This week I was reading The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker the second novel by past Valerie Parv Award Winner, Joanna Nell, when I found in the acknowledgments, her appreciation for encouraging her to follow her instincts and write her book from the heart.
She’d certainly done that. At one point I was reading in such an emotional mess I didn’t think I could finish the book because I was feeling all the feels. Thankfully I did finish and the ending was totally worthwhile.
Joanna’s acknowledgment made me think about how important it is to invest yourself in your writing. Years ago an editor at Mills & Boon, London, proposed a change I’d already considered and rejected. When I told her so, she asked me how often I followed my instincts. I’d was forced to admit that I’d been second-guessing myself , trying to give the editor what I thought she wanted.
Nobody knows what will sell until it’s out there. Ask J.K. Rowling about her many rejections before Harry Potter became a publishing phenomenon. Far better to follow your writing instincts and tell the story you passionately want to tell.
With so many books being published, the biggest challenge to readers is discovering your work. Joanna’s first book, The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village, also published by Hachette, was launched with a national book tour. Her delightful humour and focus on love in older years meant she had a keen readership waiting for her second book.
Joanna Nell signs her much-anticipated new book
Some years ago when I wrote a book on creativity, The Idea Factory, published by Allen & Unwin, my late husband drew a cartoon of a person being X-Rayed, the doctor indicating an actual book showing up on the screen. “Yes, there is a book in you.” These days it seems not only does everyone have a book in them, they can’t wait to get it out.
This can be at the expense of thorough editing and overall presentation, particularly if you’re self publishing. When it comes to basic grammar, story structure, spelling and the like, standards are slipping everywhere. The internet is full of memes showing the difference between their, they’re and there, which your spell checker doesn’t always recognise, although they’re (they are) improving all the time.
A useful rule for editing, coined by sci-fi luminary, Theodore Sturgeon, he described as “matter vs manner.”
Matter is what you write about – the stories of your heart. IMO these are non-negotiable. No editor or critique partner or group should tell you what stories you can tell, although you may have to wait for the readership to catch up.
Manner is how you tell your story and it’s here that beta readers, editors and critique groups are most helpful. If you have a wonderful story but it’s getting lost in turgid prose, excessive adjectives, typos and spelling mistakes, these are craft issues you can fix. As far as possible I want readers to enjoy the story without distractions, and I welcome having structural issues pointed out. The story is mine but how it’s told is an editor’s province, ensuring my message comes across as I intend.
For example, if the problem is the common one of repetition – the author repeating the same information in a different way or in another scene, it should be fixed, no argument. All writers have pet words we use unconsciously until we edit them out in successive drafts. Common examples are just, only, well, in fact, etc. What must remain is your message, your reason for writing a particular story. In this I urge you to follow your instincts and always, always write from your heart.
How often do you follow your instincts and write from the heart? Share your thoughts in the comments below. They’re moderated to avoid spam but your comment can appear right away if you click on “sign me up” at right. I don’t share your details with anyone.
Happy writing!
Valerie Parv
@valerieparv on Twitter and Facebook
valerieparv 
Comments on: "First Monday Mentoring November 2019 – do you always write from the heart?" (7)
Nice post. I will share this widely. You touched on many issues close to my heart.
Thank you and welcome, Mark. I checked the blog and it’s on topic for me, too.
Reblogged this on wordrefiner.
Nice blog post and so true – edits and copy edits are needed in all books, as an author often can’t see the woods for the trees. But an editor is again one person’s opinion and you have to find someone you trust in and who gets your story and writing vision, so the story stays ‘your story’. Also this is not just the subset of self publishing. I wrote for a big 5 publisher and the copyediting from them was appalling, to the point that I had to start paying someone to do it myself. I’m slightly dyslexic so need help. The publishers are hiring freelance now and also in a real hurry to get books to market.
Well put, Bronwen, and good to have the perspective from both sides of the publishing scene. Finding your trusted people to back you up is so important.
I enjoyed reading your blog. Most of my writing is from the heart, which sometimes is black but even my suspense scenes come from how I would feel, how I imagine it would be like even if I haven’t experienced it. I can’t imagine writing any other way but have read some books with no feeling at all – books I rarely finish.
Thank you, Tania. I believe we read fiction so we can experience life in another person’s shoes, as you say, even if it’s a black moment.