5 ms·

Writing a book is easy. You sit down by the keyboard, slit your wrists, and pour your self out. (That's not a typo, btw.) I've written one, and in the process

by bostik 7y ago

Writing a book is easy. You sit down by the keyboard, slit your wrists, and pour your self out. (That's not a typo, btw.) I've written one, and in the process acquired a near limitless admiration for those who can do it for living, book after book, decade after another. Even for a topic you feel should be easy - every page that ends up being in the final result, you have written at least 3x. The editing process alone is brutal, and the harsher, more demanding editor you get to work with, the better the results.

atom-morgan 7y ago
I can say the same. I self-published a 500+ page book last year and was so drained from the process I haven't even seriously thought about writing my second book. When your armchair fan is sitting back criticizing George Martin for not finishing his books, I empathize with him. I totally get it.
- umvi 7y ago
  I allow myself to criticize Patrick Rothfuss though. The absolute arrogance he displayed after publishing the first book of the series was astounding. He claimed the series was "already finished" and that each of the other 2 books would be released a year apart, simple as that. He wasn't like other authors, he assured us. Here we are, 10 years later with Rothfuss literally doing everything except finishing the series (making tv shows, starting charities, making video games, board games, etc.) My theory is that he painted himself into a corner and doesn't know how to finish it without it being a train wreck.
  - ghaff 7y ago
    People also just lose interest in things. And they'll find just about any excuse--"The doorknobs really needed polishing!" "There's a mistake on the Internet!"--to justify pushing off working on some project today. Days turn into months and years.
  - 6gvONxR4sf7o 7y ago
    I hate all the criticism Rothfuss gets. He's had a version done for ages, but in his words it was “a book you would not have liked, because it was just discernibly bad.” He's spoken at length about the challenges and I find it hard to hold it against him. I'm sad Doors of Stone isn't out, sure, but he doesn't deserve any criticism.
    - seventhtiger 7y ago
      He painted himself in a corner very clearly. The series is about the legendary chronicles of a kingkiller, but 2/3rds of the way through, the story was about a street urchin, then a magical academy. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories, but I feel closer to Harry Potter than the kingkiller. If he tries to get there in one book, I believe he will stumble. The tone and scale of the story so far has been much too small for a trilogy that promised an epic finish.
  - irishcoffee 7y ago
    I'm so bummed about this. I discovered (and inhaled) the first book over the weekend, couldn't put it down. Looked the author up, and I was so conflicted because I liked the book as much as I dislike what I read about the author. I hope he figures out a way to sort things out. I'm actually very conflicted about starting the second book after reading about him.
acangiano 7y ago
As a side note, don't think writing a second edition makes the process any easier. I recently finished the second edition of my book on technical blogging and I'm left with the distinct feeling of having "changed little" while objectively having spent more time writing this than the first edition. Still, in the end, you get to hold your baby. As Winston Churchill said, "Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with it is a toy and an amusement. Then it becomes a mistress, then it becomes a master, then it becomes a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster and fling him to the public."
- ghaff 7y ago
  Back when I regularly wrote white papers/explainers/etc. of various sorts (3K-4K words or so), I often felt a need to redo a piece that was 12-18 months old to fix a couple things that weren't correct any longer, shake any dust off, and so forth. Invariably, half the thing ended up being rewritten to various degrees. It was still a lot easier than starting from a blank sheet of paper but, as soon as you rework something, you don't want to ignore all the sections that aren't quite fresh, want to bring in new facts and figures, bring in more recent examples, etc. And, in reality, the extra time is probably justified because the act of opening up an older piece, republishing it, and all the associated background machinery makes it worth spending a bit more time.
- app4soft 7y ago
  > As a side note, don't think writing a second edition makes the process any easier. Why? Just add "dot" on last page -- and second edition of your book is ready!
  - neffy 7y ago
    No, no, no. You have to move the chapters around, renumber the sections, change the order of the questions at the back, and introduce a couple of new typos. Otherwise how are you going to force the students to buy the new edition?
Irmby 7y ago
Writing a book is quite a challenge. I myself write, so I know what I'm talking about. Sometimes it will not be superfluous to look at examples. Here https://uk.edubirdie.com/report-writing-services https://uk.edubirdie.com/report-writing-services there are so many examples of writing articles and essays. Using report writing services will really simplify the task. Since you read other texts, you understand how best to write your own.

by bostik 7y ago

atom-morgan 7y ago

I can say the same. I self-published a 500+ page book last year and was so drained from the process I haven't even seriously thought about writing my second book. When your armchair fan is sitting back criticizing George Martin for not finishing his books, I empathize with him. I totally get it.

umvi 7y ago
I allow myself to criticize Patrick Rothfuss though. The absolute arrogance he displayed after publishing the first book of the series was astounding. He claimed the series was "already finished" and that each of the other 2 books would be released a year apart, simple as that. He wasn't like other authors, he assured us. Here we are, 10 years later with Rothfuss literally doing everything except finishing the series (making tv shows, starting charities, making video games, board games, etc.) My theory is that he painted himself into a corner and doesn't know how to finish it without it being a train wreck.
- ghaff 7y ago
  People also just lose interest in things. And they'll find just about any excuse--"The doorknobs really needed polishing!" "There's a mistake on the Internet!"--to justify pushing off working on some project today. Days turn into months and years.
- 6gvONxR4sf7o 7y ago
  I hate all the criticism Rothfuss gets. He's had a version done for ages, but in his words it was “a book you would not have liked, because it was just discernibly bad.” He's spoken at length about the challenges and I find it hard to hold it against him. I'm sad Doors of Stone isn't out, sure, but he doesn't deserve any criticism.
  - seventhtiger 7y ago
    He painted himself in a corner very clearly. The series is about the legendary chronicles of a kingkiller, but 2/3rds of the way through, the story was about a street urchin, then a magical academy. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories, but I feel closer to Harry Potter than the kingkiller. If he tries to get there in one book, I believe he will stumble. The tone and scale of the story so far has been much too small for a trilogy that promised an epic finish.
- irishcoffee 7y ago
  I'm so bummed about this. I discovered (and inhaled) the first book over the weekend, couldn't put it down. Looked the author up, and I was so conflicted because I liked the book as much as I dislike what I read about the author. I hope he figures out a way to sort things out. I'm actually very conflicted about starting the second book after reading about him.

acangiano 7y ago

As a side note, don't think writing a second edition makes the process any easier. I recently finished the second edition of my book on technical blogging and I'm left with the distinct feeling of having "changed little" while objectively having spent more time writing this than the first edition. Still, in the end, you get to hold your baby. As Winston Churchill said, "Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with it is a toy and an amusement. Then it becomes a mistress, then it becomes a master, then it becomes a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster and fling him to the public."

ghaff 7y ago
Back when I regularly wrote white papers/explainers/etc. of various sorts (3K-4K words or so), I often felt a need to redo a piece that was 12-18 months old to fix a couple things that weren't correct any longer, shake any dust off, and so forth. Invariably, half the thing ended up being rewritten to various degrees. It was still a lot easier than starting from a blank sheet of paper but, as soon as you rework something, you don't want to ignore all the sections that aren't quite fresh, want to bring in new facts and figures, bring in more recent examples, etc. And, in reality, the extra time is probably justified because the act of opening up an older piece, republishing it, and all the associated background machinery makes it worth spending a bit more time.
app4soft 7y ago
> As a side note, don't think writing a second edition makes the process any easier. Why? Just add "dot" on last page -- and second edition of your book is ready!
- neffy 7y ago
  No, no, no. You have to move the chapters around, renumber the sections, change the order of the questions at the back, and introduce a couple of new typos. Otherwise how are you going to force the students to buy the new edition?

Irmby 7y ago

Writing a book is quite a challenge. I myself write, so I know what I'm talking about. Sometimes it will not be superfluous to look at examples. Here https://uk.edubirdie.com/report-writing-services https://uk.edubirdie.com/report-writing-services there are so many examples of writing articles and essays. Using report writing services will really simplify the task. Since you read other texts, you understand how best to write your own.