Cintia
asked
Emily Sowden:
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?
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.
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Jan 02, 2018 08:36AM