Recently reminded of the power of encouragement, I wanted to do today’s post on developing your cheer section as a writer.
I have a dear, sweet friend who happens to double as my massage therapist. She’s one of those people that seems to know exactly what you want to hear and can offer reassurance and sage advice in any aspect of your life. Because of her ability to make me feel like Super Woman, she is the primary cheer squad for my writing.
I honestly don’t know how she does it, especially since my “love language” is not words of affirmation, but every time we talk about my works in progress, she gushes about how amazing it all is. It not only feeds my ego, but my drive to write more. Seriously, I go back home and write another couple chapters, just to get her encouraging feedback again. (And it’s not all fluffy. She often confirms areas where I thought there were holes in my plots or characters.) Of course, I work hard on those chapters and make them count, not just toss words into the air and hope they land in an artful manner. But it helps immensely to have her texting me, asking me when she’ll get to see more.
Get yourself one of those—a friend who loves what you do, and maybe a massage therapist, too, if you’re lucky. Find someone who is blown away by the fact that you are the socially-romanticized writer, though you and I know how non-romantic the process really is. Find that primary cheerleader that gets you to write, and write, and write.
Once you have finished your raw material, or a large enough section of it to give your next-level cheer team a sense of where it’s going, send it to your secondary source. This person will have really great insight into the overall scope of what works in literature and what doesn’t. They’ll know what makes good characters, good conflict, and good writing.
For me, that’s one of my brothers. I have three of them, and they are all oddly willing to tell me what I’m doing wrong. But they don’t do it to be mean. They are all well-educated and experienced with reading, and most importantly, I trust their feedback. One of my more recent projects was placed aside for the time being due to some problematic elements that my brother pointed out.
It was a tad difficult to hear; after all, my primary cheer squad had ranted and raved over it, I’d won an award for the beginning of the book at a conference, and I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever written. But he was right. There were problems, so until they get fixed, it can’t move forward. It actually saved me a good deal of time and frustration—prior to his critique, I was unwittingly putting together a puzzle with missing pieces.
If your manuscript passes both your primary and secondary bolstering fans, then send it on to your tertiary supporter. This person should make you quake with fear just a bit, at least with regards to your work, but they will know your aspirations, your abilities and your short-comings, and encourage you to surpass and overcome them all. Penny, our fearless leader and terrific mentor, pointed out something critical to me the other day. I asked her how she was able to make a writer examine their story as if seeing it for the first time. She said, “It’s easy, actually. I just get them feeling like they have to defend their position, and out it comes!”
Find someone who will question everything, and if your plot, characters, theme, writing, and story arc are solid enough, your ability to answer should show the level with which you know your work. If you don’t know the answers, or they aren’t satisfactory, then a reexamination should be scheduled. If you know the answers, but they aren’t thoroughly explained in your writing, then you’ll need to revisit your manuscript and ensure that your readers see what’s in your head. If you know the answers and your tertiary supporter agrees that you’ve outlined your ideas well enough for the reader to grasp, then you’re ready to move on to editing and polishing.
Without a cheer team constantly whispering (or shouting) words of encouragement in your ear, it becomes easy to feel a little lost, adrift in a sea of wonder. Are you doing it right? Is it coming across the way you want? Do you have blind spots in your plot? Your support team can help you figure it all out. Develop your cheer squad, listen to their advice, and reward them handsomely with your awe-inspiring words.
Senior Editor McKenna Gardner’s next project, the Mind Games anthology, is scheduled for release July 31, 2013.