Eleven Urgent & Possibly Helpful Things I Have Learned About Writing From Reading Thousands of Manuscripts Originally published Dec. 2022 Because I find it so generous when other writers and editors do this, I am sharing some thoughts on how we (yes, this applies to me, as well) can make our writing more appealing to editors and agents—and, just as importantly, how we can make our writing simply better, stronger, and more effective in general. Make it more artful and true, more startling, and precise—more fully articulated, you could say.
New reader here. :) Aboutness is my everyday mantra. I love how you let us know the ending will fall in place when aboutness is discovered. I rushed my ending (memoir) and I knew what I was doing when I did it! Thanks so much! Onward!
Wonderful piece, Jeannine. I have a question about the first point. When you say observe and record meticulously, do you mean journaling what you see daily in great detail (a la David Sedaris)?
I appreciate the reminder you shared about the writer's responsibility to language, "to make words mean what they say." Yes. Makes me feel like a Language Preservationist of sorts.
I'm also curious about... "Aboutness." While, this is the first time I've encountered the term, I can immediately understand it's value. I wonder: how do you personally go about confirming that you've indeed crystallized what your piece is trying to say "at the center of its own heart of heart." Is there a certain practice that you lean on during this stage?
Simple language that tells the truth. No on ramps. Show, don’t tell. Aboutness. Time control. Just like in running or biking, I have a wealth of improvements before me. :) Thanks J.O.
I appreciated Internal vs External. Focusing on externals helps to avoid a tendency towards narcissism in writing. I enjoyed all points made and the reference to the twitter thread as well.
Thank you so much Janine, Rather than give into the temptation to be effusive, I will just say that I am impressed by you more than I can easily express.
This is the best piece I’ve read about writing since The Elements of Style. Thank you for the inspiration, Jeannine!
I am in the first moments of conceiving my memoir. After three years of infertility and five miscarriages, I bought an old camper van and drove to Alaska this summer. My plan was to continue road-tripping to Mexico this winter, but last week I returned home from my trip to adopt a boy from foster care (I’ve been sharing bits and pieces of the journey on my Substack).
Van life is a major theme of the memoir, as are the wild places I visited, but I feel like what it’s really about is “what comes next after infertility?” The trip was about grieving my loss and deciding whether I would pursue a childless life on the road, or go to great lengths to build a non-biological family. That process happened amidst many mishaps on the road, wild adventures, and a last-minute detour that changed the course of my life.
Is this what you mean by aboutness? Or do I need to get more specific?
New reader here. :) Aboutness is my everyday mantra. I love how you let us know the ending will fall in place when aboutness is discovered. I rushed my ending (memoir) and I knew what I was doing when I did it! Thanks so much! Onward!
This is really helpful, Jeannine. Thank you for your wisdom and generosity!
Thanks for this wonderful holiday gift. I'm sure my WIP will benefit from it greatly; at least I hope so.
Wonderful piece, Jeannine. I have a question about the first point. When you say observe and record meticulously, do you mean journaling what you see daily in great detail (a la David Sedaris)?
Holy sh*t Jeannine this is some of the most helpful and interesting writing advice I’ve ever read — thank you 🙏🏼
I appreciate the reminder you shared about the writer's responsibility to language, "to make words mean what they say." Yes. Makes me feel like a Language Preservationist of sorts.
I'm also curious about... "Aboutness." While, this is the first time I've encountered the term, I can immediately understand it's value. I wonder: how do you personally go about confirming that you've indeed crystallized what your piece is trying to say "at the center of its own heart of heart." Is there a certain practice that you lean on during this stage?
Wow-- this was excellent. I know I will refer to it often.
Thank you for this! I appreciate your generosity in giving this to us. Your good advice is going with me as I dive back into writing.
I like this term “aboutness”
I’m definitely going to hold on to that one. I generally refer to is “what the hell am I talking about” but aboutness says it much better.
Simple language that tells the truth. No on ramps. Show, don’t tell. Aboutness. Time control. Just like in running or biking, I have a wealth of improvements before me. :) Thanks J.O.
I appreciated Internal vs External. Focusing on externals helps to avoid a tendency towards narcissism in writing. I enjoyed all points made and the reference to the twitter thread as well.
Thank you so so much!! I have this printed and in a special place in my writing space. Thank you for your generosity and patience.
Thank you so much Janine, Rather than give into the temptation to be effusive, I will just say that I am impressed by you more than I can easily express.
Absolutely wonderful. Thanks for the great examples that allowed me to “see” what you were saying.
This is the best piece I’ve read about writing since The Elements of Style. Thank you for the inspiration, Jeannine!
I am in the first moments of conceiving my memoir. After three years of infertility and five miscarriages, I bought an old camper van and drove to Alaska this summer. My plan was to continue road-tripping to Mexico this winter, but last week I returned home from my trip to adopt a boy from foster care (I’ve been sharing bits and pieces of the journey on my Substack).
Van life is a major theme of the memoir, as are the wild places I visited, but I feel like what it’s really about is “what comes next after infertility?” The trip was about grieving my loss and deciding whether I would pursue a childless life on the road, or go to great lengths to build a non-biological family. That process happened amidst many mishaps on the road, wild adventures, and a last-minute detour that changed the course of my life.
Is this what you mean by aboutness? Or do I need to get more specific?
Just, wow. Thank you.