24 Comments
deletedFeb 1, 2022Liked by Ramona Grigg
Comment deleted
Expand full comment

Ramona I believe writing ultimately boils down to what you believe in either good,bad or even the ugly.And as a writer I am accountable for what I write and publish.That makes me a lone wolf but then that is perfectly OK.For some writing is a colloborative job and for others it is a solitary one.For me it is always me,myself and my thoughts in action.

Expand full comment

It totally depends. I found tremendous value in being part of a critique group when I was regularly writing poetry and fiction. Now, not a single soul sees my newsletters before they are published (which may be a bad thing, I don't know).

I think we writers need to do what works best for us in this particular phase, and maybe it's less important whether we characterize ourselves as doing it one way or the other. We change, our work changes, our needs change.

Expand full comment

I always write my first draft alone. Sometimes I do some out loud brainstorming with close friends/family or other writers, but I am quite protective of my early drafts. That said, once I have a version I'm somewhat comfortable with, that's when I solicit feedback from someone else--usually just one person, occasionally two.

I liken this strategy to the way Stephen King approaches his writing. Just last month I read his memoir On Writing and he says he writes his first draft "with the door closed," meaning no outside input, just focusing on getting the story on the page. Once that's down, that's when he opens the door and has his wife read his work.

Expand full comment

Aristotle said that only a a beast or a God could live in solitude. Nietzsche amended it and said there is a third, a philosopher. I am adding that there is a fourth...the writer! Solitude is needed for creativity to bloom, don't worry about others, do your own thing craft your own style.

Expand full comment
Feb 1, 2022Liked by Ramona Grigg

Even though I first put my thoughts on paper as a solo effort, all my books have required considerable research. I've contacted experts in many different fields, and they have become consultants and in one instance, in a sense, an informal collaborator. I've immensely appreciated and enjoyed that give-and-take. I also belong to a writing group and we share book chapters and offer suggestions (and fix errors we spot!) My editor, who is someone I first knew in junior high school (that's a story in itself), is open to reading and re-reading a chapter at a time, a unique arrangement which I find beneficial. So yes, I create the intitial ideas, but many other eyes see my words during the process of writing each book. and I believe the work is stronger because of it.

Expand full comment

Hi Ramona! Good question, and put me down as a solitary writer! I'm confident in my writing, and am used to self-editing. Much of what I write is my memories and experiences (meeting & hanging with rock stars), anyway, so collaborating is off the table from the start.

And, in my music critique/comparison/analyzing, my experiences in radio and the record biz give me the confidence, also, to (hopefully) make it sound like I know what I'm talking about!

Expand full comment
Feb 1, 2022Liked by Ramona Grigg

I mostly write solo, but I have a patient wife who reads my stuff when I ask her to and gives me honest feedback. (Also excellent proofreading.) Sometimes I just want an outsider opinion, sometimes I want a female perspective on my subject matter.

And when I write about conversations with my wife, well, it helps to have the conversation first! (Although that's more of a guideline than a rule, really.)

Expand full comment

I prefer writing alone. Some of that is because I know my subject matter (music), and some of it is because I don’t want anyone to see it before it’s ready. It’s a dissonant mix, but it works…

Expand full comment

In terms of my newsletter, I prefer mostly to write and edit alone. But there are definitely times when I find it hard to ascertain whether all of the necessary aspects of the point I'm trying to make have made it out of my brain and onto the page. Those are times when I wish I had an editor close at hand. The honest truth is that I don't get things done enough in advance to utilize an editor that I have to send things back and forth with.

With the book I'm working on, I'm going to share it with a couple of readers once the whole first draft is done. Well... maybe the second draft. Like Anne Lamott, I believe that a finished shitty first draft is better than never writing, so I might want to wait until the second one.

Expand full comment

I'm only just now finding a sense of community with other writers, and I'm excited at what it is bringing me. I've learned so much. That hasn't really involved collaborating on writing, but more just having others to connect with who understand some of the journey.

For my newsletters, I'm lucky enough that my parents are very good at proof reading and picking up errors or unclear areas. I think it's important that my writing does have at least one other pair of eyes before it goes out, as I know I miss things. Also, I'm writing with a conscious goal of explaining scientific issues to non-experts, so having someone who doesn't have a science background read it is a huge help.

One of the writer groups that I belong to does a bit of critiquing of each other's writing, but it's not the focus of the group, it's more about connecting and learning. That said, I feel as if the limited bits of critique I've had have been helpful.

Writing still feels solitary to me. I live alone and I write alone. But I definitely value the insight another pair of eyes can bring.

Expand full comment