On How A Growth Mindset Helps You Edit Your Novel
In our current Edit Your Novel Bootcamp course, I shared the ideas of a Fixed Mindset and Growth Mindset to help authors address their overwhelm about editing their novels. (More about growth mindset and fixed mindset below.)
One of my students asked me for more specifics about applying a growth mindset to editing, so I though I’d share them here too.
How Growth Mindset Applies to Editing Your Novel
After you’ve done your assessment of your writing (we asked students to read their entire novel and assess their strengths and weaknesses, before actually editing), ask yourself:
- What can I learn from this?
- How can I improve?
- What can I do differently moving forward?
Also, since people with a Growth Mindset measure themselves against how far they’ve come and celebrate each step they take, how can you do the same each day?
More questions to ask under this umbrella:
- How can I grow from this experience?
- What can I change with focus, diligence, and hard work?
- Most importantly, what would I like to change?
Let me know ways you’ve discovered that you can use Growth Mindset to edit or write your novels.
More on Mindset
According to Carol Dweck, there are two kinds of mindset: a Fixed Mindset or a Growth Mindset.
With a Fixed Mindset, people view their lot in life or the situation they’re in as fixed, with no change allowed, since one is born with their skills and abilities, and that’s it. Things can’t be any different.
Another belief that accompanies this mindset is that people are always comparing themselves to how they think they (or the situation) should be — that perfect image they acquired from out there, “what people say,” or “what the experts say.” People with a Fixed mindset compare themselves to a perfect future they can never attain, and therefore find that they always fall short.
With a Growth Mindset, people know they can grow and change with focus, diligence, and hard work.
“This [growth mindset] view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.”
People with a Growth Mindset measure themselves against how far they’ve come and celebrate each step they take.
If you find yourself in the Fixed Mindset, judging your actions and results, you can switch into a Growth Mindset. To shift gears, ask yourself these questions:
- What can I learn from this?
- How can I improve?
- What could I do differently?
Resources
:: You can test your mindset here: http://mindsetonline.com/testyourmindset/step1.php
Want more articles on editing? Click here.
