The following post came up in one of the comic forums;
“I’ve been working on a script for over 4 years. I hired an experienced editor whose credits included Netflix and MGM. The problem is, I shared my script with fellow comic creators on discord and they keep shooting holes in it. I’m now on my 10th draft. I don’t need any generic writing links, I’ve done all the research possible and am a well rounded writer, but I need more eyes on this.”
Don’t be this dude.
Let’s discuss how you can avoid it.
#1) Finish your book in a year or less.
If you have a busy life and you can’t focus on your writing, don’t worry aboud’it. Take as long as you need to finish your book. In reality, life has a way of derailing projects that extend out across the beyond… but if you’re busy, you’re busy. And life always trumps a personal deadline. <— trust me on that one.
Now, if you’re actually dedicated to finishing your book. Writing a bit every day, or at least consistently squirreling away it whenever you can… cap your time at one year.
Writing a book with determined focus that takes a longer than a year, is likely a dead horse. As in, you’re kickin’ something that just ain’t gonna go.
When you’re committed, you just don’t need longer than a year to complete even a full-length novel. If you’re stuck in endless edits, that’s a big red flag something’s wrong.
Proper edits should be diminishing returns, for lack of a better term (maybe I’m thinking of a thermodynamic law). Whatever, point is, each time you edit, there should be less to edit a follow up time. Eventually, there’s just nothing left to edit. So if you keep finding new stuff to edit, something is seriously askew.
#2) Movies don’t translate to comics. Period.
Excellent writers and editors CAN BE excellent in all mediums across the board.
They CAN BE…
but it doesn’t mean they are.
I’ve said this before, but people can look great on paper and suck in the real world. And vice versa.
- Vet your editors.
You’ll likely get the most bang for your buck, picking a comic editor for a comic.
And most of all, work with editors whose work you like. I can’t stress this enough. You’ve got to know the mind the advice flows from… and overall, jive with their vibe.
#3) Friends don’t know anything. Hell, many writers don’t know anything.
Read my betareader article here, if you haven’t already.
Not to be harsh, but seriously, most people critique from emotion and personal experience. A room full of those cats and you’ll be running in circles for ever.
#4) Excessive edits are a big warning sign.
As I just mentioned, getting stuck in editing mode is a sign something is wrong.
In reality, super anal perfectionist writers CAN edit and edit and edit and edit… and really, there’s nothing wrong with this, if that’s what you want to do.
There are 2 key indicators when you do this, though.
- You’re getting less and less to edit each pass. Fine tuning. Polishing.
- The narrative is better for your efforts!
If you’re on the 10th edit pass of a manuscript and YOU feel like it’s shit. Jesus, take the wheel. What are you doing?
Stop doing the same thing!
Find a lifeboat fast!
#5) You don’t know how to save yourself!
The last bit this writer put in his post, the stuff about generic links and him being a well-rounded writer. This is some of the dumbest stuff I’ve seen, but believe it or not, it’s not that uncommon to see. I wanted to leave it in the post so you could get a take from it.
Plain and simple:
- If you are in a forum asking for help.
- If you’re on a 10th damn edit and can’t figure out what to fix.
You’ve lost sight of the forest for the trees.
Or, to put it another way… you don’t have the instincts or insight to pull your plane out of the nose dive it’s in.
If you complain and bark that you’re a great writer, I’m sorry, friend, but you may be a weeee bit overconfident.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is, with just a minor attitude adjustment, you can learn the things you need to learn. See the things you need to see… and get the help you need to get.
One of the biggest things you can learn as a writer, is to get out of your own way!
Writers with the outlook and attitude of this original poster always struggle… and they usually struggle for a very long time, often, eventually giving up writing all together… even when there was a successful writer deep inside them.
Hope this bit helps someone out there! ▪
About the Author —
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Newcomer or veteran writer, if you’re working on a project that needs commercial success, Nick urges to you read this intro article.
Nick Macari is a full-time freelance story consultant, developmental editor and writer, working primarily in the independent gaming and comic markets. His first published comic appeared on shelves via Diamond in the late 90’s. Today you can find his comic work on comixology, Amazon, and in select stores around the U.S.