A Simple Plan
Writing is making choices.
Evaluate each choice by asking …
“Does this help achieve the purpose of the work?”
Told you it was simple.
It reminds me of a scene from late-night television where the host was attempting a high jump since the Olympics were coming to town. After a few failed attempts at clearing the bar, as he lined up to try again, he said to no one in particular: “Anyone got any advice?” From the audience came an immediate response: “JUMP HIGHER!”
Simple advice, right?
The choices you make will be different if you are writing as a hobby versus needing to put food on the table. They even vary based upon where you are in the journey. A complete unknown who makes a living in a non-writing job can “afford” to insist on never changing a word, whereas a successful writer may have learned what battles they want to fight.
I’ve heard that Neil Simon always wrote a few scenes into his plays that were intentionally not very good and superfluous to the plot; then he fought like heck to keep them in as the producer and director insisted they weren’t working. Eventually, he’d relent and grudgingly remove them. Win-win.
Some choices are made for you. Markets and genres have word limits that must be met if you’re trying to sell to them. A certain style is often expected. Do you have to follow them? Just another choice.
Everything is a choice. How does that lyric go?
If you choose not to decide/You still have made a choice. (Rush: Freewill—from the Permanent Waves album)
Always remember…
Every choice has consequences.
Every choice can be changed.
Not every choice needs to be made immediately.
Not every choice will be made consciously.
Not every choice matters.
You, the writer, decide.