Our Writing Weaknesses
The parts of the process we find hard
Way back when, we were thinking about ideas for more posts, and we jotted down “our writing weaknesses—the parts of the process we find hard.” While, of course, we don’t have any weaknesses, we thought we’d think of some for this post. 😉
Vicky: Okay, I’ll go because I wrote this one down originally. “Staying focused on an idea and not chasing the next shiny idea.” I am definitely guilty of this. In some ways, I feel like it’s a positive thing because I follow the ideas I am most passionate about! But as I stare at my fourth half-finished middle grade draft, I think maybe I need a little more follow-through.
Christine: Same same. Although I finished my middle grade first draft, I haven’t gone back to my revision in weeks (maybe not since our retreat back in January!). Some of that is down to time management which I’ll talk more about in a minute. But I’m also finding my brain shifting into other novel ideas. Uh oh! Turns out that I also procrastinate with shiny new ideas when I’m struggling with a new draft (also see more on procrastination below!)
I think a lot of creators suffer from “shiny idea syndrome”. Anyone else?
Vicky: I find second books in a series hard. The first book is all about inventing a new world and character and format and arc, so no rules apply! When it comes to the second book, I struggle with how closely to stick to the first book or how far to stray. It’s definitely something I wrestle with in every series. Thank goodness for amazing editors who help me figure this out!
Christine: I’ve definitely had that struggle too. My next big weakness is procrastination and time management. I am one of those writers that will clean the house, run the errands, and play with shiny new ideas because I have plenty of time to finish my revision before the deadline. Until I don’t. One of these days I’ll learn to manage my time better. I also procrastinate with adjacent to writing things like social media, marketing, presentation slides, and Substack posts while telling myself I’m writing.
Vicky: That’s a great book you have sitting next to you! 😂 Okay, my next one… I’m good at concept and premise, so I like setting up the story. I’m also pretty good at coming up with endings that provide a heart-driven “surprising but inevitable” resolution. But the middle part is the trickiest part for me! I often have a concept I’m in love with and I yell at my brain, “but what’s the story??” Maybe this is just part of the writing process, but I often find that ideas just have to sit there for a long time until I eventually come up with a story that fits what I want to do—and then I have to find a way to let it unfold instead of just unraveling all at once.
Christine: One of the main things Vicky always asks me with the drafts she critiques for me is “What is the heart of the story?” That’s definitely something I struggle with. And it’s something I notice other writers struggle with when I critique manuscripts. I often refer people to Julie Hedlund for her talk about layers and also here’s a post by Julie about heart.
Vicky: Another thing I definitely struggle with is the pre-launch panic. I think this is true for everybody to some extent. Even when I know I’m being irrational, I continue to panic. For some reason, putting this thing you love into the world for others to see and judge is completely terrifying! It never seems to get less terrifying.
Christine: It is completely terrifying!! I haven’t felt that panic in a while (due to not having a new release, not because I’m recovered from the issue!) That feeling while waiting for industry and reader reviews is scary *shudder*.
We probably have more weaknesses that we don’t realize or won’t admit to ourselves—but all we can do is keep on improving. Maybe that should be another post: ways that we’ve improved at writing over the years. I’m sure we could think of more than a few!
What are your writing weaknesses?
I definitely also suffer from the shiny new project syndrome. It is my major weakness. Since nobody's asked me to write a series yet, I can't speak to whether it's hard or not. I don't really know if story=heart and I can't tell if I struggle with either so I will skip that one. Aside from my debut, I don't have pre-launch nerves because I forget when my books are supposed to come out (with the last 2 books, I made Canva graphics the morning of the release dates to share on social media; I am so lame). You can't get anxious about something you don't remember is happening. 😆
Ohmygoodness, the panic is real! I literally have a stomachache right now, worrying about getting reviews. It's a lot! Hugs and thank you, both of you, for all you share!