Writer in Motion - Week 7

Updated: Jul 30, 2019

A note from Jeni

Writer in Motion has ended, but some of our wonderful writers have wrapped things up with final thoughts about the process. For me, I think I can speak for my fellow editors Maria Tureaud and Justine Manzano of CraftQuest, and Carly Hayward of Book Light Editorial, when I say it was a genuine pleasure to critique so many excellent pieces of writing. Watching each selection go from its roughest draft to a crisp, clear story was fascinating, and getting to meet and interact with so many fantastic writers was a joy.

Reflections

But the true gold in this project is the process. Watching writers eager with anticipation to get started, how each one worked hard the weeks before the prompt to finish edits, clear their schedules and step in a prepared state to take on the next challenge. --KJ Harrowick

...though in time I came to understand how much of writing is polishing and re-writing, I now have a deeper understanding of that reality, thanks to this unique opportunity to stop and reflect at every step. --Belinda Grant

We think differently, write differently, process critique differently. And that’s okay. All that matters is that we created something from nothing and that is the greatest achievement in all of this. --M.B. Dalto

The journey has been a huge learning experience, and I am thrilled to have found such an inspiring group of writers and editors to work with and get to know. --Stephanie Whitaker

Seven weeks of nerve-wracking, bang my head against the wall, fun. --Melissa Bergum

With writing, you’re always learning. And the more you learn, the more you realize just how much you still have to learn. With this project, I discovered that I can write a short story, after all. --Paulette Wiles

It was so cool watching all the stories- including my own- grow and transform in the process of this project, and to watch the Writer In Motion project itself grow as well, with all these amazing ideas we’re throwing at it. It was hard, and I challenged myself, and I think I’m a better writer because of this. --S. Kaeth

It became a writing haven for me, where I found my tribe of astounding talents who would cycle through at all hours of the day to offer friendship, advice, support, encouragement, laughter, and taco gifs. By far, this connection has been the most valuable part – the MVP – of my WiM journey, hands down! This part I hadn’t anticipated. This part was a blessing. --Thuy Nguyen

So just remember, when you start feeling like your work doesn’t look anything like the wonderful books you read, editing is where the magic happens. --H.M. Braverman

It stretched my understanding of what I could achieve, taught me that writing is not a solitary exercise, showed me the real value of a good editor, and produced a piece of writing that I am extremely proud of. --Dawn Currie

I realized that however good your work is you always have times where you are sure it is terrible. More importantly, that everyone has times when they feel this. --Kathryn Hewitt

As always, if you want to go back and follow the Writer In Motion progress, you can do that here:

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6

You can connect with the Writer in Motion professionals in KJ Harrowick's excellent post here.

And you can reach out to me on Twitter, Facebook, or on my website contact page.

Writer in Motion photo edit: KJ Harrowick