December 23, 2005
Because this blog is so much about writing, the assumption is that most of the readers are writers who find some value in my musings about writing. And presumably the reason my musings might have some value is because I'm making a living as a writer and I'm getting novels published, etc, etc.

So I have to ask the question. Do you really want to be a writer?

Writers write.

They can go to school for it, sure, but that doesn't guarantee much. There are undoubtedly plenty of MFAs out there teaching or working as clerks at Borders or holding flags on the expressway for construction companies. (Why not? Pays well, you get to dress casual, and you get a great tan. Hmmm...)

But professional writers, both fiction and nonfiction, do more than write.

They submit. And no, you know what I mean. This isn't some bondage-discipline thing. You send your shit in, folks.

So here's my challenge for 2006 to all aspiring writers out there.

Finish your novel manuscript and query 10 or 20 or 100 agents. Until you get one or find a reason to rewrite the manuscript.

Or,
Finish your novel manuscript, look for a list of small publishers that accept unagented manuscripts--Poisoned Pen Press, High Country Publishers, Five Star, Hilliard & Harris, etc., and submit via query letter or manuscript.

Write a short story and send it out over and over again.

Write a magazine article and submit it.

Write a query for a magazine article and submit it.

Go ahead. Collect your rejection slips. It's part of the job. But here's my advice regarding rejection slips learned from long experience. Take it to heart (or don't).

A rejection only means that an editor or agent does not see a need for your work at this particular time.

DO NOT:

Treat a rejection as an assessment of your writing skill.

Treat a rejection as an assessment of your worth as a human being.

Treat a rejection as an assessment of the value of your life.

Treat a rejection as a reason to believe you will never succeed as a writer.

DO:
Re-submit. Tell yourself you will submit either until it gets accepted or there are no more markets for that particular piece of work.

If you receive constructive or intelligent criticism, evaluate it. Do not treat it as gospel, but keep an open mind. If it seems reasonable, consider re-writing along those lines and resubmitting.

Keep writing other things. If you finish a novel, start on the next one while you're working on marketing the other.

CONSIDER THIS:
If you're not willing to do this, to spend a lot of your free time writing, to accepting rejection, to accepting that rejection is part of the business of writing and that persistence is more important than talent...

Then maybe you should re-evaluate how you spend your time.
Maybe you really don't want to be a professional writer. That's okay. There's an entire world of things you can do. You can take a cooking class. You can join a gym. Learn to play guitar. Take classes in Russian or Spanish or economics or constitutional law. You can volunteer at the local homeless shelter or become a foster parent or spend your free time watching TV or renting videos. You know what? I won't think worse of you and neither will anyone else.

But if you spend a lot of time writing and it makes you angry and makes you feel worthless and you think it's somebody else's fault, then really... really, for god sakes, it's your life. Think about how you want to spend it.

I wish everybody terrific holidays and a fantastic 2006 where you find whatever success it is you want.

Best,
Mark Terry