Tips for Writing Fearlessly
(or how Aly learned to let herself not worry about if something is "too out there")
by Aly Welch
Winston Churchill is often credited with saying “perfection is the enemy of progress” but the sentiment predates him. It’s even more fun to say in French: “Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien” as written by Voltaire (the beginning sounds like you’re a saucy Parisian feline). And even that he attributed to an older Italian proverb, “Il meglio è l'inimico del bene”. Both translate roughly to: the best is the enemy of good.
Recovery programs shorten the sentiment to “progress not perfection”. As a fan of brevity, I adopted that saying as my mantra. I’ve never been in recovery, but I grew up with untreated ADHD and one of my less helpful coping skills before seeking help was perfectionism.
You can’t get anything done if you want it to be perfect.
More importantly, you can’t make it fun if you don’t let yourself play.
My favorite genres to read and write are horror and contemporary fantasy: the perfect playgrounds for a talkative, over-imaginative child who grew up into a quiet adult with a noisy brain. Their respective genre conventions can be freeing relative to realistic fiction, but that freedom can be scary. Just how far can you push the reader’s willingness to suspend disbelief?
Readers will accept the genetically engineered dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, but an appearance by a talking dragon like Smaug might test their limits.
Similarly, Dr. Ian Malcolm cannot simply walk into Mordor.
Readers know when something doesn’t fit in the world you’ve created. Even fantasy worlds have their own internal logic.
I sometimes get overly caught up in researching things like medical reasons a person may appear blue and whether or not life can survive on a planet with a dying sun. As fun as diving into those rabbit holes can be, it’s not great for productivity. I have to remind myself I’m writing contemporary fantasy, not hard science fiction, so I have a little more leeway. Sure, some readers may decide they disagree with the amount of leeway I give myself, but that’s one of the risks we assume as writers.
My first complete novel, A Better Me, dipped its toes into fantasy but mostly remained grounded in reality like its lead character. I took more chances in Drama Queen, building up to a climax so audacious I’m still pleasantly surprised my editors didn’t rein me in. I took even bigger chances in this year’s Girl Next Door.
The one consistency throughout my short stories and novels, and irrespective of genre, is character. I take pride in bringing to life believable characters who drive the story. No matter how outlandish their circumstances, they respond in ways that make sense for them and move the story forward. And somehow, they still manage to surprise and delight me, and hopefully readers as well.
I’ve noticed I rarely suffer writer’s block anymore. If I craft vibrant three-dimensional characters, the plot points work themselves out. It’s a special kind of magic.
As a side note to my editors when they encounter my next literary flight of fancy, I shall quote Shakespeare’s King Lear, “Were it not sinful then, striving to mend, To mar the subject that before was well?”
Okay, okay.
Writers can’t fear constructive criticism or the editing process, either. There’s always room for improvement. But first you need to write something to improve.
Give yourself permission to have fun and make mistakes.
Aly Welch is the author of YA urban fantasy novels A Better Me, Drama Queen, Girl Next Door, and an anthology of horror short stories called Silly Little Monsters.
Post-Release Buzz: Turning of the Bones and Other Stories
A hauntingly beautiful collection well worth everyone's time.
— Milt Theo, Goodreads