Writing is incredibly subjective. I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself—of course it is! Everyone knows that. And I think that’s true—most people know that. What some writers don’t seem to understand, though, is that your way of writing (or my way of writing) isn’t necessarily the right way to write. In many regards, there is no one right way to write. There are even multiple ways to spell certain words in the English language, so I would imagine it’s nigh on impossible to write a sentence, paragraph, or book in one particularly correct way.
That’s the beauty of writing—it is subjective. We could, all of you reading this and myself, write the same novel with the same major plot points and characters, and come up with entirely different stories when we all finally type THE END on the final page. As a matter of fact, the number of pages would likely vary drastically from one story to the next, too.
And there’s truly something magnificent about that concept.
So why, then, do some writers insist that their way is the only way?
I’m not necessarily writing to you (although if you find yourself feeling angry as you read or frustrated that I used a certain word here rather than the word you would have used, perhaps you could take a lesson or two from this edition of noteworthy), but I am writing about a general frustration that I’ve been faced with the more entrenched I become in the writing community at large.
The most recent example of one-of-those-writers was with an article I published on Medium recently. Medium as a platform is set up so that anyone can leave a private note on anyone’s article. It’s a way to leave a comment without it being visible to every person who reads the said article.
On this particular article, I received a private note with an editing suggestion. This was a suggestion for an already published article, mind you. An article that had, in fact, already been published in a publication with editors who review the writing to find any errors and adjust wording as necessary to fit within their manual of style.
This was, again, an already published article and, while I admit that with most of my writing I could go on eternally tweaking a sentence here and a word there, once it’s accepted and published, I consider it complete. Is my writing always perfect at this state? No, of course not. But is it finished, and not in need of further editing suggestions? Usually, yes.
I love writing, and I love writers, but I also acknowledge that my writing isn’t for everyone, and not everyone’s writing is for me.
That’s the beauty of writing, and something that makes being a part of the writing community worthwhile, in my humble opinion.
My best writing friends love the fantasy genre. If there’s a book I’m wondering about and it’s YA or adult fantasy, odds are that one of them has read it. I’ve also read my fair share of fantasy, and it’s simply not my favorite genre.
On the other hand, my beloved historical romances are not something that they would ever consider picking up to read. I lamented about this to them just last night, as a matter of fact, because I would give almost anything for them to read the Outlander series so I could talk about all the juicy details with them.
I know that the way I write might rub some people the wrong way. I know that the way some published authors write might rub me the wrong way. That’s okay, and it doesn’t mean I need to critique those writers I don’t enjoy at every turn. I just…don’t read them.
And while that might seem trite, it’s really a beautiful thing.
So don’t be one of those writers who simply have to critique every bit of published writing out there. Read until you’re no longer interested, make your own decision about the writing, and move on—maybe with a frustrated sigh or a quick text to your own writing friend about your conundrum. I’m sure you’d like the favor returned if someone didn’t like what you had to say in your own writing.
Despite comments like that one left on my Medium article—and despite the sometimes unpleasant comments I receive about my writing in general—I am going to keep going, just like you should, too, if words bring you joy. Don’t be one-of-those-writers, and don’t let those writers bring you down.
Here are the places my words have ended up since I last wrote:
How to Juggle All the Things While Building Your Author Platform published in The Writing Cooperative
The Art of the Close Read republished on my blog
How to Leave Breadcrumbs in Your Story republished on my blog
How to be Happy Alone republished on my blog
What I Learned Picking an Old Hobby Back Up Again republished on my blog
After a New Year break (or, more aptly, a COVID break), borrowed solace: the podcast is back! This week I was joined by our executive editor Nicole as well as voice actor Aimar Galarza to talk about all things voice acting and recording audiobooks. Check it out wherever you listen, and please also subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!
I don’t remember if I’ve mentioned her before, but I love Emily Paige Wilson’s YouTube channel. Emily is a poet who has an MFA, has published a couple of chapbooks, has a full-length poetry collection coming out this year, and has a YA novel in verse that is on submission at the moment. Oh—and Emily came on the podcast a couple of months ago! Emily is such a kind and creative person, and I just love the way she talks about the writing life and writing process. In her most recent video, she talks about her 2021 writing goals, and I just love how she acknowledges the non-writing things that happened last year, too, and that it’s okay that she didn’t publish any poems in literary journals last year. I think we all need that reminder at times—being a writer is a marathon, not a sprint, and not every year will be full of milestones. Every year can, though, be full of writing triumphs, no matter how small. Check out Emily’s latest video below: