Want To Be A Better Writer? Make A Lot of Pots!

There is a story that makes the rounds from time to time on social media. You can find the full version in The Best Way To Learn Something? Makes Lots of Pots, but I've included a paraphrased version of the story for those who don't like to click exterior links.

One semester, a pottery teacher cut her class in half. She said that students in the first half would be given the entire semester to make a single pot, and that pot would be the entirety of their grade. Students in the second half of the class, though, would be judged purely by how many completed pots they made. The first half of the class threw themselves into their research, reading about method, and studying those who'd come before. They experimented with different techniques, but rarely for very long. The second half of the class, by comparison, got out their clay, and got to work. Good, bad, pretty, ugly, didn't matter to them. The question was whether the pot was done, and if it was, if they had the time and energy to start another one.

Yeah, you pretty much know where this one's going.

Since you are all very intelligent readers (as evidenced by your choice to patronize this blog), you probably guessed that the students who made a great deal of pots were better at the craft than the students who tried forever, laboring over the one, perfect pot.

The lesson, translated for writers, is that you're better off writing a lot, than trying to write perfectly. Even if it's bad. Even if it's ugly. Even if you know you can do better. You're better off learning how to go from A to B, and actually completing something than you are striving for months to do it once, and to do it perfectly.

Practice Makes Permanent

It's an old saw, but it's one that plays the right tune. If you want to be a better writer, you have to write. Yes you need to understand story structure, pacing, character building, world building, evocative language, dialogue, and the thousands of other things, but the best way to get an understanding of all that is to sit down, and bleed all over your keyboard a time or twelve. As I said in If You Write One Story, It May Be Bad. If You Write A Hundred, The Odds Are In Your Favor, the best way to become a better writer is through strain, sweat, and work.

Hello, my old razor. Shall we get started?

There are no shortcuts. Just as there is no magic pill you can swallow, or miracle device you can strap to your stomach to give you 6-pack abs, there is no guide you can read, or technique you can follow, that will make you a better author. The only way you're going to look like an action hero is to get off the couch, eat your protein, and work out like a mad bastard. The only way you're going to become a better writer is if you sit down in front of your device, and start putting words on the page.

Even if they aren't the best words, or you're pretty sure other people could do it better, put them on the page. Keep putting them on the page until you reach the end. Edit it, and when it's complete, set it aside, and start on a new one.

You've got a lot of pots to make.

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing installment. Second verse same as the first, but what was true the first time is just as true the second time. If you want to keep up on my updates, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. And if you want to help support my work, head over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon Page. If you pledge at least $1 a month, I'll make sure to send some free books your way as a thank you!

You Need Quality AND Quantity to Make a Living as an Author

There's this bizarre argument that crops up in practically every writers' group I've ever sauntered into. On one side, you have writers who believe that money and sales will follow those with a true mastery of the story-telling art. On the other side, you have writers who argue that one book isn't going to be enough to get the job done, and that you need to produce on a regular schedule in order to actually make a living putting words on a page.

So who's right? Both sides are, in their own ways, but unfortunately any attempt to step between the opposing crusaders is met with vitriol and suspicion that you are secretly working for them, and you are not to be trusted.

Are you legitimately suggesting that I have to produce stellar work AND produce it fast?

The unfortunate reality of being an author is that every time you create something new you're spinning the wheel of fortune. For example, say that this blog post went viral for some reason. Maybe it's my charming wit that leads readers to share it all across their social media feeds. Maybe what I have to say causes some kind of controversy, and people angrily spit my link at each other so they can all be equally outraged about what I've created. Whatever the driving force, we'll say that I spend a week with hundreds of thousands of hits a day driving up my views. My ad clicks go through the roof, and at the end of the month there's a big, fat check waiting for me.

That's great... but what do I do next month? Or the month after that?

Insights From Erotica Authors

Don't take my word for it, though. Instead, listen to the wise words of Pandora Box (alias Peter Hayward). According to Hayward, it's important to know your audience, to give them what they want, and to make sure you're choosing the right niche for your work (I'm assuming that being an entertaining writer, if not precisely a "master of the craft" fits in there somewhere as well). The real key to Hayward's success, though, is that he's written over 180 erotica stories which are currently available on Amazon.

"The Necromancer's Mistress" just might be my next project...

The numbers don't lie, either. In July of 2012 (when he first started up the engine on his erotica writing) Hayward brought in $93 and some odd change from his works. Rather than dedicate a lot of time to big novels, he chose to keep pushing smaller, more regular projects with tighter arcs (among other things) so his readers got a constant fix. The result is that, one year later, his monthly take was over $5,000. That isn't a typo; it's a 5, with three zeroes after it.

That isn't because "sex sells," nor is it because he's cranking out assembly-line smut (or at least neither of those things is entirely responsible for his success). The reason that Hayward, and many other erotica authors are so successful is that they've found people who want what they write, and they give it to them. By creating a big backlog of available projects, and by charging a small cost for them, these authors achieve what I call The Cascade Effect. The short version is that you have a dedicated group of readers who buy your work, and tell their friends. Every time you get a new reader who likes you, those readers buy up your previous work as well, resulting in a waterfall of sales as all your old work experiences a rejuvenated interest.

Publish or Perish

When it comes to stacking cash, you can't depend on any one title to write your meal check. Whether you're a novelist, a short story writer, a blogger, or you just maintain an article archive at a place like InfoBarrel (a paying website I covered in this past post), one of the keys to a steady stream of income is going to be a body of work.

Those looking for an intro to my work should check out this free sample.

That doesn't mean you can get away with not editing your work, that you can just slap terrible cover art on the front, or that you can supplant good research and engaging prose with titillating titles and click-bait in order to churn out products faster, either. It means that you need to be able to find what people want, and to give them a quality product that satisfies their needs in a reasonable amount of time.

If you can do that, then you have a much better shot at big sales, fat checks, and not needing the security of a 9-5 while you're trying to keep the stories coming.

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