Cintia asked Elizabeth Bailey:

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?

Elizabeth Bailey Hi Cintia - I completely understand where you are coming from. There's no doubt it's a difficult time for writers and the competition is intense. On the other hand, there's never been so many opportunities and open doors. There are many new outlets opening up - independent digital publishers of all types of genres. When I began, it really was tough to get your foot through the door. It took me 8 years, 8 complete novels as well, before I wrote one that somebody wanted to publish. I had novels doing the rounds throughout that time. I wrote one, started sending it out, wrote another and so on. Rejection is part of the game and there are no sinecures in this business. So don't let rejection get you down. You only need one editor or agent to like it, however many don't.
My advice is to let go of the idea of competition and concentrate on just writing. Enjoy the process. It really doesn't matter about the wannabes out there. Your writing will still be unique. Your voice is your stamp on the work. Someone somewhere is going to like your voice.
Now - ideas. Practise people watching wherever you are. Watch the kind of movies or TV shows you enjoy and those in the genre you think you would like to write. Let the ideas flow over you. Don't try.
Observe the world around you, images, landscapes, urban or rural environments and let your imagination people them with characters.
Ideas for novels don't come fully formed. It's a snatch, a breath, an image, a song, a phrase, a person. It has to start somewhere. Breathe in the world and you will find it starts giving back little spots of potential.
Keep a notebook, write down anything that pops into your head. Physical notebooks are better than digital for this. You can flick through them and somehow seeing things in your own handwriting feels much more personal and that it belongs to you.
I hope there is something here that helps you. If you need to talk more go on my website and send a message from there which will get to my reader email and I can respond more if you wish. www.elizabethbailey.co.uk
Good luck!

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