Cintia asked Kelly Boyce:

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?

Kelly Boyce Sorry - I'm way behind in my answering of questions! Here is the thing - do you love to write? That is the backbone of everything. You need to write from a place inside of you where you feel this undeniable pull to tell stories. Don't worry about getting published, worry about telling the best story you can. Focus on that. Then, once that part of the equation is completed, move on to the publishing part. The great thing about the industry now is that the writer now has the ability to be their own publisher, to take control of their own work and not wait for someone else to 'discover' them. By all means, if traditional publishing is something you truly want to do, take all the steps to get there. Have a good critique partner or beta readers to give you feedback, even hire an independent editor who can give you feedback that will put you that much further ahead. Don't worry about statistics or percentages. Don't weigh your writing mojo down with thinking about what people say 'can't' happen. Think of the possibilities of what can happen. Then write a damn good book. And when you're finished that great book, write another one. Focus on the writing. Without that, the all the rest of it is a moot point. Be creative. Then worry about the business end of things afterwards.

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