Self-Editing and Self-Evaluation

It's been said, many a time, that artists are their own worst critics.

We know what we meant to put on the canvas (page), the effect it's supposed to have. Did it work? Did it not?

We're said to be too close to our work to know.

This is why writers rely on beta readers and/or critique groups. Rip it apart, spit it out, say what works, say what doesn't.

I've heard it said that writers can't evaluate their own work, but I'm unconvinced. Often, I've noticed that when I'm unsure about something, betas really like it.

But when I'm 99% certain something doesn't work? Betas agree with me.

And those writers I edit? If someone says "I think there's something wrong with the structure," well, there's something wrong (or at least unusual) about the structure. (I don't go into a work expecting to find those problems, either—I actually forget the author said anything until I start noticing the problem. Then I think, "Hope the author's okay with hearing there's structure problem—oh, right. The writer said she was worried about that.")

Now, as a writer, when I'm nervous or unsure about something, I've found it's usually best to leave it alone.

But when there's certainty? Fix it.

Sure, there are exceptions. It also differs from author to author, and likely even from story to story.

But with practice—and that means practice evaluating new stories, not the selfsame one over and over—you can get better at identifying when there's a specific problem.

Then you hand it off to a trusted beta reader (or however many you have) to see if the story did what you wanted.

If it failed, you can try again, or you can accept the story for what it is.

If it succeeded, you can rejoice and hope the next one will do the same.

But if you find yourself completely rewriting every little word and phrase because you're certain it isn't good enough, stop. There's something called over-editing, and the results ain't pretty.

Note that I am not saying an author can accurately evaluate the quality of something s/he writes. I'm saying an author might be able to accurately evaluate the major problems in a piece s/he writes.

We can't judge our own quality, because we either see or overlook every flaw, real and imagined.

But maybe we can judge when our intended comedy story ended up with a despicable heroine.

Do you find that your self-evaluation of story errors matches what your beta tells you? Or, if you're a beta reader, do you find that the writer(s) you beta read can accurately judge the errors in their own work.

—Misti

On Dreaming Small

I've always thought of myself as realistic. I had some "impossible" dreams when growing up, but I only ever halfheartedly attempted to accomplish them, because I knew they were impossible. Just my imagination running wild.

I ideally wanted to earn money from home, writing my own fiction—or from editing others' books, preferably fiction. I had some age goals that I missed, but I didn't try to hit them, either. I worked on my ability, only halfheartedly submitting my work anywhere. I assumed I was too young to be any good at it.

So I dreamed of making money writing and proofreading/copyediting from home, and thereby blundered into the joys of freelancing through happenstance I can only thank God for.

And I tumbled into that dream before I'd even left my teens. Then discovered from a local company that I was better at proofreading than folks who were older and had more credentials, the year I was old enough to legally drink alcohol.

So I developed another dream. I saw the possibilities in self-publishing (particularly e-books) years ago, and I kept an eye on POD and e-publishing. I dreamt of a day when self-publishing would be affordable.

That dream's now here, too.

And I'm currently editing fiction regularly as part of my day job—something I'd once never thought would happen, since I couldn't afford to take an internship at some press.

So here I am, coming up on my 25th year, and I've accomplished all my dreams but making a living from fiction writing.

And I wasn't even trying all that hard.

How much could I have gotten done if I'd tried? Even this past year, I spent entire weeks sick and unable to work, but I got so much done.

I don't want to look back on the latter half of my twenties and wonder what on earth I did, those years.

Lord willing, I have years ahead of me. I keep working at it, and I'll eventually earn money—even an income!—from writing fiction.

It's time to dream bigger.

But my habit of dreaming small is hindering me. A 6-figure income by age 30, or 3 concurrent titles on the NYT bestseller list, are dreams I develop, then wave away. They're too insane. (What would I do with all that money, anyway?)

I can't help but feel that it'll do me good to keep them in mind, though.

Even if the only dream I can bring myself to reach for is a dream of earning enough passive income from fiction by age 26 to comfortably pay my bills. ("Passive income" meaning "royalties".)

At least I'm reaching.

What are your dream accomplishments? (Remember, "dreams" are things you can't control.)

—Misti