Being the horse lover and owner that I am, I immediately gravitated to the title of this article. Perfect, Betty. "Why Writing a Book is More Work than Shoveling Horse Poop." Yep it is. I don't have to think when I shovel horse poop.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Why Writing a Book is More Work than Shoveling Horse Poop
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Another year, another book.
At 7 p.m., Tuesday, January 31, I’ll be at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore Scottsdale AZ, talking about my new Lena Jones mystery, DESERT WIND (to read an excerpt, log onto www.bettywebb-mystery.com). It’s much more fun to talk than it is to write so I’m sure I’ll enjoy myself.
Oops. Did I just give away the fact that writing isn’t easy? I guess I did. Thanks to good health and good luck, I’ve led a long and busy life, often working two jobs at a time. No, I’m not counting my role as a parent, because that would be the third job, the unpaid job that never ends.
Here are some of the you-get-paid-for-doing-it jobs I’ve held down over the years: go-go dancer, bartender, chicken farmer, commercial artist, car hop, job counselor, teacher, advertising copywriter, cotton picker, waitress, music critic, horse breeder, customer service representative, sales clerk, book reviewer, zoo worker, etc. But of all my various jobs, the most grueling by far is the job I’ve held for the last 12 years: mystery novelist.
Non-writers are always surprised when I tell them writing is harder than many jobs, including shoveling horse poop, which I’ll use as my example. In most jobs, you know what’s expected of you. Horse stall overflowing with poop? Turn Seabiscuit loose in the corral, get a shovel, shovel until all the poop’s gone. Put in fresh hay, lead Seabiscuit back into his stall, walk away. You’re done, and the horse is happy.
Writing isn’t like that. You get up at 4 a.m. every day for a year, write until it’s time to go to your paycheck-generating job, then 10hours later return home and write some more. Tired? Too bad. Oh, and another thing: while you’re still working on Book One, you need to start doing research for Book Two. Research takes time, too, and sometimes you even have to hop a plane to do it. Afraid of flying? Too bad.
But finally, a year after you began Book One, it’s finished. That night you send it to your publisher and at 4 a.m. the next day, you begin writing Book Two.
Remember my saying that when the poop-shoveling is done, the horse is happy? Well, editors aren’t that easy to please. Around the time you’re grunting through Chapter Ten of Book Two, you get an email from your editor saying that Book One needs some fixin’. So you file Book Two away, return to Book One, and make the requested changes. When you send the revised manuscript back and return to Book Two, guess what? You’ve forgotten who the heck all those characters are. This means that you spend the next couple of weeks reading through the manuscript, making notes, making changes. And chances are, you’ll begin all over again – from the first word of Chapter One.
You’ll notice that I haven’t even begun to describe the complexities of the writing craft itself. For the sake of brevity, I’ll list only a few that plagued me during the writing of DESERT WIND. Keeping characters’ names straight, so that the wrangler known as Gabe on page one doesn’t become Jake on page 235. Remembering that John Wayne died in 1979, rather than 1974, which I’d originally thought. Discovering that uranium mining continues at the Grand Canyon, although most people think it was shut down years ago. Keeping the arc of action rising ever upwards, a common problem with novelists (although we mystery writers have an easy solution; we just kill someone else whenever the action threatens to slow). Stop using the same words so often (my favorites are apparently “probably,” “seemed,” “just” -- and “apparently.” And getting rid of a dozen other writer’s hoodoos.
But in the end, it’s all worth it. Two years after you began writing the first page, Book One – your perfect, perfect creation, the reflection of your very soul -- hits the streets. And there you are, wearing new clothes, scented with the finest French perfume, sitting proudly in the bookstore as your fans line up to get their first edition copies of Book One autographed.
Then the first fan arrives at your table, gives you a big smile and says, “Did you know there’s a typo on page two?”
Perfect, Betty, perfect. My sentements, exactly. Good luck with DESERT WIND.
If anyone has any comments, please post them.
A PLACE TO READ, WRITE, READ ABOUT WRITING, LOOK FOR NEW BOOKS AND NEW AUTHORS. I'M ALSO A MUSICIAN AND HORSE-DOG-CAT LOVER. WE CAN FIND NEW WAYS OF DOING OLD THINGS AND JUST ENJOY LIFE.
1 comment:
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Beijing time on May 14, according to " new York Post " reporter mark - wave graceful report, New York Ni KesiBoss Zhanmusi - Du Lan is determined to break a ball to be able to come nearly 40 [url=http://nikeshoesonsale.manifo.com/]nike air max 90[/url] years already " champion barren " , and all these will begin from choose bishop practice. A variety of evidence show, er of legend name handsome humble - Jackson agrees with ferula of Ni Kesi of in control of completely likely, dan Dulan gives far from consideration, even also have not is contacted actively " a Buddhist monk " , those who replace is Michael of the coach when apt Fu Zhenglin - Wu Desen, but the failure that this finishs sports season for Nikesi probably is buried played a hint foreshadowing later developments in a story.
Jackson ever led a team to had captured to amount to title of 11 total champion as episcopal practice, and as the player, he also is one of members that Nikesi gains the championship on the history two times, because this dare say oneself without the person almost,can compare " a Buddhist monk " pot of more familiar total champion. Because suffer coxal injury worry, jackson must accept an operation, so whether does his body state nowadays still suit to hold the position of a bishop to drill? The answer is affirmative. "He had restored vitality. " Jackson's cummer, also be at the same timePerson of los angeles lakeGao Guanzhen Ni - Ba Si says, "The feeling when he walks now is close friends at going a few years, and also regained physical power, but I am not clear that whether he still thinks once more return coach seat, what I also did not allude him to hope to get Nikesi is handsome or return lake person. What I also did not allude him to hope to get Nikesi is handsome or return lake person..
Imagine Du Lan links one electrify word actually very hard lazy hit Jackson, but anyhow, if Nikesi calls Jackson, latter absolutely won't easily ring off.
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It is in the brigade that eagle surpasses after 5 recent season, have go no further twice at first-run, it is additionally 3 to be in the 2nd round be washed out. Ni Kesi's situation is very similar also, they are already successive two sports season are first-run a bureau, from the point of this, the promotion that Wu Desen can bring to team is very finite, after all he also have not guides team to go further in the contest after season.
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