Getting there (I hope)

Word count: 252               Reading time: 1-2 mins.

“How long does getting thin take?” asked Pooh anxiously. He’s stuck in the door of Rabbit’s house and wants to be free.

I’m suspended in the land of commercially unpublished authors and I want to be free of this place. How long does getting published take? How long should it take?

 In the book Outliers Malcolm Gladwell asserts that acquiring greatness demands a huge investment of time, about 10,000 hours. Okay maybe I can’t aspire to greatness but I do want to create the very best fiction I can. Perhaps my apprenticeship isn’t complete yet.

Gladwell also points out that success "is not exceptional or mysterious. It is grounded in a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky.” Maybe 2012 will be the year when the planets will align in my favour.

When I am discouraged at how long the getting-published process takes, I search for perspective. The Crime Fiction Blog has a list of ironically-named overnight success stories that can take the edge off an emerging writer’s anxiety. Another source of comfort is reading rejection letters that were sent to famous authors. In the meantime I remind myself of Robert Heinlein's fifth rule of writing: keep it on the market until it is sold.

So I look to the shiny New Year with fresh hope and determination. Something’s got to give.

All you struggling apprentices out there, are you in it for the long haul? How do you handle those bruising rejection letters? 

***

Artwork: E.H. Shepard

Comments

[Jennifer Tanner]

Hi Maggie!

I think my struggle is internal. Demons of doubt, imposter syndrome and wrestling to find the right words to convey my thoughts on paper is my personal battle. Every writer has to ask themselves why they write. Is it to make gobs of money? Get one's name in print? Fame? And what are we willing to give up to achieve "it"?

With the boom in self-publishing, anyone can say they're published. But most of us know that writing a good book isn't easy.

I don't remember which famous writer coined this phrase...It's easier to get published than read. So true!

I hope the New Year brings you much success (and a pot of hunny!)

Cheers!
Jen

[Maggie Bolitho]

Happy New Year, Jen

Thanks for dropping in.

I love that quote about how hard it is to be read.

Yes, lots of people can claim publishing credits. As Stan Persky said at a recent talk here in North Vancouver, in the contemporary world writing is flourishing but reading is in big trouble.

What a great time to be aiming for publication! So I'll keep e- and self-publishing as options for the future. Just not quite yet.

Maggie

[Allison]

Maggie,

It's hard to keep it in perspective sometimes. We put our hearts and souls into our work and wonder what the hell we are doing if no one will ever read the darn thing. It does take sacrifice and it is a long haul, but I think it's worth it. It's all very nice to say, "Oh, I'm just writing for myself," but any writer who says that is just fooling or lying to themselves. The goal is publication, right? While that is most likely true for most of us, it holds a lot of pressure and can destroy a good story. So I suppose the most important thing is to make the experience as enjoyable as possible. Only then will the book be good enough to read.

I wish I could just say, "Screw the whole idea of being published," but I can't.

Thank you for a wonderful blog! And Happy New Year!!!!

Allison

[Maggie Bolitho]

Happy New Year Allison,

I agree - I'd love to be free of this compulsion but it just won't go away. I've tried and it doesn't stop.

It's a good thing that there is no expiry date on our dreams.

Maggie

[Anne R. Allen]

This is such a tough profession we've chosen, isn't it? Sometimes I think we're all a little nuts. Worst thing--it doesn't get any easier. I have many multi-published NYT-bestselling friends who are getting their books rejected by their publishers. The whole NY publishing world is running scared, and only looking at potential blockbusters. But that doesn't mean we should all run out and self-pub our first novels. My publisher just asked if he could look at my first novel and I said absolutely not. I'm embarrassed by it now. But when I wrote it, I sent it out to agents proudly. We do learn by doing. Hang in there!

Hi Anne

Your comments are reassuring in that “I’m not alone” way.

I'm currently working on my fifth novel. The first one (at least) will remain where it is - buried deep on my computer!

Thanks for your thoughts here and your excellent website that is a valuable resource for any writer.

Maggie