You’re Going the Wrong Way

Plus, a free writing prompt.

Jun 17, 2025

Last week’s newsletter was all about appreciating the small, often overlooked victories of the writing life. However, that doesn’t mean you’re always doing the right thing.

To be clear, there is no wasted writing. Everything we write becomes a part of the tapestry of our future selves. But every writer can spin our wheels, wasting our time, failing to find the nugget at the center of a story or poem.

I was at a party in NY last week trying to explain my new novel-in-progress to someone I’d just met and was having a hard time. It was late, drinks were flowing freely, and I was hungry. He had an expression of worry on his face as if to say: are you sure about this book?

Dear reader, I’m never sure about anything, especially not my writing. But what I am sure about is that all writing can be improved. I told my new friend that by the end of my writing process, I’ve usually thrown out about half of the book or 300 pages. He looked aghast as if I’d told him I prefer decaf coffee to Sumatra Dark Roast, but I was also delighted by his reaction. Why? Because all writers are daredevils.

There’s always a place in any project where the windows have fogged up, the warning light is on, and, oh, by the way, you’re going the wrong way right over that cliff. That’s fine.

This is how the writing goddesses on their little cloud get their jollies off us mortals. If we don’t sweat a little bit, can the writing possibly be good?

In any book, chapter, story, or even sentence, there’s always the chance that change is the best strategy.

We’ve come a long way from ye olde days before the invention of movable type. Back in the early 1500s, every piece of writing had to be placed exactly and carefully because writing materials were so precious. Fresh ink and a page to write on might cost you a week’s worth of gruel.

But this laptop I’m writing on probably has 600,000 words of material in a save file that will never see the light of day. Each of those words is a sacrifice.

There was a time when humans sacrificed animals to our sky fathers. Now, we can give them bits of text so that we can move on to the real work.

Also, I hope you all had as much fun doing Jami Attenberg’s annual #1000wordsofsummer as I did. I hit the mark each day until Day 12 when I finished my project and emailed it to my editor!

Sitting in Silence

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