Cintia
asked
Marie Harte:
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?
Marie Harte
OMG, Cintia, this question resonates on so many levels, and it applies to all writers, not just aspiring ones! The biggest thing in this business is to have a firm center. Not to be all hippy-dippy, but if you don't believe in yourself, nothing is going to work for you. There will ALWAYS be someone rejecting your work, either as an editor or reader, simply because reading tastes are subjective. I've read bestsellers I've really disliked, yet tons of other people liked it. And I've read work I loved that doesn't have a large readership and should.
Yes, it's discouraging to see something you've worked so hard on not get the appreciation you feel it deserves (trust me, we ALL feel this!). But you can only write the best book you can. You can't control how others perceive it.
My two cents to help you deal with discouragement is to tune out social media. Don't watch other writers's successes and/or failures. Just concentrate on your own work. Seeing what other people do can make you batty. Reading reviews can make you nuts. But when you delve deep into your story and shut everything else out, that's when the magic happens. And that's when you find love for writing again.
I know this because after 100+ books, I still have to tune out other stuff so I can concentrate on my own work. It's too easy to get down due to bad reviews, rejections, or seeing other work succeed that seems to me poorly written or thought out (and again, this is my opinion). In this industry, no matter how much success you can earn, you're only as good as your last book, and rejections and poor sales can come at any time due to outside influences you have no control over.
So after that long winded answer, know you're not alone in feeling down sometimes. You just have to shake it off, ignore everything else, and focus on YOU. And let the words come.
:) Happy New Year, Cintia. Now go write!
Marie
Yes, it's discouraging to see something you've worked so hard on not get the appreciation you feel it deserves (trust me, we ALL feel this!). But you can only write the best book you can. You can't control how others perceive it.
My two cents to help you deal with discouragement is to tune out social media. Don't watch other writers's successes and/or failures. Just concentrate on your own work. Seeing what other people do can make you batty. Reading reviews can make you nuts. But when you delve deep into your story and shut everything else out, that's when the magic happens. And that's when you find love for writing again.
I know this because after 100+ books, I still have to tune out other stuff so I can concentrate on my own work. It's too easy to get down due to bad reviews, rejections, or seeing other work succeed that seems to me poorly written or thought out (and again, this is my opinion). In this industry, no matter how much success you can earn, you're only as good as your last book, and rejections and poor sales can come at any time due to outside influences you have no control over.
So after that long winded answer, know you're not alone in feeling down sometimes. You just have to shake it off, ignore everything else, and focus on YOU. And let the words come.
:) Happy New Year, Cintia. Now go write!
Marie
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