Revising and Having the Courage to Kill Your Darlings
The biggest issue first-time writers face is not trusting their own voice. Growing into that trust isn’t easy. Writers either try too hard to sound “good” or second-guess themselves into over-explaining—or worse, never finish their book at all.
In my work teaching, editing, and ghost-writing, I see this lack of confidence in different ways.
Some writers overcomplicate their prose (I see this a lot). They try to sound “writerly” instead of natural. Rather than allowing their story to flow with simple yet precise language, they convolute their word choice.
That fear of imperfection holds back the first draft. We all tend to obsess over it. But if you overanalyse too much, your story will never be written. You’ll have nothing to work on, nothing to edit. One of my favourite sayings is: over-analysis leads to paralysis.
By pushing forward with your first draft, you may find that your story’s structure is weak. Your plot meanders, your character arcs feel underdeveloped.
That’s OK! Don’t fret! This is why we have the editing process.
And this is also why, on Tuesday, February 18, we’ll be chatting with Scottish writer Morag Pringle. Morag has just completed her Rachel McKenzie Crime Series, set in Scotland.
Published in the UK and available to download everywhere, Morag has much to teach us about editing and revising a series.
Morag is an old friend of mine and one of the sharpest writers I know. Her revision process is fantastic—as is her attitude toward revisions.
Join us for a free Time to Write Zoom session at 7 PM Sydney time / 8 AM UK time on Tuesday, February 18, with Morag Pringle—our Art of Writing expert on revisions and editing.
And remember! The best way forward? Write freely, edit later, and trust that clarity and confidence come with practice.
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Zoom Invitation
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89955043300?pwd=AOLDvUgQUz8ED8avx73FlWLXAkygkN.1
Meeting ID: 899 5504 3300
Passcode: 796072
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How to Prepare for Weekly Time to Write Sessions
- Tell everyone in the house to leave you alone for 90 minutes. You are WRITING!
- Lock yourself in a private writing space (use a "Privacy Needed" sign if necessary).
- Put your phone on silent.
- Before the session, review your project/manuscript. Identify a scene, page, or section that needs to be redrafted, edited, expanded, or continued.
- Keep that page open while we listen to our speaker.
- We’ll jump into writing immediately after our speaker finishes.
Join Us in Florence or Brisbane!
Remember, we host retreats every summer in Florence and Brisbane, where we’ve helped hundreds of writers like you develop their stories. We’ve been part of many publishing success stories, and hopefully, you’ll take some valuable insights from our Art of Writing Zoom today into your own writing.
See you there!
Lisa