FORGET THE CAREER, SERVE THE STORY (A Rebuttal to Brian Keene’s On Writing Full-Time circa 2013): Guest Blog by Nate Southard

Last week, I posted my speech to the Borderlands Boot Camp, entitled On Writing Full-Time (circa 2013). Some folks, like John Skipp and Tim Waggoner, agreed. Some folks, like Dan Simmons and Nate Southard, disagreed. I think all of them raised great points. I stated in the speech that there are many paths, and this was the path I chose, and you might – or might not – want to choose it. It was a cautionary tale. Anyway, the aforementioned Nate Southard was moved to write this rebuttal to the speech, and I think it’s a great essay and raises some exceedingly important things. So here it is. 

Hello, everyone.  Today, I come to you not only with a dose of realism, but with a tasty spoonful of compassion and even optimism.  Those who know me are probably wondering where I found said optimism, but let me assure you…I know me some optimism.  I’m the most optimistic pessimist you’ll ever meet.  I’m bald, but have a great beard.  I know contradictions.

Last week, my good friend Brian Keene posted a long essay about what it takes to be a full-time writer in 2013.  A lot of people read it, and a lot of people said it was amazing.  Quite a few people (as evidenced by a scroll through my Facebook news feed) had minor-to-major anxiety attacks, fits of depression, and gnashed their teeth like their teeth were built for gnashing.

Now, Brian’s essay is powerful.  I’ll admit that it hit me right in the heart a couple of times.   And it can truly be said that the publishing industry is in a state of chaos right now, and that no one knows how things are going to shake out.

As I spent the last week answering questions from panicking writers and watching others spiral into despair, however, I’ve felt the need to write a response to Brian’s piece.  Not because I think he’s wrong on every front, but because I feel it’s important for us as writers to look at every issue from multiple sides.

Here’s the thing…and I say this as somebody who does not make a living off his writing, who was trumpeted by Keene himself as an important member of the next generation of horror writers (a title I’ve never been very comfortable with, honestly), a writer who has seen several releases in the horror small press, but who has yet to land an agent or book deal with a major publisher…

…it’s more important that you write than it is for you to have a writing career.

In other words: forget the career, serve the story.

For years, I chased the idea that there was a horror CAREER out there waiting for me to snatch it, and I made some bad decisions in pursuit of that career.  I wrote novels based on what I thought Leisure Books would buy.  I spent weeks agonizing over pitches instead of improving my prose.  I sold novels to collectors’ presses when I didn’t even have the audience to support such a move.  I sold four or five books a year because I thought maybe if I published enough, I’ll be able to stay home and write all day.  I took days off work to make deadlines for contracts that offered no advance.  On the advice of a friend, I turned down an agent’s offer of representation because I didn’t want to give up 15% of a $250 advance.  That agent is now an editor at a major press, and I’m pretty sure he hates me (don’t worry, I also hate me).

I did a lot of things that were, quite frankly, pretty stupid.  And I did them because I thought happiness must be working my ass off on writing to make $30k a year.

Here’s the thing, though…some of the stories I wrote during that time aren’t that great.  I wrote them and let them be released, however, because I thought it was an important to keep my name out there.  Because it all felt like an important step toward having a career, toward quitting my day job and being the mythical professional writer.  Years later, I consider some of those efforts wasted.  Did I believe in all those stories?  Not really.  I’m proud to say I cared about the vast majority of my stories, but I’m ashamed to say there were a few I did for the wrong reasons.

I serviced the career instead of the story.

While I was chasing that dream, another set of writers weren’t shooting for the Leisure Books, barely-scraping-by moon.  They shot higher, and it paid off.  Lee Thomas released The Dust of Wonderland on hardback and to considerable critical acclaim.  Sarah Langan saw her first novel, The Keeper, released through HarperCollins.  Tor Books released Rhodi Hawk’s debut A Crooked Ladder as a beautiful trade paperback.  Holt Publishers did the same with Paul Tremblay’s The Little Sleep.  Gillian Flynn became one of the best horror authors working today when Sharp Objects was released in hardback from Crown Publishing.  These are major releases that launched careers for important writers, and there were no signed collectors editions, looping intestines, or rape demons.  Some of these authors are now full-time writers, and some still have day jobs. All of them, however, have one thing in common…

They served the story and forgot the career.

Currently, I have one novella and a short novel due to be published this year.  I’m proud of both, but I still believe I can do better.  My goal, with every word I write, is for my current work to be better than what came before.  After the two books currently set to be released this year, you might not hear from me for a while (of course, you might not have heard of me before now).  It’s not because I’m not writing as much as I have previously or because I’ve decided I’m too good for the small press.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  It’s because I’m writing more, but I’m determined to write better.  I’m serving the story, and I no longer have this goal of being able to quit my day job.  Currently, my goal is to be the best writer I can be, to write the best books I can, and to maybe, someday, write the kind of powerful, thought-provoking horror I read from Langan, Hawk, Tremblay, Thomas, Flynn, and others like Laird Barron, Victor LaValle, and maybe even (someday, maybe, I hope, pretty please) Peter Straub.  I don’t want to do this because I dislike other kinds of horror.  I want to do this because I want to tell not only stories, but the best stories I can.  Stories that move me and maybe move others.  If that earns me a career, wonderful.  If it doesn’t, that’s fine.  I tried.

To those who got scared or depressed or anxious after reading Keene’s essay…I get it.  Honestly, I do.  I beg of you, however, don’t despair.  And don’t worry.  Just write.  And get better.  Every time.  There will always be a market for amazing stories.

Forget the career, serve the story.

(A special thank you to my awesome friend Brian Keene for not only reading this essay and deciding against hurting me, but for offering to host it on his website.  Next round’s on me, buddy.)

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For a complete list of Nate Southard’s in-print books and e-books, CLICK HERE.