This is a tough business. Agreed. Even great writers have struggled at various stages of their careers. So I went looking for what some of the really big names have had to say about what it takes to succeed.
‘You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you’re working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist.’ - Isaac Asimov
Even from Asimov, this isn’t science fiction. Persistence is the key to any sort of reward. Of course, sending work out again and again was something people did in the days before indie publishing; back then, if the Big Six didn’t love you, no one would. But that only makes the next piece of advice even more relevant:
‘Books aren’t written, they’re rewritten. Including your own. It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasn’t quite done it …’ - Michael Crichton
What he touched on here is one very crucial question; do we want to just publish what we write - or do we want to try and be great writers? People think being a writer is a glamorous occupation; TV talk shows, the book signings, rampant alcoholism. But actually sitting down and writing well enough to keep readers turning pages is plain hard work, as we all know.
‘Anyone who keeps working is not a failure. He or she may not be a great writer, but if they apply the old-fashioned virtues of hard, constant labour, they’ll eventually make some kind of career for themselves as a writer.’- Ray Bradbury
From Ray, something very true this way comes. So many new writers get anxious at the beginning. Am I good enough? Do I have talent? (The nature of talent is a question I touched on recently in WHAT PRICE TALENT?)
How much talent do we have? No one really knows until they give it a shot. That’s the hell of it.
‘Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.’ – Henry Ford.
Obstacles? If Stephenie Meyer knew the obstacles she might not have bothered to submit her first book for publication. She didn’t know the odds against having her book discovered through a ‘slush pile’. But she sent out fifteen submissions anyway - and of these five are still unanswered, nine brought rejections, and only one brought a positive response.
She shouldn’t have even got that; the agent’s assistant who read her query was new to the job and unaware that at 130,000 words the manuscript was way over the agency’s strict 75,000 word limit for YA novels. So she just read the book on its merits - wild and reckless as that may seem.
‘I went for years not finishing anything. Because, of course, when you finish something you can be judged… I had poems which were re-written so many times I suspect it was just a way of avoiding sending them out.’ - Erica Jong
If you, too, have a fear of flying, remember that at some stage, you have to let go, and allow your manuscript to meet its doom or its destiny. And when you do, be prepared: for you will be judged. Read some of the reviews on Amazon - people really don’t hold back. Even great writers, Booker prize winners, get hammered. So don’t send your manuscript out into the world until it’s ready. But don’t wait too long either.
I am in the process of re-releasing all my novels online through CoolGus publishing. (The great thing about historical novels is that they don’t date.) I am re-editing every single one though, line by line, and it’s a long process because, though I was happy with the structure of the novels after all this time, I wasn’t happy with the prose. In fact, I can’t believe I got away with it. Yet a few years ago, the publishers thought they were okay, and a couple of them even became best sellers. What were they thinking?
We never stop learning. But when have we learned enough for now?
I’ll leave the last word to ‘Damon’ – real name Dennis R. Miller. He spent twenty five years completing his novel The Perfect Song. “Life,” he said, “is what happens to a writer between drafts.”
The book was self published in 2004 and disappeared without trace. I think there’s a lesson in there too, somewhere, but I have no idea what it is.
I’ll think about it between drafts.
And because I want to see you all back here regularly, I am offering a free copy of my novel CORRIGAN’S RUN to anyone who joins my blog today! You can’t buy it … it’s not available anywhere else except here! All you have to do is join up, then write to me at colin underscore falconer underscore author at hotmail dot com. I can send you a copy as a mobi Epub or PDF file.
I love Stephanie Meyers break through story ! I remember reading that Stephen King actually threw his first novel, Carrie, in the bin after he finished it. His wife rescued it and the rest was history.
(Great blog by the way, Colin
)
Did he? I know he only got a very small advance for the hardback, it was the paperback auction that made him his first serious money. Imagine if his wife hadn’t rescued it?
In his book on writing aptly entitled ‘On Writing’, Stephen King does in fact claim to have binned ‘Carrie’ and set fire to it before his wife rescued it.
These are great quotes Colin! Thanks for sharing them. They give me hope…
I think Trish’s Stephen King story gives everyone hope. After all, once Stephen King, bestseller, was just Stephen King!
Here is an interview where he talks about it….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgqj7dbLSas
That is fantastic, Trish! He’s embarrassed about Carrie! I wish I could be that mortified. Thanks so much for sending that link.
“…do we want to just publish what we write – or do we want to try and be great writers?”
I think that question is more important now than ever before, now that publishing can be a DIY enterprise. I stumbled into getting my first book published with a tiny boutique publisher, and while it was a great experience, I wonder if going through the process of submitting to editors and publishers over a longer haul would have resulted in a better book. We’ll see with the next one…
Thanks Colin!
This is a very tricky question. Publishers have long held themselves up to be gatekeepers, holding authors to high standards, and to an extent they were right. But as they eBook revolution showed, they also missed a lot of great stuff that has since become very popular with a readership no longer shackled by other people’s tastes. It’s a very tricky question, to which there is no easy answer.
Wonderful inspiration today. Thanks for this post.
I also read a post this week on Stephen King’s 20 Tips for Becoming a Frighteningly Good Writer http://boostblogtraffic.com/stephen-king/
It must be Stephen King week:)
Yes, I saw that! What I love about Stephen King is his advice is so down home. I’m glad you found the blog inspiring - we all need a little of that from time to time!
Woah. I swear I didn’t read that bit about receiving a free copy of your book by following your blog until after I clicked ‘follow’.
Great insight here, Colin. Thanks!
And if you’d like one, just write to me, August!
Colin, it’s always a pleasure to see what you have to say. I’ve been following for a while now and appreciate your insights. I’ve nominated you for a Versatile Blogger award. There is a link to the “rules” and award info on my blog at http://wp.me/p1UchF-3V
Thanks Susan! I’ll check that out right now!
Well, I’m up to re-write three, so maybe I’m on my way!
Jen, it took me five years to write my first one. I lost track of how many rewrites and how many times I rescued it from the dumpster. But I’m a slow learner. Just remember it gets easier after that.
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This is such great timing for a post. I’ve been editing and re-editing and re-writing and slogging through it all, unsure if I’m ready to send my MS out into the world. I would love to, of course, but I’m so worried that everyone will hate it and it’ll never be published because I’ve ruined all chances I had by sending it out now.
Thanks for this post
Here’s a thing: look at Wolf Hall on Amazon. Look at the reviews, especially the 1-star reviews. Then remember this lady won the ManBooker prize in 2009 for this book. Do the same for Kathryn Stocket”s The Help. Guarantee: no matter how good your book is, someone will trash you. Try and think technically about criticism. You have to try and be dispassionate about the critical aspects, that’s part of learning, while remaining utterly passionate about writing itself. I’ve had some ordinary books published and far better ones that never were. Go figure. I read JK Rowling’s keynote speech to Harvard graduates a few years ago in which she extolled the virtues of failure, of what it taught her and how it was the making of her. Getting knocked down is part of life. Staying down is a choice. Good luck Rebecca!
Great quotes full of advice Colin! At this point, I’m not sure if anyone will ever see my work. LOL!
I’m sure they will if you keep at it, Karen!
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