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It just ain't that easy
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Sure is. I'm in a writing funk right now. I am on my second draft of my novel and although I know my characters well having written them in short stories and novellas, it's bloody hard to get a novel right.And as for promotion, I'm trying every trick I know, and even that isn't working, so God knows what I need to do. Very frustrating indeed!
It sure can be...Stephen King has been a huge guidepost for me since I started all this. If you ever have the occasion read his "On Writing." It tells you a lot on how he writes, how he perceives his characters and how he figures out how they should act.
you have to remind yourself that no one makes you do this. The trick is to actually enjoy sitting down to write. Whatever the aggravation of agents, publishers, editors, reviewers, readers, non-buyers, these are all inconsequential to the pleasure of sitting down and penning some words. Why else would you give up other social opportunities to stay at home & be a recluse.
I enjoy writing, but it's not always enjoyable. I don't believe any writer enjoys it all the time. I love it when it goes well, I wish I could be doing anything else when the words won't come out the way they are in my head.I enjoy it to an extent but mostly to a sadistic extent when it's not going well.
Plus if it's not working I go an watch a DVD, TV or Netflix so it's not, for me personally, something that stops me doing anything else :)
I just wish I had more quiet, uninterrupted time to do it. Working a full time job and coming home to a toddler and an infant makes that a tad difficult, though. =p
during the first draft there is nothing more pleasurable in life than the writing; not food; sex; sport; nature, anything. Creativity is the biggest rush. Writing sets a series of intellectual, artistic and stylistic challenges and meeting them is very fulfilling.Beyond the 1st draft editing is a drag, but hey push on through to get to the next opportunity to start on another project, another 1st draft. I'm lucky I guess, been at this long enough to not beat myself up when I'm not writing and to trust that the words will flow again
Unfortunately, far too many aspiring writers today have obviously adopted a "How hard could it be?" mindset.There was a time, not very long ago, when the title published author could be legitimately claimed by only a few thousand living writers. Easy access to a personal computer and the internet, along with the proliferation of self-publishing opportunities, have increased that number to millions. Far too many of them do not recognize that writing is a talent that is difficult to develop and cannot be achieved overnight. They publish their work before expending the time and effort to obtain and hone the established technical writing and narration techniques and skills required to create a book worth reading. Unfortunately, the resulting damage to the reputation of the self-publishing industry impacts the talented and highly skilled writers as well.
That's the thing about writing - folks have so many reasons they do it. It's the creative rush for Marc, whereas it might be the desire for fame or just plain old money for someone else. it can be tedious, editing and re-writing and detecting mistakes. But that's the price we all have to pay for perfection - or what we can do to approach it, anyway. I don't have nearly enough time to write, either. Then, when you throw in marketing, social media, and the rest of it, available time really dwindles.
Jim wrote: "Unfortunately, far too many aspiring writers today have obviously adopted a "How hard could it be?" mindset.There was a time, not very long ago, when the title published author could be legitimat..."
Too true, Jim...
And I don't want to come off like a stuffed shirt. I hardly am any authority. However, I know I've read a bunch of books - or started too, anyway - on Amazon, and can't believe how many are there that shouldn't be. Now, some I've read are raw, but show talent. Others...well...whew. And you're right, it makes it extremely difficult to get your name out there, particularly if you're indie. More and more indie writers are making their mark, but the stigma is still prevalent...
while that's true, I've just given up on a 2nd book of the year when previously throughout my life I've only ever given up a total of no more than 5. And both of these were mainstream published and one was nominated for the Man Booker Prize this year. So called industry validation is no guarantor of quality
Marc wrote: "while that's true, I've just given up on a 2nd book of the year when previously throughout my life I've only ever given up a total of no more than 5. And both of these were mainstream published and..."Oh, that's very true. And I've done the same with traditionally published works. Some times it's been the quality, others the style. However, you have to admit that more often than not it's indie writing that's found wanting. Don't get me wrong - I think it's great that the writing world has opened up, and whomever wants to can take a crack at it. But it's certainly a double-edged sword...
Marc wrote: "can't disagree with that."So, what do you write?
fiction that looks to push the bounds of conventional narrative form and language. 'Ideas' books rather than yarns if that makes sense
Interesting...give me an example of one of your themes...
the WIP is called "Stories We tell Our Children' and is about all the false narratives we arm our children with in how we teach them to read, how we explain the world to them, the little white lies we tell them when they're young ("Tooth Fairy' etc), in pernicious narratives such as those provided for by advertising, in non-verbal narratives such as fine art's representations of the world. It basically deconstructs the nature of fiction. Small potatoes really :-)
Wow...that's a little outside the box. How did you come up with the idea for that?
ha, through years of discussing fiction on forums like these and hitting on a framework to take those ideas and work them into fiction rather than at the level of discussion. Took about 30 years to get to this point. But that's ok, took me 30 years to finally be able to write a story about the Cambodian genocide cos I couldn't find the right framework. Sometimes you have to wait until the material is ready to be written.
Well, no one can accuse you of not being diversified, that's certain. So, what are your plans? Are you going to publish, at some point? I'd surely love to beta read...
Just going back to original post, I think any writer has to ask themselves what they want out of writing. What does it mean to them to be a writer, what does it mean to have a book (self-)published, what does it mean to have 1 reader or 10 readers or 1000 readers etc. If they think long, hard & honestly about the answers to these questions, then I think they can a) stay true to their original artistic vision that got them into this writing lark in the first place and b) keep a sense of proportion and be realistic about their ambitions and achievements. I've seen too many writers basically meltdown at a bad review or paucity of sales, simply because they haven't asked of themselves these important questions and have no real idea what they're trying to get into through writing. I suspect that the many self-pubbed authors who queer the ground for all writers through behaving badly and unprofessionally, simply haven't asked the question of themselves. I'm also slightly bemused why with all the equally cheap & available tech for making music, video & film, why the younger generations still opt for writing books to tell their stories. I bet most of them hated English class at school!
Thomas wrote: "Well, no one can accuse you of not being diversified, that's certain. So, what are your plans? Are you going to publish, at some point? I'd surely love to beta read..."I've self-pubbed 7 titles and had one pubbed by a small indie publisher. But I'm tired of that aspect of doing it myself and I'm really going to push hard to try and get a publisher for it, of whatever size. I've 2 other titles completed so I can go to them with other stuff to show that it doesn't have to be a 1-shot deal. But first I'm going to complete it. At the late editing stage now.
I'm impressed with your outlook...and you're right, of course. As with many other aspects of life, the "why" is much more important than the "how." And too, along with not being sure why they're doing it, so many who try to write - and publish - don't take the time to realize that it's work to write. Hard work...and also very much an art form. I mentioned above about reading "On Writing" by Stephen King. In it, he reveals much about his beginnings. One particular story has stuck with me. When he started getting rejections chits for his submitted writing, he started sticking them on a nail in his bedroom. At some point, he had so many of them he had to replace the nail with a bigger one. There aren't many around any more that can show that kind of patience. We live in a world of immediate gratification. What's one of your published titles?
ha that's funny, I used to tape my rejection letters to the wall. There's a few still up there, earliest on surviving is from 2005, they're rather discoloured now!depends what you're in the mood for.
Dark Romantic Time Travel Comedy - "Time After Time"
Serious politics - "Not In My Name"
short, quick stories - "Long Stories Short" or "Extra-Curricular" - the former isn't themed, the latter is.
Marc wrote: "during the first draft there is nothing more pleasurable in life than the writing; not food; sex; sport; nature, anything. Creativity is the biggest rush. Writing sets a series of intellectual, art..."I trust the words will flow and I don't beat myself to be honest. I just walk away and go back. Is it frustrating, sure, but I know it'll come back again. Some days it just won't flow and the next it's easy :)
Amazon Kindle except "Extra Curricular" also available in print
Matthew wrote: "Marc wrote: "during the first draft there is nothing more pleasurable in life than the writing; not food; sex; sport; nature, anything. Creativity is the biggest rush. Writing sets a series of inte..."I trust the words will flow and I don't beat myself to be honest. I just walk away and go back. Is it frustrating, sure, but I know it'll come back again. Some days it just won't flow and the next it's easy :)
that's good, and healthy.
Marc wrote: "Amazon Kindle except "Extra Curricular" also available in print"Aha...found you, Mr. Nash...
Sorry...getting called to do some work. We'll talk again soon, Marc...it was a pleasure :)
I perform the incredibly hard slog of writing for those very brief and exquisite moments when the words flow with ease and a glimpse of literary heaven is achieved.It's like wading through mud, but occasionally being able to fly.
Thomas wrote: "Sorry...getting called to do some work. We'll talk again soon, Marc...it was a pleasure :)"you too Thomas, keep the faith!
There...I said it. No matter what anyone tells you, no matter if you have days when the words flow from within you like water cascading down Angel Falls, writing - good writing - is damned hard. And if you don't believe me, read the reviews of any book you've written, and they'll set you straight.
That's what they're for, you know. Oh, sure, they inform prospective readers what they have to look forward to when they crack open your baby...good or bad. But - and it's a big but - they also tell you how you did. How well you told your story. How convincing that story was. Believable? Nonsense? Captivating? Paperweight?
The thing is, what do you do with that knowledge? Do you use it, tuck it away for the next time, and take lessons learned? That's the smart thing, of course, but maybe even that's not enough.
Admit it...it ain't easy, hearing disparaging comments about your work, even ones meant to be constructive. Let's face it, you just spent weeks, months constructing a work of art you swear is the next "Carrie", revised, tweaked, adjusted, amended, re-wrote, smoothed and rephrased yourself right into a literary masterpiece, and some lunk who probably mows down corn for a living just dared to give you two stars. (No offense to the corn slingers - I've done that too, and trust me, it ain't easy, either).
However. If enough folks mention the same thing (that's called a pattern, people), then that-there smoke is'n cause to look fer a fire. And that fire might well burn your book's success right down to a little, smoldering black cinder. In other words, do something about it. Even after the book is finished. Because, well hell, when is a book ever finished?
That's the real question. Is your book finished? When you put the cover on it, trumpeted its existence to all the world, marketed every site this side of the Baltic and started watched the Amazon rankings at 5 a.m. every day, was it finished?
Or is it done whenever you've made it into the absolute very best work you possible can.
Re-writing parts of "The Clearing" was something I had to do. I was in hell, thinking that people were going to read something that I knew was flawed. It wasn't believable, wasn't truthful, just wasn't right. And you know, maybe it still isn't. Perhaps, despite my best efforts, someone somewhere is going to tell the world that it sucks. Likely to happen, in fact. Let's just say inevitable.
But I know that it's now the best that I can do. And as I anticipate the day of my baby's re-launch, my friends, that gives me peace.
Thomas Rydder, writer
Author of:
"The Clearing"
"Restless Souls: Three Dark Fables"
https://thomasrydder.wordpress.com/