By Edie Melson @EdieMelson
With this title, you
might think I’m going to be focusing on time management.
You’d be wrong.
The kind of
laziness I’m referring to has to do with the use of your brain—not your time.
If you’ve
followed this blog for long, you know I’m passionate about excellence in
writing. And I don’t mind helping those who are willing to work to achieve it.
I’ll patiently spend hours helping beginners learn the craft, but I have very
little tolerance for those who insist on shortcuts and shoddy work . . . and
then whine because they’ve been rejected.
Why bring this
up? Because I wish someone had pointed out these pitfalls when I was just
starting out.
So what are
some habits of lazy writers?
First—the use
of clichés.
Dictionary.com
defines clichés this way:
- A trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, impact by long overuse, such as – older by wiser, or – strong as an ox.
- A trite or hackneyed plot, character development, use of color, musical expression, etc.
- Anything that has become trite or commonplace through overuse.
Using a cliché
encourages your reader to skim over what you’ve written. Clichés usually start
out as a clever or wise saying. Because of this, many writers are tempted to
use them as is. Instead take a few extra moments and consider the idea behind
the cliché—and come up with an original and creative way to say the same thing.
Second—the
habit of turning something in without taking the time to proof it.
I’ve been a
member of many critique groups during my time as a writer and I’ve spent more
years than I care to name as an editor. I can assure you, no one can write
something perfectly the first time—I don’t care who they are or how long
they’ve been writing. We all need to take a few extra minutes to check our work
and weed out mistakes.
By not proofing
your work—even if it’s just going to a critique partner—you are saying your
time is too valuable and theirs too worthless to bother. That’s just plain
rude.
Third—not
staying on top of current trends.
English is a
living language—unlike, say Latin. Because of that, it is continuing to grow
and change. This is applicable to grammar, as well as to industry trends. The
usage of commas, semi-colons and colons have changed, as have popular genres.
That’s why we’re on the 16th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style.
Just ten years ago, one of the easiest genres to sell was the Cozy Mystery,
and the hardest was the Personal Memoir. Today the reverse is true.
I completely
understand not being happy about the changing rules (I happen to miss the
maligned semi-colon), but it’s part of the industry, and not liking it is no
excuse for ignoring it.
Fourth—the
unwillingness to continue to learn and grow.
This industry is
exciting and challenging, and no matter how long you've been a part of it, you
still need to continue your education. I teach at a lot of conferences around
the country and I’m frequently amused by writers who think they know it all—or
at least all they need to know.
That kind of
attitude will sound the death knell on your writing career.
I know this post
may read like a diatribe on ignorance, but I mean it as a warning. I want each
and every one of you to succeed as writers—whatever that end result looks like
to you.
Yes, I’m still
guilty of being a lazy writer at times. But I can assure you I’ll be much less
likely to slip into bad habits now that I’ve written this post!
Now I’d like to
hear from you. What are some things you wish you’d known sooner?
Don’t forget to
join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie
TWEETABLES
The more I learn, the more I learn I don't know. I'm fairly new to the world of professional writing. Very different from the world of writing as a hobby. So appreciative of all I learn from this blog!
ReplyDeleteTerri, we are all there, the more we learn the more we need to learn. That's not only a characteristic of those new to the publishing industry. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Blessings, E
DeleteEdie, thank you for this. I think we all slip into laziness at one time or another. A post like this helps us recognize it when it's happening in our own writing lives.
ReplyDeleteYour fourth point speaks to me the most. I've never stopped learning. Critique groups, books on the craft, workshops, webinars, conferences are all vital tools.
Most important is to apply the learning to our work. Nothing frustrates me more than to edit or critique someone's work and their next submission contains the same errors and lazy writing--the things you mention in your first three points.
Henry, excellent words of advice! Thank you for weighing in with your wisdom, Blessings, E
DeleteI have determined to be a life long learner. There's always something new to learn.
ReplyDeleteDebbie, me too! Thanks for stopping by, Blessings, E
DeleteI love learning new things - enough so that it's hard for me to stop the research and pick up my pen. Learning should be add excitement to my writing, not impede it.
ReplyDeleteSherry, you're so right! Learning should move us forward, not impede us. Blessings, E
DeleteLove these reminders. It can be so easy to become complacent. Part of what I love about the writing industry is that it is always changing. A great reminder not to let that love turn into complacency.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, we all fight that tendency toward complacency. Thanks for dropping by, Blessings, E
DeleteI wish I'd known about the relationship between editor and author. Conferences and writer's magazines all talk about how "busy" the editors are. But I didn't know anything about nurturing the relationship with an editor. I can't remember who clarified it for me (maybe Jerry B. Jenkins) but someone explained that writing is a duet. That word picture put it into perspective and it makes me more thoughtful about the person who may be reading my work.
ReplyDeleteErika, I remember when I figured out that editors are people too. And many of them have become some of my best friends. Thanks for stopping by! Blessings, E
DeleteHow do you stay on top of current trends?
ReplyDeleteEllen, read writing blogs and magazine. Attend writing conferences. Having a membership in writing groups - online and/or in person. These are the ways to stay current. Blessings, E
DeleteI've just started a word document on my computer called "Melson's Nuggets", to keep track of the insights you share that speak to me at this point in my writing career. Thanks for your passion Edie, and for your willingness to share with us.
ReplyDeleteWOW! Thank you. Blessings, E
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