut novel.” Published in 2010, it became an Amazon bestseller. The
Landing, a semifinalist in the inaugural Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award
contest, followed. Publishers Weekly predicted “Herrick will make waves”
with his novel Between These Walls.
Herrick's
nonfiction book 8 Reasons Your Life Matters introduced him to new
readers worldwide. The free e-book surpassed 150,000 downloads and hit #1 on
Amazon's Motivational Self-Help and Christian Inspiration bestseller lists.
Reader response prompted a trade paperback.
His
latest novel, Beautiful Mess, folds the legend of Marilyn Monroe into an
ensemble romantic-comedy.
Herrick
admits his journey felt disconnected. “It was a challenge but also a growth
process,” he acknowledges. “But in retrospect, I can see God's fingerprints all
over it.”
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