Pearl Kirkby
asked
Andrew Critchley:
On your last blog post, you mention "improving as a writer". Striving for success whilst writing for 30 years will obviously lead to improvement, just by virtue of "practice makes perfect", but do you have any advice to other writers to help them improve their craft (other than heeding the advice of other, more experienced writers :) ), such as joining writers' groups? Thanks!
Andrew Critchley
Hi Pearl,
Great question and many thanks for it...everyone is different and it's about finding what works for you.
Personally, I'm not a believer in courses. I'm a strong advocate that the best way to learn how to write is TO WRITE!
There has been no finished product from me since my first Novel, Dublin in the Rain, was released in November 2013. This has been for two reasons; firstly, I lost around 12 months linked to issues outside of my control following the death of my father in 2014 and; secondly, I have written a great deal in the past year or so, but not felt that anything was worthy of being published.
However, I do feel that I am making significant advances as a writer and firmly believe that this will be visible in the planned 2016 releases.
The advances have come from three sources. Firstly, a burning desire within me to improve as a writer. Secondly, being open around, and really listening to, multiple sources of criticism around my work. Thirdly, defining a clear action plan as to how such criticism can be addressed.
Reviews are the lifeblood of a writer - not just because they increase our profile and at times incentivise others to buy and read our work - but because taken as a whole (I have had around 100 reviews to date), clear issues emerge from reviews where improvement can be made. If that input is then cross-referenced against feedback from experienced Literary Industry professionals, it is inevitable that a clear set of concrete areas for development will result.
The challenge then is to define a suitable action plan. Again, this is a very personal matter and where one's own judgment is critical. I decided to make three key changes. Firstly, to read far more from other authors who were actually delivering what I wanted from my own work. Secondly, to challenge myself far more aggressively - one seasoned Industry Professional described my work as lazy at times and they were right. And thirdly, understand what I could and couldn't improve as a writer. If I felt that it was an area that couldn't be improved sufficiently then, quite simply, I needed to stop exploring those areas in my books. Sometimes less truly is more...
It's a journey where one never reaches the final destination. Improvement is always possible - although it is sometimes a brutal and painful process. But, most definitely, the time to stop is if one loses the energy to improve. This probably applies to anything in life and not just writing.
Hopefully the above helps. Many thanks again for the question!
All my very best wishes,
Andrew
Great question and many thanks for it...everyone is different and it's about finding what works for you.
Personally, I'm not a believer in courses. I'm a strong advocate that the best way to learn how to write is TO WRITE!
There has been no finished product from me since my first Novel, Dublin in the Rain, was released in November 2013. This has been for two reasons; firstly, I lost around 12 months linked to issues outside of my control following the death of my father in 2014 and; secondly, I have written a great deal in the past year or so, but not felt that anything was worthy of being published.
However, I do feel that I am making significant advances as a writer and firmly believe that this will be visible in the planned 2016 releases.
The advances have come from three sources. Firstly, a burning desire within me to improve as a writer. Secondly, being open around, and really listening to, multiple sources of criticism around my work. Thirdly, defining a clear action plan as to how such criticism can be addressed.
Reviews are the lifeblood of a writer - not just because they increase our profile and at times incentivise others to buy and read our work - but because taken as a whole (I have had around 100 reviews to date), clear issues emerge from reviews where improvement can be made. If that input is then cross-referenced against feedback from experienced Literary Industry professionals, it is inevitable that a clear set of concrete areas for development will result.
The challenge then is to define a suitable action plan. Again, this is a very personal matter and where one's own judgment is critical. I decided to make three key changes. Firstly, to read far more from other authors who were actually delivering what I wanted from my own work. Secondly, to challenge myself far more aggressively - one seasoned Industry Professional described my work as lazy at times and they were right. And thirdly, understand what I could and couldn't improve as a writer. If I felt that it was an area that couldn't be improved sufficiently then, quite simply, I needed to stop exploring those areas in my books. Sometimes less truly is more...
It's a journey where one never reaches the final destination. Improvement is always possible - although it is sometimes a brutal and painful process. But, most definitely, the time to stop is if one loses the energy to improve. This probably applies to anything in life and not just writing.
Hopefully the above helps. Many thanks again for the question!
All my very best wishes,
Andrew
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