Brendan O’Meara’s creative non-fiction podcast delves deep into every aspect of storytelling, taking us behind the scenes with the writer to learn more about how a story is crafted. Episode 420We talk with author and journalist Rebecca Renner about her book writing process. Alligator Country: Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades.
When we write, we tend to overthink and overprepare before we start drafting. It can be overwhelming to the point of paralysis. That’s when writing before you’re ready can help. In the case of author and journalist Rebecca Renner, “just get the words down.” Renner shares the surprises she encountered once she got into the flow of writing and the crucial role of a thoughtful editor.
This excerpt has been edited for clarity and brevity. To hear the full conversation, subscribe to The Creative Nonfiction Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
Rebecca: I wrote this during the height of the pandemic. I don’t think any of it was easy because we were all in chaos. I couldn’t write. My editors and agents were saying, “Just put words on paper.” And they kept telling me to do that. I kept saying, “Once I start writing, I can’t stop.” I write too much, I’m very verbose. I was right, I couldn’t stop. I ended up with a bunch of crap that didn’t belong in the story. But it also produced some surprising elements that I wouldn’t have come across if I hadn’t let my brain go and entered a flow state and stopped criticizing myself to the point of paralysis.
I was so lucky to have an editor who helped me find that gem in the rough, and I don’t think the book would have been as good as it was without her.
Brendan: Can you tell me a bit more about your relationship with your editor and how that shaped it? Gator CountryThe passage I highlighted was where you wrote, “Writing a book is an adventure in itself. No matter how much you plan, you have to remain open to the unexpected and the outlandish, because that’s where the story comes to life.”
Rebecca: What I said about my editor has something to do with that. So I’m glad you brought that up. I complimented her. And this is in the acknowledgements on the last page: “This book is nothing like what I pitched to her. So much better. As I did while researching the story, she set aside expectations and helped me see something amazing even when I didn’t realize it. It takes a lot of talent and a lot of hard work. I’m grateful to her.”
But I think some editors were fixated on the proposed book and couldn’t see that the reality of the story wasn’t the same. I did a lot of research before I pitched my story, and my proposal was quite long. My editor said it was one of the best proposals he’d ever received. So it really takes some introspection, and I like to coin a word “outrospection,” where you take your sunglasses off and see the world as it is, and be able to encounter the story in a way that’s not exactly how you proposed it, even if you’ve done all that work. I really think the editing stage is where a lot of the art is involved.
I really think the editing stage is where a lot of the art comes from.
Rebecca Renner
There’s an essay I’ve read over and over again. I taught it before. It’s called “Rethinking The Great Gatsby.” [Susan Bell]And the writer looks back on the different stages of editing that famous book. But one thing I look back on is the writer describing revision as the process of looking at the manuscript, the story, in a new light. I think we really did that. We had to figure out not what the story is, but what it should be, and make it the best version of it.
I’ve worked with a lot of editors as a journalist, so I think I really know what a good edit looks like. The best editors make just a little change, like putting a sentence somewhere else, and it changes everything. It’s a gentle, subtle change. But working with an editor at that level can be enlightening. Just a little change can really bring a sentence to life. And then, of course, there are the bits where she says, “This doesn’t make sense, it needs punctuation,” or, “Can you rewrite this part to be like the other part?” So it’s not all perfect. It was definitely a collaborative effort. And I really love working with editors like that.
Brendan: So what you said earlier was, just write, just get it on paper. That’s really important because your early drafts, your rough drafts, or what Roy Peter Clark calls your zero drafts, are about terraforming or mapping your world. There are always gaps in your map, and you have to be like, “Okay, there’s dark areas on the map. How do I fill these in?” But sometimes you don’t realize you have those gaps until you start writing, and sometimes those gaps reveal what else you should be doing. For lack of a better word, unless you’re brave enough to start writing and start writing before you’re ready, that stuff always tends to stay in the shadows, and you have to work your way through it.
Rebecca: Actually, I was reading it. Creative Act The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim by Rick Rubin. Some people find this book a little shady. I thought so too when I started reading it, but I really love how it talks about opening up to the possibilities and potential of creativity, getting into a flow state, not being self-critical or over-analyzing, and just opening up. That’s one of the most important things about my creative process, because you have to tell yourself that you have everything you need. You have it all. Then you don’t have to go out and research details or over-report. I’m not good at that. Even with fiction, you have to believe that you have a story and you have to write it, and then you see the missing pieces.
You can listen to the full episode here.