Cintia asked Melissa Tagg:

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?

Melissa Tagg Hey Cintia, I'm sorry it took me so long to get over here and answer your question! And I'm also so sorry for the discouragement you've faced when it comes to writing and publishing. I've been there. I remember a moment sitting in a conference room in a hotel in Seattle years ago...I was at a small writer's retreat and an agent was detailing for us the reality of the publishing industry in numbers and stats and all I could think was, "What's even the point of trying to get published?" He wasn't trying to discourage us, but I think we all left that workshop a little down...

And truthfully, I spent quite a few months after that retreat asking myself that same question... "What's the point of trying to get published?" Until finally, at some point, I realized I was asking the wrong question...I realized publishing had become my goal and the pursuit had taken away sooooo much of the joy of writing. So I turned the question around and started instead asking myself, "What's the point of writing?" More specifically, "Why do I tell stories? Why is this 'my thing'? What gave me a love for stories in the first place?" In other words...I returned to writing for the simple love of stories...and frankly, those are questions I still ask myself all the time even on the other side of being published because it grounds me. It helps me write without worrying about all the external stuff. It helps me "write like no one's watching." :)

So that's my inspirational answer to how I dealt with the pressures and reality of the industry...and how I continue to. Now for the practical side: Manuscripts do get rejected and yeah, sometimes the idea well is just empty for a time. I really get that. So...my advice? Maybe take a break from keeping up with industry news. It's great to keep a pulse on what's happening, read agent blogs and trade publications and all that...but when it starts hampering your writing, then it's hurting more than helping. So I'd say...just step back from all that for awhile. Ignore the industry and the stats and what everyone else is saying and do whatever you have to in order to silence those external voices (even if it means avoiding social media and author Facebook pages, etc) so that you can start hearing your own voice more clearly...it'll give your own creativity so much more space to flourish. And later, when your ideas are replenished and your motivation is strong and your discouragement has faded, then you can let the rest of it in here and there...

I hope this long, rambley answer is somewhat helpful and encouraging! I hope you won't give up! The world needs storytellers. :)

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