Comments on Author Erica Orloff's Blog: Passion Versus Polish

Do you know rohan crone? I like it.My brother ofte...

2009-03-19T21:00:00.000-04:00

Do you know rohan crone? I like it.
My brother often go to the internet bar to buy rohan gold and play it.
After school, He likes playing games using these rohan online crone with his friend.
I do not like to play it. Because I think that it not only costs much money but also spend much time. One day, he give me many rohan online gold and play the game with me.
I came to the bar following him and found rohan money was so cheap. After that, I also go to play game with him.

At one time or another, I do not have the Atlanti...

2009-03-04T01:35:00.000-05:00

At one time or another, I do not have the Atlantica online Gold ; at the first time, I am not willing to buy Atlantica Gold . But I do not wonder I buy the cheap Atlantica online Gold , my friend thinks that I am ill. But when I have it, it carries the magic from such a group, such a link in the world, Atlantica online money , it is the key bring you to this world. But buy Atlantica online Gold is the best desire that I make.

To buy cabal online alz , it is not the aim of th...

2009-02-10T01:06:00.000-05:00

To buy cabal online alz , it is not the aim of the cable. It is the game which brings a lot of happiness to me. We buy the cabal alz together. The beautiful story, we can not be forgotten buy cabal alz . You will not regret to have cabal gold . So I will continue to have cabal money , it is a beautiful fairy tale, it looks like my life.

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2008-11-16T09:13:00.000-05:00

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2008-08-21T21:24:00.000-04:00

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kath:And we never want to piss off the Muse.:-)E

2008-04-04T17:46:00.001-04:00

kath:
And we never want to piss off the Muse.

:-)

E

zoe:You have the right idea. I routinely tell myse...

2008-04-04T17:46:00.000-04:00

zoe:
You have the right idea. I routinely tell myself that about things--whether it's applying for a freelance job years ago or for sending out a proposal. I KNOW what's out there. Those slush piles are frightening.
E

My thought is that if you have a passion for your ...

2008-04-04T16:19:00.000-04:00

My thought is that if you have a passion for your writing, you also have a passion to see it come to fruition, which involves...POLISHING. Know your passion, understand the process, find the balance. Otherwise you'll tick off your muse.

Totally agreed. By the same token, I can't help b...

2008-04-04T15:36:00.000-04:00

Totally agreed. By the same token, I can't help but be thankful for writers who think "that's what the editor is for" because automatically they've shoved me into a higher quality writing bracket. They've made themselves just another number and me look so much better by comparison.

I've got a lot of passion going for me, but I also understand polish. But I also understand there are many writers much better than me. If everyone took the time to polish publication might forever elude me.

So I'm thankful for those who make me look better by their lack of effort, lol.

[newbie visiting from the anti wife] Makes sense t...

2008-04-04T13:21:00.000-04:00

[newbie visiting from the anti wife] Makes sense to me, but it's eliminating the 'subjective' that's far too difficult.
Best wishes

Jude:I've heard of a lot of authors who say they g...

2008-04-04T13:03:00.000-04:00

Jude:
I've heard of a lot of authors who say they get that passionate first draft down and then focus on the polishing.
E

anti-wife:Ahh . . . the role of the editor. Well ....

2008-04-04T12:59:00.000-04:00

anti-wife:
Ahh . . . the role of the editor. Well . . . here's my little story on that . . .

Some writers hire an editor before they even shop a book. The market's just gotten too tight, too competitive. The editor is paid a flat fee, sometimes thousands of dollars. There's copy editing (dotting the i's, crossing the t's) and there's developmental editing (you deliver to the client a long memo of major issues within the book that need work). But except for correcting grammar and so on, no editor is going to rewrite your work. That's for the author to do. (Ghostwriting is different.) Even that memo . . . the author decides HOW to fix it--the editor is just alerting them to a potential problem.

Now, let's say you are agented and you sell and you get an editor who buys your book. They will go through and ask for specific changes. Sometimes it'll be line edits and such, sometimes actual plot changes or characterization changes. Depending on the editor, they can be intrusive/collaborative in a sense, or they can be less so. But again, it's suggestions--the writing is still the author's. But you can't attract an agent/sell, etc. in the first place and even get to that relationship without your having had written 350 pages already and invented a whole world. And polished it.

E

The question for me is; if your work relies so hea...

2008-04-04T12:27:00.000-04:00

The question for me is; if your work relies so heavily on an editor for the polish, are you truly the author? It may be your idea and your characters and basic plot, but who did all the work to make it publishable and shouldn't they be given credit and, gulp, royalties?

When you're on the road playing the same songs nig...

2008-04-04T10:42:00.000-04:00

When you're on the road playing the same songs night after night it's difficult if not impossible to maintain a consistent level of passion. Some nights are better than others passion-wise, so it's really the polish that allows you to survive.

Same with writing, or a love affair, or anything, I think.

With writing, for me, the first draft is all about passion and subsequent drafts are more about polish. You polish and polish and polish because you're a professional, even though you're sick of the damn thing after a while.

Sheesh. I need some sunshine and warm weather. I'm...

2008-04-04T10:29:00.000-04:00

Sheesh. I need some sunshine and warm weather. I'm muddled enough this morning that now I'm not sure if I should go 'passionately polish' or just take out the garbage.

=)

ladonna:I heard a new song the other day . . . Sil...

2008-04-04T09:58:00.000-04:00

ladonna:
I heard a new song the other day . . . Silver Lining. Anyway, I just thought the song nailed it . . . the singer, the song, the arrangement. And I imagined that producers of songs must get that goosebump feeling when they just KNOW they've got something special. All the elements. Not some pop song, falvor-of-the-month or what's hot.
E

Love the post, Erica. I'd think passion would be v...

2008-04-04T09:52:00.000-04:00

Love the post, Erica. I'd think passion would be vital, and the polish you can learn if you really want to. I agree with your take. I love those songs that tug your heartstrings too. AI is a great example on T.V., talent but not all of them comes with the total package. And it does pain me, and quite noticable when someone is just going through the motions of writing. Who cares if it's hot in the market now, cause if it's a cold read people will remember that more.

JVZ:let's not forget the mojo. You need that.With ...

2008-04-04T09:45:00.000-04:00

JVZ:
let's not forget the mojo. You need that.

With some good karma thrown in. :-)

E

Mark:What a great expression.I feel grateful that ...

2008-04-04T09:44:00.000-04:00

Mark:
What a great expression.

I feel grateful that I've sustained the passion for the work, even if sometimes I feel less passionate about the biz.

E

Grrr. Just another thing to add to the LONG list o...

2008-04-04T09:19:00.001-04:00

Grrr. Just another thing to add to the LONG list of elements a manuscript needs to succeed: polish, passion, voice, originality, a hook, great characters, tight plot, pace, cool setting, and mojo. It's no wonder it's nearly impossible to sell a book ...

JVZ

Lawrence Block once had a comment about "washing g...

2008-04-04T09:19:00.000-04:00

Lawrence Block once had a comment about "washing garbage."

The thought being, apparently, that all too often experienced writers with a lot of craft and skill spend their careers "washing garbage."

Hi Spy:Yes, yes . . . You know, the song I'm refer...

2008-04-04T09:04:00.000-04:00

Hi Spy:
Yes, yes . . . You know, the song I'm referencing is still polished--I mean, he recorded it in a studio, probably had quite a few chances to sing it and so on. He himself just sounds raw and wounded, but yes, there's some polish there. Versus . . . gosh, I can think of a hundred bands I've seen in dark bars where they just really screamed and wailed and were OK . . . you knew there was some talent there, but it was a bit self-indulgent.

hell, a lot of the punk movement was that. And I used to go see punk bands.

E

Yes! What a great analogy! When you play a piece...

2008-04-04T09:01:00.000-04:00

Yes! What a great analogy! When you play a piece without polish, with passion, invariably it's all loud and messy. The effect on the audience is they end up a bit shell-shocked, like they've been yelled at.

Submitting your passion to polish and nuance means the audience gets to feel the passion. Raw passion is self-indulgence. It has its place at home, but if you want someone else to hear or read it, it becomes about communication and eliciting emotion from a reader.

Kinda like comedians. They rarely laugh onstage. They don't get that luxury. It's about the audience laughing.