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The career novelist will develop
a writing improvement program,
beginning with a notebook.
You need to engage in something Geoff Colvin, in his
book Talent Is Overrated, calls “deliberate practice.”
What Colvin suggests is a rigorous program, usually
designed by an expert teacher, that homes in on the most
important areas of your endeavor, taking into account
your particular needs, and designing training exercises.
These exercises must have a degree of diffi culty, to
take you out of your comfort zone.
Unless you’re working with an expert instructor, you
need to be designing your own writing improvement
program.
One way to do that is with a Writing Improvement
Notebook. Here are the sections I have in mine:
1. exemplars
Start with the authors you admire, the ones whose novels
do the most for you. Find several paragraphs or pages in
their books that really sing.
Make copies of these outstanding pages, and put
them in this section.
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Every now and again turn to one of these examples
and write it out, word for word. Next, read the words
out loud.
The idea is not to try to become an exact copy of
the writer you admire. Rather, you are incorporating
rhythms and possibilities into your own inner wiring.
Your skill level will expand. You will grow as a writer.
2. outside comments
In this section, record the comments you get from your
critique group or your network of readers.
When you are published, keep copies of editorial let-
ters and notes. These will remind you of areas in your
writing you need to work on.
3. self study
Work out a systematic plan to overcome your weak areas
by setting up self-study programs.
For example, you might need one called “Creating Sym-
pathetic Characters.” Write out a specifi c thesis question:
How can I create characters that readers will bond with on
an emotional level?
Next, make a list of all the novels you can think of
where you really connected with the characters.
Select a handful of these novels and re-read them
with the study question in mind. Underline passages that
do the job and then write some scenes where you try to do
the same thing.
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This is not a word-for-word exercise. It’s assimilating
what works for others and fi ltering it through your own
writer’s mind.
Finally, buy some writing books that cover this area,
or re-study some of the books you already own.
A writing notebook will increase your confidence, be-
cause every day you can be working on your craft, getting
better. You’ll feel it.
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