Cintia asked Erin Knightley:

I'm an aspiring writer, but I'm dealing with two things: I get discouraged every single day because 96% of manuscripts are rejected, and I haven't had an idea for years, literally. There's too many people wanting to be writers, and knowing there's so much competition just kills me a little every day. When I get motivated, immediatly something appears about the industry that kills it. Any tips on how to deal with this?

Erin Knightley My apologies for the delay in answering - this got lost in the shuffle during the holidays! One thing to start with is that you aren't alone. Just about every writer I know gets discouraged, sometimes frequently, and we all understand how debilitating that can be. But here's the thing: if we concentrate on the 'competition', and not on how we can be the best writer we can be, then failure will always feel as though it's inevitable. It's important to look inwardly, not outwardly, when writing. Yes, the market has ups and downs and some part or another will always resemble a dumpster fire, lol. But guess what? There's always room for great writers. I honestly don't look at my fellow novelists as my competition. It's up to me to put out the best product I can, and if it's good enough, it will find readers.
So, sit that butt in a chair, put those fingers on your keyboard, block out the world, and START WRITING! Also, try joining local or online writer groups so you can have support from others in the same boat. Best of luck to you!

flag