A Writer's Struggle

Every writer would love to be a traditional published one, right? Hell, I do. And some are absolutely okay with self-publishing. That's okay, too. It's what they're most comfortable with. 

Below, I'll discuss the ups and downs of being a writer. 

One thing about being a writer is it takes a long time. Patience. Determination. And getting back up again. You see, reviewers can be great but also nasty. Nasty in a way that really don't help the writer grow. But reviews are reviews. And writers can't get too attach to their reviewers. If they take everything to heart, they won't make it. And the industry is already hard enough to break into. 

So, you've just completed your novel. To you, it's a masterpiece. It's the most brilliant piece of work that you've ever created. You sent out your manuscript to hundreds of literary agents. Only to wait. Wait some more. Then suddenly, you get a email. Hot Skippy, you're so damn excited. Could this be it? Could this be your final break? The anticipation builds. Only to read a reply from a literary agent:

No, thanks.

What?! But how could that be? My work was absolutely stunning. It was a masterpiece. The next Stephen King novel. But you see that's where you're wrong. If it was a masterpiece with great writing, you'll be told to send a full manuscript and possibly representation. 

And trust me, I've sent out my manuscripts to a good number of literary agents. Some manuscripts I cringe at. What the hell was I thinking? And believe it or not, the fastest rejection letter I've received was from THE ELM HOUSE. It was dead. The novel didn't have legs. Even though, it killed me inside. It was true. Yes, I've self-published THE ELM HOUSE. On its own, it did fairly well. In a way, I didn't have to put much effort in marketing it. Then the reviews came. And my heart broke. But if I didn't pay attention to the reader's reviews. I wouldn't be able to try harder to write better. 

So, get use to being rejected and getting negative feedback. It's important to make you a better writer. 

So where am I now? I'm writing another novel. Taking my time to say at least. On my spare time, I read. Like Stephen King said, "Read, read, read, and do more reading." 

Reading a novel will help you greatly. Read various of books. From every kind of author, too. Read. Read. And do more reading. 

Currently, I'm reading a novel by James Patterson called MAXIMUM RIDE. It's a YA Fictional book. And the novel really does show the difference between Adult Fiction and YA Fiction. So far, I'm enjoying it. 

By reading, you'll form new ideas and new approaches. And by writing more, you'l develop your own type of style. Your own writer's voice. Shit, I still am working on my own writer's voice. It has to come naturally. And when you do find your voice, you'll enjoy writing more and more. 

And for some reason, you wrote a great novel but feel it's trash. It doesn't hurt to see what others think about it. Carrie from Stephen King never would've gotten published unless his wife pulled it out of the trash can. 

So, just because you feel your work is complete trash could mean that it has potential. It doesn't hurt to try to send it out to literary agents. 

When you have time and read your older manuscripts, you'd be amazed how much you've grown as a writer. Hell, I look back at older manuscripts and point out the various of mistakes that I'd made. It's a learning process. Admittedly, I sound like Yoda in The Elm House novel. There's some phases where it sounds like a bad translation. Instance:

Didn't even learn one bit, he didn't. 

Sounds like Yoda, right? 

"Must use the force, you must!" 

Another part of being a writer, it takes a long time. It's a process. Writing a draft. Revising. Maybe one last edit to your novel. Sending out to literary agents. Waiting and waiting. Getting possibly personal feedback if any. It's long enduring process. In the end, the rewards just may pay off. 

And some aspiring writers would write and store it somewhere else. If they're going to be one day an author, they should send it out to people for feedback and maybe send it to literary agents. With feedback, they'll learn so much better than without. 

Without further ado, share some of your thoughts about the struggles of being an author. Until next time, see ya later alligators.