I only just met Abigayle Claire through Indie e-Con ... but I've already decided that I'm going to steal her name for a character someday. Stay tuned for that. She just released her debut "Martin Hospitality" last month. I haven't had a chance to read it yet ... but I've heard that it's pretty good.
Follow her on the Interwebs:
While accepting that your book isn't perfect may seem like a given, trust me when I say that it's so much harder than you can imagine.
I felt pretty good about the first draft of my novel, Martin Hospitality. I knew it had issues, but I was really pleased with myself. I had a batch of alpha readers give me feedback on it. To accept that your novel isn't perfect, have people you tell you it isn't perfect. But I felt okay with that. My novel wasn't perfect, but ... it was going to be perfect, right?
Wrong.
I was under the impression that if I read my book enough times and if I handed it to strangers and asked them questions enough times, I would be given all the solutions to any issue people could find with my book.
Unless you can read minds or see the future, your book will not make everyone happy.
While I did get more confidant and more comfortable with my novel as I continued to work on it, I also began to realize that it wasn't going to be perfect in everyone's eyes. So then I had to step back and think. Who was I really doing this for?
Consider your target audience and make sure they are overall please. For me, that was teenaged girls, and they were enjoying it.
Then think about what inspired you in the first place. A crazy dream that I truly believe came from God is where Martin Hospitality began.
That's when I realized: I'm not the only author. God had been with me the whole way. As long as I had Him working through me and I sought His counsel, the book didn't have to be perfect for everyone. Because it would be perfect for Him.
If you're like me, your book is done when God's done with it. That sounds rather ambiguous, doesn't it? The way to avoid that is to have a deadline. You have to be done when you have to be done.
I'm pretty sure I never would have finished my novel if God hadn't initiated it, my readers hadn't encouraged me throughout, and that deadline hadn't forced me to stop.
I am a perfectionist by nature and I was able to manipulate some minor changes after that deadline because it wasn't perfect yet. Guess what? My novel has been on Amazon for over 6 weeks now and it still isn't perfect. It never will be. But I decided to give it everything, and that came from God.
Since none of us will ever be able to know that our novel is perfect, can't we at least know it's finished? Don't deny yourself that one satisfaction for the hope of the other.
Once you accept that your novel isn't going to be perfect, you get it the closest you can.
~~~~~
Abigayle has been inspired to write since she could spell her own name. Her passion wasn’t completing the stories (she did that twice and decided it wasn’t for her), it was jotting down the ideas. Once she experienced the joy that comes with sharing her stories with others, she began penning her stories with the intention of publication.
Writing is her ministry, freelance editing her job, and reading her pastime—all of which prove that God really does know what He’s doing when He inspires a six-year-old with a pencil in her left hand. Abigayle lives in Central Texas with her parents and six younger siblings.
To find out more about Abigayle's publishing journey, look for her post tomorrow or visit her blog, The Left-Handed Typist. Her first novel, Martin Hospitality, is available on Amazon. Her first novel, Martin Hospitality, is available on Amazon.
~ Abi | theleft-handedtypist.blogspot.
Love this post, Abigayle! My book has been out since November and I'm JUST learning now to accept the kinks and wrinkles of my finished book. I discovered that God is the true Author and if I frown on the work He helped me shape, I'm doing the same to Him. Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you! It definitely took some time for me to adjust, too. *sigh* Being a perfectionist is hard. But you're exactly right! We do our best and accept His help, but eventually we're past the point of no return! Unless we're going to do another edition. There's nothing wrong with taking notes for next time and continuing to grow :D Thanks for your comment, Tammy!
DeleteLoved this post, Abigayle! I think I'll always have a problem with thinking that my novel isn't perfect (I'm awfully harsh with the poor story, haha), so this post was helpful for me to read ;). Thank you for sharing your insight! (also, I ADORE Martin Hospitality, you did an amazing job with it)
ReplyDelete~ Savannah
scattered-scribblings.blogspot.com
Thanks, Savannah :)
DeleteI'm so glad you found it helpful. I think it's a normal thing for authors to struggle with, whether you're a top notch perfectionist like me or not ;)
Aw, thank you ^.^ That means a lot
Oh gracious, I'm most definitely a top notch perfectionist - I keep telling myself that 'everyone said that part of the story is fine, just leave it' but my brain won't let it rest :D. It's definitely something I need to work on.
Delete~ Savannah
scattered-scribblings.blogspot.com
This is one of the hardest struggles for me as an author. The search for perfection can hamper our ability to write and our ability to fulfill our calling to share our writing. I think you did a great job expressing this. Thank you!
ReplyDelete*sigh* Yes, I understand. It's really really great that you know it's a struggle for you, though! I think the problem for me was that I didn't know my perfectionism was taking the joy out of the process until I was faced with being unable to make any more changes :)
DeleteI'm so glad you liked it! You summed it up much more concisely than I did ;) You're very welcome
This is why I haven't released a novel until this year. :) I've found every bit of this so true. It's God's story, not mine. It's not perfect, but it's perfect enough. And it is finished. :) Our books are like we are - "perfect" in their own unique, beautiful, brilliant, messy way. They stand as testimony to the imperfect yet perfect life of the author behind them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if I perfected a book, I could take the credit when it touches others' lives. But when I have an imperfect book, there is no question that its impact is entirely from God. So praise Him for imperfect books!
So true! In our imperfections He is made beautiful. :) I love the way God's grace works.
DeleteIs any book ever perfect? I love what you've written. You make your book the best you can make it, but there comes a time when you must move on.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, there's never a perfect book ;)
DeleteThank you! While I knew that inside for a long time, I was surprise how HARD it was when I actually had to move on. Maybe it will keep me from procrastinating on some of my editing next time knowing I'll have to give up that privilege eventually :)
Thanks for your comment, Kathryn! I love the way you spell your name :)