Known Unknowns #4, Guest Post #5: Alice Bradley

This Week’s Ongoing Question: How Do You Know When You’re Done With a Piece of Writing? Tomorrow’s Guest Poster: Dan Telfer

Alice Bradley, author/blogger

If I’m writing a blog post, I usually post it before I absolutely know I’m done. If I’m generally pleased or amused, off it goes. I try not to overthink my blog. The exception is if I’m writing about a sensitive topic, something that might overheat the sensibilities of my readers. If it’s important enough that a misunderstanding might inflame tempers, I’ll be as clear as I possibly can, and that means several drafts. Otherwise I more or less puke something up, then re-read it and tinker a little bit. I mean, it’s a blog. That doesn’t mean I don’t want it to be good, but if there’s no structure and the ending kind of trails off, that’s part of the fun.

If I’m writing a column or essay that will be scrutinized by editors and also should have a coherent structure and also maybe not ALL CAPS for emphasis oh and maybe not run-on sentences like this one, I work until I can’t work any more. Until there’s not another way I can think to improve on what I’m trying to say. I rock back and forth a little. Then I have Scott read it, and he tells me what needs to be done. I get defensive and argue with him, and eventually I realize he’s right and I work some more. I read it out loud to myself, and if it sounds okay I grit my teeth and send it off.

With the book, the process was a little different because I had a co-author. We could have continued working for eternity, because each time one of us wrote something new that sparked an idea from the other one, and on and on. For the final draft, we had to get together, read everything out loud, and rewrite until we knew we couldn’t wring any more humor out of the subject. It took a while. There was beer. Occasionally one of us would offer, “Hey, how about in the last chapter we–” and the other person would say, “NO NO NO WE ARE DONE WITH THAT CHAPTER.” We had to. Otherwise we’d still be there, fiddling around.

I think that’s what everyone needs. Someone else to tell you you’re done. I recommend it.

Alice Bradley is the proprietor of Finslippy.com. A columnist and essayist, her work has appeared in numerous anthologies. She is the co-author of  Let’s Panic About Babies!