Pep Talk 4: Does Your Book Embarrass You?

There will come a point in a writer's life when they have just finished a book. They're so excited, and so relieved. For some, that book has taken half a life time of work, for others it was a frantic couple of months. But there's one thing that every writer has in common when they finish a book--it one of the best events of their life.

And then there's another point in a writer's life--the editor. It might be a friend, a sibling, or a parent, but it's not you. Every writer gets that jolt of self-consciousness when they hand their precious work of art over to be scrutinized, picked apart, and scribbled on with red ink.

That's when every writer begins to feel twinges. They begin to think like this:

"What if my editor thinks my book is just so badly written that there's no hope?"

or

"Why didn't I take out that part about ___? The editor will think it's silly and cliche!"

or

"Wow, my writing is embarrassingly juvenile. It's like someone reading your diary!"

Perhaps you're a writer who has reached that point. If so, here's a few words of encouragement.

Don't feel embarrassed about your book. Your editor is not going to bite your head off if your writing style's not perfect (at least, I would assume not...). Your book is not a failure--no book is a complete failure.

There will be people who will not like like your book. It's just a fact that people have different opinions. Whatever people think of your book, be assured that it's a Mona Lisa in it's own sense.

IGirl was the first person beside my dad to ever look at a story I wrote. I can guarantee you that the book she edited was one of my worst-written ones. Yes, there were many times when I felt as if she would be perfectly justified in pronouncing my book unreadable--and yet she gave me valuable tips and suggestions on how to improve my writing skills.

Don't ever shy away from having someone critique your work because you're afraid there's nothing good to say about it. There is always something good to say about a book.

Yours without wax,

Izori