The Importance of Hating Your Book

If you've ever done intense edits, you know there's this point where you absolutely, honestly hate everything about your book. From the idea to the characters to the actual words—it's all a load of crap.

No. Worse.

There aren't even words to describe the blob of words you've created. You could spend days coming up with hyperbolic metaphors about the utter crap that is your manuscript (in fact, you might even do just that), and they still wouldn't fully get across how epically your book SUCKS.

This is the point at which you consider scrapping the whole thing, moving on, and pretending you never wrote it in the first place. This is the point where shiny new ideas start to entice you because they'll be much better than this stupid book. This is the point where anything looks better than writing—even cleaning out your refrigerator. And organizing that one closet no one ever opens. Or maybe watching all 15 or so seasons of Top Model back to back...

Most importantly, this is the point where you must keep going at all costs.

When you hate your book, it opens up a new avenue of editing, one where you will be as ruthless as your worst critics. Your book will grow. It will improve. It will become the book you want it to be—a book you can be proud of.

Be warned: this phase is in no way fun. It's actually more like torture. You will feel like a crappy writer, and even knowing you've reached this phase will not help you get past it. The only way to get through is to do the work, as hard and as impossible as it seems. One painful, frustrating step at a time.

But when you're done, somehow the hate subsides. You realize your book is better, and you're proud of what you've accomplished even if there's still more to do.

Hating your book isn't a sign that it's time to move on—it means you're almost there.

Now, back to this $*(&#$ manuscript...

*sigh*