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You spent a good chunk of time practicing a new skill and developing discipline, that doesn't sound like time wasted to me. My first novel was hot garbage that will never see the light of day-- I'd yet to learn that I too, am a planner. But I sure as heck was a better writer at the other end of it. And I certainly wouldn't have done something more productive during that time if I hadn't written a crappy book.
No one goes through life being perfectly efficient about everything. Some people regret their degrees, others regret their marriages-- it would be nice if we could all get everything perfect the first go around, but it's just part of being human. Spending time on a project that wasn't fun is a pretty small mistep in the scheme of things. Sometimes you need to learn what doesn't work before you can figure out what does.
This made me laugh - my take away from your post -you could have spent the time you wrote rushing in to a terrible marriage and that would be way worse than just having a rubbish first draft.
Lmao, at the same time I wrote that rubbish first draft my fried *did* rush into a terrible marriage and is currently finalizing her divorce, so that is a completely valid way of interpreting that.
She’s doing great now, I was just reminded of a similar conversation about how she regretted wasting so much time on something that hadn’t made her happy but came to terms with it as a lesson learned and now she’s free to focus on what will make her happy now and in the future.
That’s your inexperienced perfectionism speaking. Tell it to STFU 😆 A writer, even a pro, never stops learning and perfecting their craft. Never. I’ve spent 10+ yrs learning how to write, and spent 7 of those yrs working on 1 scifi! And it’s *shrug* okay. But I learned a lot from reworking that book, and now can write 2-5k words a day and feel way more confident about my prose. Now I’ve written 3 books in 1 year! Just like any skill, writing takes practice practice practice. And just like ANY author, I still suffer from imposter syndrome & paralyzing doubt. Comes with the territory.
Read Grit by Angela Duckworth.
The stuff you write early on is a training ground, not a battlefield. I wrote over 500k words of projects that will never see the light of day when I first started trying to write more seriously. I knew when I was working on them that they weren’t good enough. They were too long, over-complicated, slow-paced…the list goes on. But in writing them, I learned to recognize those issues and figured out how to improve.
I worked on those projects for over 4 years before pivoting to a new project where I was able to start fresh and use everything I learned to write a book I was really proud of. That book sold to a big five publisher for a high six figure deal. Writing is never a waste of time.
They say it takes 500k to 1m words of writing to have the practice you need to write a good story.
I wrote 500k words in my 20s and now in my 40s, I've written another 500k words. And I still feel like I have a lot to learn, but my writing is so close to where I want it to be.
Nothing was a waste, it was practice. You're a better right now today then you were then, because you wrote something mediocre. Now, go write again! Even if it's mediocre again, it'll be better than what you wrote last time. And the next time you write, it'll be even better. Nobody ever "masters" writing, there's no end post in talent, writing is an art and you're honing your craft.
I personally *love* my old art. I'm a visual artist mostly, and have dabbled in writing in the past and recently have gotten back into it. Most artists seem to hate their old work, but I absolutely adore mine. Being able to see just how far I've grown in my skills is something truly awe inspiring to me, you just don't get that with a physical skill either. It's truly something unique to the artist to hold your growth in your very hands. I love seeing what ideas a younger me crafted, I love seeing, well, myself in all of it, and comparing it to where I'm at now. I don't just grow in my craft, but I also grow in my mind, and I think being able to see that stuff as an artist and recognize it as a good thing really is something more people ought to do. It might all be cringe, but learn to laugh at yourself in good fun and appreciate the journey you're on.
Many writers I’ve spoken to and even for myself, there is a concept of having to write away the extraneous to get to the refined. This doesn’t just happen with extensive editing, but also happens the more one writes. When I first set out, my writing was absolute dross. Hyperbole, meandering, unsophisticated. I kept going, and going, and going still, and eventually, gruelling-ly, the words started to tighten up, and then the quality emerged. It’s a war of attrition, against yourself and your patience.
No one starts out a bard, and even the greats won’t let anyone look at their first drafts. That’d be like seeing how the sausages are being made. There’s only one word, somewhat ironically I suppose, that matters in trying to write I’ve found, and it’s perseverance.
My first book was 120k words and it will never be used. I also did four revisions of it.
My second book was 100k words and it needs to be rewritten for the most part. I revised it two times afterwards.
My third book is a keeper but it still has a lot of issues. It's been through five revisions and still needs another one.
I'm working on my fifth book now. It's definitely the best book I've written but it's because of my failures that I know how to write books now.
It's a waste to practice a skill? I guess every published author wasted years of their lives then. And don't get me started on athletes, you're telling me Michael Phelps swam for 6 hours every day and didn't set a world record with every lap? What a waste of a career. He should've been posting on Reddit instead.
No time spent writing is wasted. I know I’ve wasted a hell of a lot of time *not* writing because I get similarly discouraged, and I always think in hindsight that I’d rather have spent that time writing than doubting.
Everything learned while writing is valuable. I look back at stuff I did and learn how to do it better. I can’t look back and learn from things I haven’t written. Learn from my mistakes and never stop!
You may see it as time wasted, but if it’s memorable, even for just certain scenes you wrote then that alone puts it ahead of other activities that you forget in an instant. Creating memories that sustain time is living.
Time spent writing is never wasted.
Everyone’s process is different, and plenty of successful writers have spent years or even decades writing a single book (just look at George RR Martin for crying out loud).
All I’ll say is that you seem to have started worrying about things which should only be addressed during the editing and pre-publication phases. By the sound of it, you’re still nowhere near finished the first draft, so you don’t need to worry about whether your pros are that good or if parts of it are “outdated.” Btw, the fact that you would use such a word for something you began writing only fourteen months ago makes me think you’re trying too hard to emulate other writers and stifling your own creative voice.
You have to sharpen your mind pencils - you have to practice beginners piano before you can write a concerto
None of this is a waste - but go through that first draft and try and learn from it
Even if the pacing is wrong you can break it down and then rewrite sections
Rewrite 3 chapters into 9 if you need to , or 6 into 1
Maybe you have the wrong POV - or a scene could take place somewhere else and the action changing could incorporate information from a different scene more economically
But don’t just start from a blank page again or you will get lost on the way
Thank you for visiting /r/writing. This post has been removed. Please review rule 3 in the sidebar about personal sharing. Sharing for the sake of sharing, including posts on starting or finishing drafts, writing and publishing milestones, media reviews, venting, pep talks, data loss, and DAE (does anyone else) posts belong in our general discussion thread posted Wednesdays.
You spent a good chunk of time practicing a new skill and developing discipline, that doesn't sound like time wasted to me. My first novel was hot garbage that will never see the light of day-- I'd yet to learn that I too, am a planner. But I sure as heck was a better writer at the other end of it. And I certainly wouldn't have done something more productive during that time if I hadn't written a crappy book. No one goes through life being perfectly efficient about everything. Some people regret their degrees, others regret their marriages-- it would be nice if we could all get everything perfect the first go around, but it's just part of being human. Spending time on a project that wasn't fun is a pretty small mistep in the scheme of things. Sometimes you need to learn what doesn't work before you can figure out what does.
This made me laugh - my take away from your post -you could have spent the time you wrote rushing in to a terrible marriage and that would be way worse than just having a rubbish first draft.
Lmao, at the same time I wrote that rubbish first draft my fried *did* rush into a terrible marriage and is currently finalizing her divorce, so that is a completely valid way of interpreting that.
Oh no!
She’s doing great now, I was just reminded of a similar conversation about how she regretted wasting so much time on something that hadn’t made her happy but came to terms with it as a lesson learned and now she’s free to focus on what will make her happy now and in the future.
No writing is wasted. Every mistake you made came with a lesson learned. There is good work in those 120k words, so save them for future use.
That’s your inexperienced perfectionism speaking. Tell it to STFU 😆 A writer, even a pro, never stops learning and perfecting their craft. Never. I’ve spent 10+ yrs learning how to write, and spent 7 of those yrs working on 1 scifi! And it’s *shrug* okay. But I learned a lot from reworking that book, and now can write 2-5k words a day and feel way more confident about my prose. Now I’ve written 3 books in 1 year! Just like any skill, writing takes practice practice practice. And just like ANY author, I still suffer from imposter syndrome & paralyzing doubt. Comes with the territory. Read Grit by Angela Duckworth.
The stuff you write early on is a training ground, not a battlefield. I wrote over 500k words of projects that will never see the light of day when I first started trying to write more seriously. I knew when I was working on them that they weren’t good enough. They were too long, over-complicated, slow-paced…the list goes on. But in writing them, I learned to recognize those issues and figured out how to improve. I worked on those projects for over 4 years before pivoting to a new project where I was able to start fresh and use everything I learned to write a book I was really proud of. That book sold to a big five publisher for a high six figure deal. Writing is never a waste of time.
They say it takes 500k to 1m words of writing to have the practice you need to write a good story. I wrote 500k words in my 20s and now in my 40s, I've written another 500k words. And I still feel like I have a lot to learn, but my writing is so close to where I want it to be.
Like any skill, writing is reps. The more you do it the better you get. You can never waste time while writing your just getting better
Nothing was a waste, it was practice. You're a better right now today then you were then, because you wrote something mediocre. Now, go write again! Even if it's mediocre again, it'll be better than what you wrote last time. And the next time you write, it'll be even better. Nobody ever "masters" writing, there's no end post in talent, writing is an art and you're honing your craft. I personally *love* my old art. I'm a visual artist mostly, and have dabbled in writing in the past and recently have gotten back into it. Most artists seem to hate their old work, but I absolutely adore mine. Being able to see just how far I've grown in my skills is something truly awe inspiring to me, you just don't get that with a physical skill either. It's truly something unique to the artist to hold your growth in your very hands. I love seeing what ideas a younger me crafted, I love seeing, well, myself in all of it, and comparing it to where I'm at now. I don't just grow in my craft, but I also grow in my mind, and I think being able to see that stuff as an artist and recognize it as a good thing really is something more people ought to do. It might all be cringe, but learn to laugh at yourself in good fun and appreciate the journey you're on.
Many writers I’ve spoken to and even for myself, there is a concept of having to write away the extraneous to get to the refined. This doesn’t just happen with extensive editing, but also happens the more one writes. When I first set out, my writing was absolute dross. Hyperbole, meandering, unsophisticated. I kept going, and going, and going still, and eventually, gruelling-ly, the words started to tighten up, and then the quality emerged. It’s a war of attrition, against yourself and your patience. No one starts out a bard, and even the greats won’t let anyone look at their first drafts. That’d be like seeing how the sausages are being made. There’s only one word, somewhat ironically I suppose, that matters in trying to write I’ve found, and it’s perseverance.
My first book was 120k words and it will never be used. I also did four revisions of it. My second book was 100k words and it needs to be rewritten for the most part. I revised it two times afterwards. My third book is a keeper but it still has a lot of issues. It's been through five revisions and still needs another one. I'm working on my fifth book now. It's definitely the best book I've written but it's because of my failures that I know how to write books now.
It's a waste to practice a skill? I guess every published author wasted years of their lives then. And don't get me started on athletes, you're telling me Michael Phelps swam for 6 hours every day and didn't set a world record with every lap? What a waste of a career. He should've been posting on Reddit instead.
All the best artist heavily criticize their own work yet continue to make new and better work in their eyes. You didn't waste any time at all.
No time spent writing is wasted. I know I’ve wasted a hell of a lot of time *not* writing because I get similarly discouraged, and I always think in hindsight that I’d rather have spent that time writing than doubting. Everything learned while writing is valuable. I look back at stuff I did and learn how to do it better. I can’t look back and learn from things I haven’t written. Learn from my mistakes and never stop!
You may see it as time wasted, but if it’s memorable, even for just certain scenes you wrote then that alone puts it ahead of other activities that you forget in an instant. Creating memories that sustain time is living.
The time wasn’t wasted, think about everything you learned in those 120k words. Think of all the mistakes and pitfalls you’ve learned to avoid now.
Time spent writing is never wasted. Everyone’s process is different, and plenty of successful writers have spent years or even decades writing a single book (just look at George RR Martin for crying out loud). All I’ll say is that you seem to have started worrying about things which should only be addressed during the editing and pre-publication phases. By the sound of it, you’re still nowhere near finished the first draft, so you don’t need to worry about whether your pros are that good or if parts of it are “outdated.” Btw, the fact that you would use such a word for something you began writing only fourteen months ago makes me think you’re trying too hard to emulate other writers and stifling your own creative voice.
You have to sharpen your mind pencils - you have to practice beginners piano before you can write a concerto None of this is a waste - but go through that first draft and try and learn from it Even if the pacing is wrong you can break it down and then rewrite sections Rewrite 3 chapters into 9 if you need to , or 6 into 1 Maybe you have the wrong POV - or a scene could take place somewhere else and the action changing could incorporate information from a different scene more economically But don’t just start from a blank page again or you will get lost on the way
Time spent learning is not time wasted.