Tuesday 3 June 2008

Writing Pitfall #3: Talking More Than Writing

Let's face it--writers are full of themselves. How else could we assume that people will actually pay to read the products of our thoughts and imagination? It's a pretty big assumption.

So being a bit arrogant is actually part of the muse, but one flaw I see in a lot of beginning writers is that they spend more time talking about being a writer than actually writing. They boast to all their friends about the great novel they're working on, when in fact they haven't made it past page ten after five months of "work". They get into flame wars on newsgroups, arguing about all the tired controversies that crop up continually in such places, when they should be saving that energy for their writing.

My advice--shut up and write!

Yes, this blog counts as talking about writing, but I spend about sixty hours a week writing, researching, editing, or pitching, so I've earned the right to gab a bit. :-)

1 comment:

Wizbit said...

Lucky that you get to spend 60 hours a week working on writing ;)

But seriously, I completely know what you mean. I have a friend who's also trying to get published but as far as I can tell, he prefers to talk about writing more than actually putting words on paper.

Then again, I'm prone to working on a dozen projects at once, so right now it feels and looks like I'm doing the same... :O Maybe I am... *runs off to put her head down and finish the chapter* Save me from being the cliché!

Looking for more from Sean McLachlan? He also hangs out on the Civil War Horror blog, where he focuses on Civil War and Wild West history.

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