A Writer's Perspective
by Beth K. Vogt

Friday, January 12, 2007
It Ain't About Ego

I have never thought of myself as a good writer. . . . But I’m one of the world’s great rewriters.
— James Michener

Want to be a writer?

Check your ego at the door.

The writing road involves things like critiques and rejection letters and the somewhat kinder, gentler word rewrite.

Writing is a painful process. Writing is also a humbling process. Just once I’d like to turn in an article or a manuscript and hear, “This is perfect. Absolutely perfect. Don’t change a thing.”

That would be a wonderful stroke to my fragile writer’s ego.

And it would be a lie.

If an editor ever says something like that to you, grab your manuscript and run. If a member of your writers group ever says something like that, find yourself another writers group.

Find an editor who will tell you the truth.

Find a writers group who doesn’t care about your about your ego—but does care about you writing your best.

Two years ago I pitched a book idea at a writers conference.

That idea is now a book that will be published this summer. In the past 24 months I’ve written and rewritten sentences, paragraphs, pages and chapters. I’ve even rewritten the dedication!

I just received my galleys from the publisher—and got my editor’s feedback. She suggested some additional rewriting.

I wanted to bang my head on my computer keyboard and scream, “Not again!”

Yes, again—and again until it’s my best writing.

Ignore any whimpering.

It’s just my ego.

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