Recently I read an article about the pitfalls of self publishing by Mette Ivie Harrison on Orson Scott Card's e-zine. Since I have just been through a two month intensive revision her words really rand true with me.
"My biggest concern over ebooks is the message that is being sent to aspiring authors that now they can skip the entire process of learning the craft of writing, getting rejected over a period of years, and then at last writing a book that is worth being paid for. I feel that they are also missing out on the back and forth honing process that happens when working with a very fine editor over a year or more of revision. Not only have errors (typos, name changes, time continuity issues and the like) been caught and corrected by a copyeditor, but I have never published a novel which I was not glad to have had a chance to work on with an editor. My books are simply better than they would have been otherwise."
I know my story is at it's best because I have run it through the gauntlet of a developmental editor and I am really glad for it. I think my story was good before, but I knew it could be better. With the advent of You Tube and reality TV our 30 second society has given many of us delusions of grandeur and that hard work is something to be avoided at all costs.
I am really happy that a person's writing can be sent out into the world in a matter of minutes, but there is a lot to be said for rewriting and revision, not to mention the intentional pursuit to improve your writing. Finishing a first draft is amazing but my favorite part of writing is actually when I get to go back and dig deeper into my characters motives and actions. It's a whole new level of discovery. Hard work does pay off. Dive in.
"My biggest concern over ebooks is the message that is being sent to aspiring authors that now they can skip the entire process of learning the craft of writing, getting rejected over a period of years, and then at last writing a book that is worth being paid for. I feel that they are also missing out on the back and forth honing process that happens when working with a very fine editor over a year or more of revision. Not only have errors (typos, name changes, time continuity issues and the like) been caught and corrected by a copyeditor, but I have never published a novel which I was not glad to have had a chance to work on with an editor. My books are simply better than they would have been otherwise."
I know my story is at it's best because I have run it through the gauntlet of a developmental editor and I am really glad for it. I think my story was good before, but I knew it could be better. With the advent of You Tube and reality TV our 30 second society has given many of us delusions of grandeur and that hard work is something to be avoided at all costs.
I am really happy that a person's writing can be sent out into the world in a matter of minutes, but there is a lot to be said for rewriting and revision, not to mention the intentional pursuit to improve your writing. Finishing a first draft is amazing but my favorite part of writing is actually when I get to go back and dig deeper into my characters motives and actions. It's a whole new level of discovery. Hard work does pay off. Dive in.
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