Are you ready for some tough love?
I recently saw something about an author whose “dreams were destroyed” because she couldn’t get her book published. And it annoyed me. So I wanted to post something. You may not want to hear it. But Lordy, it needs to be said.
Your current book might suck.
“OH NO!” you’re saying. “I knew it! I’ll never be a writer now! It’s time to quit!”
No. That’s not what I said. My point is that if you write a book, and you can’t get it published, it doesn’t mean the dream is over. It doesn’t mean that you as a writer suck. It means that book wasn’t attractive to agents/editors. It means that perhaps you need to improve as a writer, see your first book as an exercise to make yourself a better writer.
When you fail, you look at your next step. So you can’t sell your book. What now?
- If you really believe in it (like countless podcasters and bloggers like Scott Sigler, JC Hutchins, and I did), then release via your blog. Make an audio podcast. Put it into a downloadable PDF. Release it and let the readers decide its fate.
- Edit it. Most authors can’t stand editing, and are so happy we finished a book that we want to send it out RIGHT AWAY. Maybe it needs a polish. Give it to a trusted friend. join a workshop. Get some comments. Put your ego away, then edit.
- Put it in a drawer. It may have been a lovely dream in your head, but it honestly may not be ready for publication. Allow yourself a day of sad, but ultimately think of it as a stepping stone to publication. Cause I’ll bet cash money that you are a better writer now than you were when you started the book.
- Write. Something. New.
Your dream is over when one of two things happen: you die, or you decide it’s over. No one can make you quit writing. Not agents, editors, well-meaning family (or for that matter, poor-meaning family), or a workshop. Your dream is not dead because other people say the book isn’t good. It’s one book. Just a book. If you’re a writer, it’s likely you’ll have a lot more in you. And they’ll be better, in some part, because you wrote that book. It wasn’t wasted time, even though it’ll feel like it.
The difference between published writers and unpublished writers is not talent. It’s persistence. If you keep writing and keep submitting, you will get better, and it’s likely you’ll get something published. If you decide your dream is dead, then it’s because you let it die.
About the Author: 
GluLIfe | Jan 24, 2009 | Reply
Hello Mur, Great article. I know so many authors that just give up. I am a big fan of yours from escapepod.org (I know Steve) and am now following you on twitter (@glulife). Please keep up the good work and I like your can do approach.
Graydancer | Jan 24, 2009 | Reply
Amen, sister. I’m in the process of (blech) editing my first book, while podcasting the first draft of the second, and while I like the second myself, I’m becoming aware that I may be the only person who really does. It’s a harsh reality, but it’s there.
And I’m very comforted by the fact that even if I’m on a desert island with nothing but a stick, I can still write my stories in the sand. I can tell my stories on the streetcorner, if it comes down to it. I am a writer, and that’s all I need to be. Publish it or not, it doesn’t change the fact that I’ve got three novels written, and nobody can ever take that away from me.
Scattercat | Jan 24, 2009 | Reply
If your dreams are so fragile that having your book rejected destroys them, then you need better dreams. They’re doing amazing things with plastic these days, I hear.
In all seriousness, who gets into writing and doesn’t hear about the constant stream of rejections that even famously prolific and successful authors faced (and in some cases still face)?
Dood | Jan 24, 2009 | Reply
I have to agree with Graydancer. AMEN SISTER!!.
For those that lack the self-confidence to get anything published, Napolean Hill made up a self-confidence formula in “Think and Grow Rich.” I have taken the liberty of typing out and saving it to my computer. Anyone who would like a copy, if it is legal to do so, can ask for one from me at knpodood@yahoo.com.
The fourth line in the formula states “I have clearly written down a description of my definite chief aim in life, and I will never stop trying unitl I shall have developed sufficient self-confidence for its attainment.”
Anyone who has thought about giving up on a dream of theirs needs to read this. If you like a copy of the small 2.26kb file ask me.
Keep up the great work Mur.
ejdalise | Jan 25, 2009 | Reply
I’m all for dreams; having them, working toward them, and keeping them alive. That said, there has to be a touch of reality in them. Having listened to this and other podcasts, I have learned a couple of things that put perspective on my dreams (not just dreams of writing, but others as well).
It is not enough to love something and stick with it. In fact, doing it purely out of love appears to be a sure recipe for disappointment for the vast majority. If one dreams of success as a writer, the best bet is to view writing as a job. A job one likes, but still a job. There are subtle differences between a plan and a dream, and they are important. A plan can be shaped, modified, and is a dynamic process to a goal. A dream is nothing but what the word says. It defines no path between the here and now and achieving it.
In a way, I think that is what the above article means without actually saying it. If you have a dream, formulate a plan, and be prepare to adapt to changing conditions.
It’s much easier to think of it as something that just happens, so for many people, and probably me included, once one views it as a job, as something requiring a structured plan, the dream loses some of the appeal. That realization is not necessarily a bad thing, even if it is hard to let go of one’s dreams.
Doug | Jan 25, 2009 | Reply
As has already been said, amen. I dare someone to make me stop writing!
For me, a dream can’t just be something I work for in the future. It has to be something that is rewarding now. If I only love writing when I’m published, then I don’t really love writing, I love recognition and money. There’s a big difference between loving to write and seeking recognition through writing.
If I love writing, then I write, and it makes me happy. Being published is great, don’t get me wrong, but I write either way. I want to test myself and measure myself and become a better writer – but because I love to do it, not because I need to measure up and get a paycheck for it.
Bring on the tough love. It needs to be said.
Frank | Jan 26, 2009 | Reply
True dat/
ginabad | Jan 30, 2009 | Reply
Great stuff, Mur. Took me way too long to learn this. Finally editing my first novel, if it fails, I’ve got the next idea and the next. If it stinks, it’s MY FIRST, and I can let it go or make it better because no one is BORN an great writer.
I’m working on the making it better now. Learned all of this from a year of listening to your show and almost all the archive. Thank YOU.
Melissa | Feb 3, 2009 | Reply
I agree 100%. The Nano novel I wrote ended up to be total crap but it taught me so many lessons about persistance, the importance of writing everyday, how to outline, what works for me and what doesn’t, etc. I just posted a video on my blog about persistance from Ray Bradbury.
I love your blog and podcast, Mur.
W. S. | Feb 4, 2009 | Reply
Wow! Great post. I would like to add that its true for any writing-magazine articles, non-fiction. Just because a magazine liked your first article they may hate your second one. I have seen many potential writers throw tantrums when something like that happens. I just move on to the next one and keep smiling:)
Jim Breslin | Feb 6, 2009 | Reply
This is a great line –
The difference between published writers and unpublished writers is not talent. It’s persistence.
Thanks,
Phronk | Feb 6, 2009 | Reply
Another amen!
If the dream of writing is so easily destroyed after one failure, then maybe it wasn’t such a strong dream to begin with. I think someone with a passion for writing will keep writing whether it’s published or not, or even whether it’s good or not.
The fact is that there ARE people who started out unpublishable and ended up writing for a living, doing a job that doesn’t even feel like work. We can’t all end up like that, but we’ll never know if we’re one of those people or not until we persistently give it a try.
Anthony Rotolo | Mar 12, 2009 | Reply
“Failing Forward” is the phrase I remind myself of. Writers, entrepreneurs, anyone with high creative stakes must come to accept that failing is okay, as long as you don’t give up. In that sense, it’s not failure, it’s progress. Edison didn’t consider all the exploded light bulbs around his feet as failures, but as all the ways he learned how NOT to make a light bulb.
necrotic Ed | Mar 19, 2009 | Reply
being a writer isn’t about acceptance.
i’m going to use the royal “we” here (fair warning).
When we write we must.
If we want to be read we must don a different hat altogether and submit to the marketplace.
If the dream is about being a recognized author…
that’s ego. Yes? the truth/Truth about writing for me and many closeted friends is simple – we write because it staves off the madness and depression which only creeps in if I’m not Writing.
btw/ luv the forum!
necrotic Ed