The Write Quotes: Writing Community, Revision, & Editors

Book excerpt: These inspirational and practical quotes come from 500+ podcast interviews with hard-working, award-winning, and New York Times bestselling authors in more than 33 U.S. states and five countries. In Book 6, authors share their honest reflections on Writing Community, Revision, & Editors. These quotes reveal why writing communities are so important and how writers can get engaged, along with tips for revision and working with editors. Authors quoted include David Baldacci, Therese Anne Fowler, Steve Berry, Lisa Jewell, Ron Rash, Craig Johnson, Wylie Cash, Kristy Harvey, Brad Taylor, Charlie Lovett, Judy Goldman, Chris Fabry, Amber Smith, Tracy Clark, John Gilstrap, Kimmery Martin, A.J. Hartley, Clyde Edgerton, Jill McCorkle, Mark de Castrique, Cathy Pickens, and many more. Writing communities are where authors learn, grow, and support one another. As author Steven Grossman quips, “If I knew it was so much fun being friends with writers, I wouldn't have bothered with people that aren’t.” And as Ed Southern, author and Executive Director of the North Carolina Writers’ Network, says, “The literary community includes anyone who is involved with the written word, in one way or another,” and “You want community to be a place where people feel welcomed, and even nurtured, as opposed to a place where they feel put down or excluded.” And every author explains–in their own way–that revision is essential to the writing process. New York Times bestselling novelist David Baldacci says, “Self-editing continues to this day. Not every word that I write is going to be set in stone. Some days, I'm better than other days, and some days require more editing when I go back and look at what I've written. And sometimes I just delete it all and start again. That's just the nature of the beast.” And then there are the editors. As author Kevin Winchester tells us with a smile, “Editors, it's a love-hate relationship.” But editors are critical to the writing process, as these writers tell us. This book finishes with a section on mistakes, because they happen. But as award-winning author Cathey Pickens says, “If we're not making mistakes, and things aren't working, we just aren't trying anything new.”