What to Do While You're Waiting for Writing Feedback
Photo by @littlegreeneyes at Unsplash
Dream book, here you come.
You’ve hired the writing coach. Set aside time on your calendar to work on your project. Get your pages in on time, and then…you have to wait for edit notes.
Even if it’s 48-72 hours, it feels like forever, and you want to know what your next move should be. Heaven forbid you lose your momentum now.
There will be times when you’re in limbo during the process, and you may come to enjoy the gaps in work. But if you’re not there, here are a few things to do while you’re waiting for writing feedback.
Review and Work Through Previous Feedback
Rarely will you get to address every single piece of feedback you’ve been given for a project. So while you’re waiting for writing feedback, go over your previous submissions and make a list of any lingering notes you haven’t tackled yet.
Next to each piece of feedback, write out your thoughts on it and how (or if) you’d like to implement the suggested changes. Maybe it takes four submissions to understand the note you received after your first deadline about needing more detail in the first chapter or how the “so what” factor just isn’t on the page yet.
Some writers are afraid to revisit old notes because it can sting when someone isn’t singing your praises, but a good book coach will give you honest feedback without crushing your soul. With some space, you should be able to review and work through previous feedback without being overwhelmed, so you have additional ideas of where you could go next with your story.
Pick Up a Book and Read
This is the most under-rated tool for writers, and it’s hard to know why. Loving books makes most people want to write in the first place, but if you’re not reading, you’re losing.
You don’t even have to only read within your genre. Actually, you’ll probably learn more by reading across genres, so you can find new ways to approve a topic or story.
“Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you’ll find out.”
There is no right book to read either. Just pick something that interests you — even if it’s a hate read. You’ll take away something from it.
If it’s hard for you to sit down and read, it’ll be hard for you to sit down and write. And by not working on the craft of writing, you’re just wasting your time, and you’re not here for that.
Take a Break
When you’re working on a project you love, it’s hard to step away from it. But everyone needs a break, and writers are no exception.
All breaks won’t look the same. Maybe, it’s grabbing coffee with a friend or going on a hike one afternoon. The conversations and change of atmosphere, aka not staring at your computer, can actually spark more inspiration than burying your head in your book.
Ever have that one friend who’s obsessive about one thing in their life, and it becomes the only thing they talk about? They zero in on it and just.can’t.let.it.go. Any time you talk to them, it’s like they’re strangling the life out of the conversation.
It’s not harsh — just the truth. And we’ve all been there.
But you know those moments when you release the control a little, and things seem to fall into place?
That’s what the writing process is, especially between edits. So while you’re waiting for your newest round of feedback, relax a little.
It could be in a morning walk you realize what’s really wrong with the opening paragraph of chapter 2. Or maybe when you have your friends over for dinner, it clicks why the headnotes for your appetizer chapter have been so boring. Let it go, and the words and connections will come.
Use What’s In Front of You
Over time, you’ll become more and more intuitive about what you need in-between writing deadlines. At first, it can feel like you should always do something. Maybe, maybe not. If you’ve been scrambling to figure out what to write next, it could be a great time to review old edits and crack open a book. Or if you have decision fatigue, it might be the perfect time to relax a bit.
Everything you need is right in front of you. The tools you need for a stellar story are at your fingertips. You just have to figure out what works best for you, in the moments you need it. And if you need a little more direction, you can always ask your writing coach for suggestions too.
Trust yourself and the process. You’ve got this.
