10 things I learned writing a book

No one said writing is for everyone.

Done well writing is very hard work. It is also a fascinating developmental process. Before this experience I would have felt these thoughts were very personal. I might have resisted sharing them. When we write we surrender large sections of our privacy for the work.

Here are the top 10 things I learned.

1. You can say or think anything you want. But, when you put words down on paper, you become accountable for your action.

2. There are at least 35 ways to say “he said” and sometimes the are more informative to the reader. For example the is replied, or related, or exclaimed. And ‘said’ is still very functional.

3. If you’re going to uses famous quotes, understand their background and original context. You will lessen criticism and the work might stand the test of time.

4. Editing is a test of character.

5. The characters in creative work are real. They may live inside your readers to some extent.

6. A touchy question in real life might be a perfect question asked by a character.

7. Gaps in continuity might provide tips about your real life behavior. Be careful not to live your characters bad habits.

8. If you think you’re finished polishing, you are probably not. If you think you need to put in more work, you should probably just get it out.

9. Every person who is complementary about your book is a reminder from above to remain humble.

10. If you’re very lucky, as you’re finishing your first book, you’ve got an outline and a few chapters written for the next one… and you are even more excited about that one.

Bonus: If you cling to nothing, you can handle anything.