40 Writing Insights from Hugh Howey (some good insights)

[AlexH]

Insight #1: Anyone can become a successful writer; the only person who can stop you is you.

I've only read the first two articles (so far):

Amazon Author Insights — Writing Insights Part One: Becoming a Writer ...

amazonauthorinsights.com

Amazon Author Insights — Writing Insights Part Two: The Rough Draft By...

amazonauthorinsights.com

Amazon Author Insights — Writing Insights Part Three: The Revision Process ...

amazonauthorinsights.com

Writing Insights Part Four: Publishing Your Book - Hugh Howey

You’ve decided you want to be a writer. You’ve banged out a rough draft. After a dozen passes, you’re starting to think any more edits will mar its perfection. Now what? Welcome to my fourth and final(?) part of this series on writing insights, where I go over all the things I wish I’d known […]

www.hughhowey.com

I'm such a slow reader, it's taken me a year to read the first two, and I never like the "read a lot" advice, but Howey makes a good case for it. It is advice that comes up a lot...

 

[Brian G Turner]

A successful writer is one who finishes what they start while striving to improve their craft. It’s as simple as that.

Ooh - I like that.

 

[mistri]

Useful articles. A lot of it I already 'knew' but in much the same way many writing books cover the same ground, I like to read a refresh about writing every so often and he has a good way of explaining things.

Now to find my voice...

 

[The Big Peat]

Just ploughed through them all.

1st one - heard it all before. Good to be reminded I guess.

2nd one - Useful... although the "churn the 1st draft out and fix from there" model isn't for everyone and people need to know in case they're trying something that doesn't work for them. For me the most useful parts - or rather, the two I agree with most - here are:

"You can’t wait for the muse to strike. You have to sit her down and make her work with you."

"Insight #17: Most of the writing takes place away from the keyboard"

Also... on Plot is King, Prose is Pawn... eh, maybe. I think he has them in the right order of dominance for the popular market, but maybe not so much. Having that one killer line or paragraph is sometimes what brings the plot altogether.

Also, ideation should be in there as the third element.

3rd one - Yes. A lot of things I think put in a clear manner. Too many to count. Although people who use Present Tense may be in league with the Crawling Chaos itself.

4th one - Only really useful if you plan to self-publish a lot of books.

 

[LukeLee]

Only read the first one so far but I thought it was excellent.

 

[sknox]

I always appreciate when an author lays out what he or she has learned clearly and without hedging, then leaves it up to the reader to react. Lots of good stuff here; even the stuff we've likely heard before, it's probably stated more succinctly here.

>You must write to the end of the story.
To which I would add: even when you aren't exactly clear where the end is yet. One way, possibly the only way, of knowing the end is writing your way to it. After you get some experience, then you'll be able to see end points and turning points and beginning points more reliably. But don't let the fact that you can't see the end yet tempt you into futzing around with the beginning.

 

[sknox]

>We end up describing events and scenes as they appear, rather than as they feel.
Yup. This one's an Ol' Reliable for me. When a scene isn't working, it's almost invariably because I'm describing the appearance more than the feeling, the setting more than the moment.

 

[The Bluestocking]

2nd one - Useful... although the "churn the 1st draft out and fix from there" model isn't for everyone and people need to know in case they're trying something that doesn't work for them.

Definitely isn't for everyone. I'm the "fix the draft as you go along" type because while it may take longer, it means I fix things and (mostly) avoid major plot holes that need major rewrites in the 2nd draft. The idea of vomiting out the first draft then going back to fix everything (which, from what I observe, would basically mean having to rewrite a lot of it) makes me shudder.

As always - YMMV.

 

[AlexH]

Definitely isn't for everyone. I'm the "fix the draft as you go along" type because while it may take longer, it means I fix things and (mostly) avoid major plot holes that need major rewrites in the 2nd draft. The idea of vomiting out the first draft then going back to fix everything (which, from what I observe, would basically mean having to rewrite a lot of it) makes me shudder.

As always - YMMV.

I don't know how scientifically proven this is, but apparently editing as you go along turns on the "critical mind" when it's the "creative mind" you want turned on for writing. But I often think of what to write next when I'm editing. It seems to slow me down and make me think more, rather than reaching a wall and staring at a blank page.

 

[Vince W]

Great articles. While many of these have been said by other people before in different ways, they do bear repeating. My mantra has to become 'finish what you started'. I'm horrible for not finishing. I have three novels in various stages of doneness. Sometimes I think I need a nun to stand behind me with a straight rule and savage foreswing to keep me on track.

 

[sknox]

Making critical thinking and creative thinking be mutually exclusive makes me uncomfortable. When editing I often have to be very creative, and when composing first drafts I like to believe that my critical mind isn't huddled in a corner somewhere. The dichotomy may not be entirely false, but I'm not sure it's entirely helpful, either.

 

[Lumens]

He really makes a convincing case for self publishing. But before that, I feel like I may need to write a few more novels - which is perfect for me, because I am at the "I just want to write" stage.

Definitely isn't for everyone. I'm the "fix the draft as you go along" type because while it may take longer, it means I fix things and (mostly) avoid major plot holes that need major rewrites in the 2nd draft. The idea of vomiting out the first draft then going back to fix everything (which, from what I observe, would basically mean having to rewrite a lot of it) makes me shudder.

Yes, but you'll never know until you've tried a few different approaches, I guess. I really enjoy revising over and over, watching it get better on each run.

 

[The Bluestocking]

Yes, but you'll never know until you've tried a few different approaches, I guess. I really enjoy revising over and over, watching it get better on each run.

Um, who said I haven't tried different approaches? I have and the "edit as you go along" approach works the best for me because I honestly prefer to fix problems as they come up instead of having to get to the end of a first draft and have to locate the bits for re-writing only to find out the the changes I make have a major domino effect on the rest of the WIP which will then have to be rewritten extensively to reflect the consequences of fixing the plot hole.

From the time perspective, when it comes down to it, it all ends up taking a similar amount of time to produce the final polished manuscript. It's just that you would revise your entire manuscript over several drafts and I would be revising/editing mine along the way.

 

[The Bluestocking]

I don't know how scientifically proven this is, but apparently editing as you go along turns on the "critical mind" when it's the "creative mind" you want turned on for writing. But I often think of what to write next when I'm editing. It seems to slow me down and make me think more, rather than reaching a wall and staring at a blank page.

The "slowing down and making one think more" is a good thing - as you said, it helps avoid hitting a wall/blank page. I often find that when I'm writing (and editing as I go along), I've draft the chapter, then sub to my writing group who would point out the small holes, inconsistencies, typos etc. I fix it and move on to writing the next chapter. And if the plot holes etc are major enough, I rewrite it and re-sub to my writing group to make sure there are extra eyes to help see if I'm on the right track now. Often better plot twists, characterisation etc come out of this exercise.

It's basically a mini-version of "write the whole first draft, then revise it the second time around". I find that doing it chapter by chapter (or half chapter by half chapter) as I go along works best for me as potential problems get fixed along the way and I can just keep it all in mind and my notes and develop/adjust the story accordingly.

And it doesn't hinder my creativity - editing as I go along adds clarity for me as I work out knots in the plot etc.

 

[The Bluestocking]

Great articles. While many of these have been said by other people before in different ways, they do bear repeating. My mantra has to become 'finish what you started'. I'm horrible for not finishing. I have three novels in various stages of doneness. Sometimes I think I need a nun to stand behind me with a straight rule and savage foreswing to keep me on track.

I have Chuck Wendig's voice in my head repeating the same thing over and over again: 'Rule number 1 for novice writers: Finish your s***!' So I do. Even if it sadly takes me ages due to work/family/illness (as @Juliana can attest).

 

[Lumens]

Um, who said I haven't tried different approaches?

I actually quoted you by mistake. I should have quoted The Big Peat instead, same as you. I somehow managed to even edit the quote without realising. Brain glitch - sorry.

Hugh Howey is clearly stating that he is speaking from his own experience and he mentions really enjoying revising and editing a lot. So it makes sense from that standpoint that he would advise to finish fast and then go back.

 

[The Big Peat]

I actually quoted you by mistake. I should have quoted The Big Peat instead, same as you. I somehow managed to even edit the quote without realising. Brain glitch - sorry.

Hugh Howey is clearly stating that he is speaking from his own experience and he mentions really enjoying revising and editing a lot. So it makes sense from that standpoint that he would advise to finish fast and then go back.

Which is fair enough, but reading through it feels like he's saying that's the only way, and it's actively the wrong one for some people. Should he sell for what works for him? Yes. Should people commenting on it note that particular one might be caveat emptor? Again, imo, yes.


Speaking of this sort of thing...

I don't finish everything I start. In fact, I don't finish the vast majority of what I start. And maybe I'm making a virtue of a flaw, but I feel like what I've lost in terms of not forcing myself through the hard discipline and learning what's needed to see a story all the way through to the end, I've gained in terms of honing my ideas on what I like and on what people like. I wouldn't have been able to do that if I'd been busy ploughing through ideas that didn't really speak to me loudly enough, or that I wasn't really experienced enough to make work properly.

 

[Brian G Turner]

On the issue of revision, Joe Abercrombie just posted about how he goes about his - click the link below for a string of Tweets about different parts of his process:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1164482194418671618

 

[Lumens]

Which is fair enough, but reading through it feels like he's saying that's the only way, and it's actively the wrong one for some people. Should he sell for what works for him? Yes. Should people commenting on it note that particular one might be caveat emptor? Again, imo, yes.

Absolutely. Although I never got the feeling that he said it was the only way.

Personally I don't feel like I have entered into a repeatable methodology that works for me - not yet, anyway - and knowing me, I don't think I ever will. I tend to question myself when I notice that I have developed a set of rules to work along, and would want to break them. Not always great for making a living maybe (I wouldn't know), but it certainly keeps things interesting, in an artistic sense.

I did find his points both interesting and inspiring, though. He certainly convinced me to self publish, even though his viewpoint on that seems rather biased too.

 

[The Big Peat]

Great twitter-thread there Mr Turner

And by serendipity, I saw another great article on Rowling's revision process (particularly repetition and suspense) that I figured a lot of people will have seen but would still be worth seeing again - I think it's fair to say it doesn't matter when you do it, revision is what makes a book work.