Ask the Author: Emily Sowden
Answered Questions (5)
Emily Sowden
Hey Cintia,
I wish there was a magical potion that could drive this away, but it's a tough thing to deal with and unfortunately comes arm in arm with the industry. You're right - there ARE a lot of writers, a lot of books, and a hell of a lot of competition.
Before I signed with OfTomes I'd be rejected constantly (my longest being nearly two years after submission!), but what kept me going is love. I loved writing Trapped in Silver, I loved the escape it gave me, I love the world and my characters, and I wanted other people to love them too. I knew that the likelihood of me getting published was slim to none, but I figured I'd try no matter how long it took.
My advice would be to put everything down, go for a walk or to a cafe or to wherever you love to go to clear your head and just watch the world go by. Read your favourite books, watch your favourite films, listen to people's passing conversation and wonder what sort of life they lead. If you don't love your writing in its barest forms without the security of success then other people won't love it either.
And screw what the industry thinks. Your writing is YOURS and yours alone. I was told throughout university that Fantasy was a 'poor man's fiction' and that it was sad of me to write it, but clearly that message didn't stick, haha.
One harsh lesson here is that unless you crack the top sellers list or write 15 smut novellas in a year, your chances of making big bucks with your book are slim, but that's a fact. No one becomes a writer to get rich, we do it because we have something inside us that we need to get out.
Just keep going one day and one rejection at a time. I've kept all of my rejection letters and I read all of the negative reviews just as thoroughly as the good ones. Though it's terrifying and demotivating, it's also crucial to be criticized - just look at some of the negative reviews on the Harry Potter series and such.
Ahem, sorry this ended up rather long. TL;DR - keep writing, go clear your head, love what you do, be proud of what you've done, and do it for yourself.
I wish there was a magical potion that could drive this away, but it's a tough thing to deal with and unfortunately comes arm in arm with the industry. You're right - there ARE a lot of writers, a lot of books, and a hell of a lot of competition.
Before I signed with OfTomes I'd be rejected constantly (my longest being nearly two years after submission!), but what kept me going is love. I loved writing Trapped in Silver, I loved the escape it gave me, I love the world and my characters, and I wanted other people to love them too. I knew that the likelihood of me getting published was slim to none, but I figured I'd try no matter how long it took.
My advice would be to put everything down, go for a walk or to a cafe or to wherever you love to go to clear your head and just watch the world go by. Read your favourite books, watch your favourite films, listen to people's passing conversation and wonder what sort of life they lead. If you don't love your writing in its barest forms without the security of success then other people won't love it either.
And screw what the industry thinks. Your writing is YOURS and yours alone. I was told throughout university that Fantasy was a 'poor man's fiction' and that it was sad of me to write it, but clearly that message didn't stick, haha.
One harsh lesson here is that unless you crack the top sellers list or write 15 smut novellas in a year, your chances of making big bucks with your book are slim, but that's a fact. No one becomes a writer to get rich, we do it because we have something inside us that we need to get out.
Just keep going one day and one rejection at a time. I've kept all of my rejection letters and I read all of the negative reviews just as thoroughly as the good ones. Though it's terrifying and demotivating, it's also crucial to be criticized - just look at some of the negative reviews on the Harry Potter series and such.
Ahem, sorry this ended up rather long. TL;DR - keep writing, go clear your head, love what you do, be proud of what you've done, and do it for yourself.
Emily Sowden
You guys may think that this is an odd point to raise but take care of your wrists/hands.
Due to the nature of my job(s) I spend a lot of time typing - and had damaging jobs in the past which were kind-of a foundation to my current predicament - so unfortunately I developed rather bad RSI in my right wrist. If any of you have this problem you'll know the only thing that can help it is rest and support outside of strong painkillers, which I don't touch. However I've now developed it in my left hand/wrist as well, though luckily not as bad.
The reason I mention this is because it's been really quite painful recently and affects me to the point of which I can barely move them on the bad days, let alone type.
So do yourself a solid, guys. Sit up straight and at the right height, take proper breaks, buy a wrist-rest (you know, that spongy thing that sits alongside your keyboard) and just keep an eye on your health in general.
I consider myself very lucky that RSI is entirely manageable, but it's still a riotous bugger in this industry.
Due to the nature of my job(s) I spend a lot of time typing - and had damaging jobs in the past which were kind-of a foundation to my current predicament - so unfortunately I developed rather bad RSI in my right wrist. If any of you have this problem you'll know the only thing that can help it is rest and support outside of strong painkillers, which I don't touch. However I've now developed it in my left hand/wrist as well, though luckily not as bad.
The reason I mention this is because it's been really quite painful recently and affects me to the point of which I can barely move them on the bad days, let alone type.
So do yourself a solid, guys. Sit up straight and at the right height, take proper breaks, buy a wrist-rest (you know, that spongy thing that sits alongside your keyboard) and just keep an eye on your health in general.
I consider myself very lucky that RSI is entirely manageable, but it's still a riotous bugger in this industry.
Emily Sowden
Write; write; write. Loads of people told me to read tirelessly but what gives you drive and inspiration is totally personal. For me, I find reading a distraction so I tend not to do it if I'm spending the rest of the day working on a chapter. Just know that the writing process is about 10% writing 80% editing and 10% flailing and banging your hands on the keyboard.
Also be prepared for a ton of disappointment. Writing is subjective just like music and art so not everyone will like your work but if you write because you love writing and cannot think of anything else you'd rather be doing you're in the right business buddy. Thicken up that skin, hold your head high and stick at it.
Also be prepared for a ton of disappointment. Writing is subjective just like music and art so not everyone will like your work but if you write because you love writing and cannot think of anything else you'd rather be doing you're in the right business buddy. Thicken up that skin, hold your head high and stick at it.
Emily Sowden
Apart from working on the second in the series, Forged in Ember is an NA fantasy in its early stages. It's set in the same world as Trapped in Silver and will have little parts that relate to the Eldryn Chronicles overall (some fairly important parts), so I'm pretty psyched to see what people think of it.
Emily Sowden
Funnily enough I actually first starting writing Trapped in Silver back in 2009 when I couldn't bear to pay attention during my AS Biology lesson (sorry mum). Obviously I failed it but that was how I made use of my time instead of wasting it staring off into space - I've never been a time waster; it's probably why I can never relax. I'd doodle characters and think about how they would interact with each other and after lots and lots and LOTS of drastic changes over the years the Trapped in Silver of today was born.
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