Sorry, No Short Cut . . . just sit down and bleed!

It surprises me when someone tells me they don’t read, but they want to be a writer. My first thought is, ‘but you expect others to read your work.’

Now I know, and understand that the world isn’t full of writers, though day by day since the birth of the computer everyone and anyone is writing.  All chasing that dream to become the next big seller, which every agent and publishers dreams of, but with the age of the internet comes the power of self-publishing, so these writers can become the writer, the agent and publisher all rolled into one. More power to them.

My posting isn’t about what route to take when one has finished writing your book, but the process before you even think about writing that mythical creature known as a bestseller. Let’s make it clear, everyone who puts pen to page, or fingertips to keyboard dreams of writing a bestseller.

Why bother if you don’t aim high?

It is far better to have a realistic view of what writing is all about, than to daydream of a glamorous life of a writer. So forget about book launches, literary parties, book deals, and awards until you have written at least three novels and have had many rejections.

Yes, there are a few and far between author and writers who have been very lucky not to have to walk the tightrope, i.e. P D James for one. I know this because I asked her at a book festival how did she cope with rejection. She kindly patted my hand and said, ‘My dear, I’ve never been rejected’.

In Time to Be in Earnest : A Fragment of Autobiography, P. D James tell the story of how she had given her first manuscript to a friend to read.  A few days later that friend was at a dinner party where a publisher was chatting about the fact their crime writer had died and they were on the look out for another one. The friend said, ‘Oh I’ve just read my friend first manuscript, it’s very good.’

And as they say, the rest is history. Now for that to happen once is a miracle and for you or I to be that lucky, well who knows, you could be, but I’m not going to hang around here on the off chance it might. I believe in making things happen by working hard.

Read… And you do have to read. In Mister Stephen King’s book ‘On Writing’, his story is more or less without miracles, and more about what most writer have to do. Work hard. Most have to work a nine to five job, to feed the body and family and write in their free time.  Writing like every other job, means doing things you don’t what to do to reap the rewards. You have to do a lot of reading, editing re-reading and more editing for what seems like forever without any real rewards. You can’t rush success. It comes slowly and not overnight. There isn’t any golden rule, or short cuts to writing a bestseller, just lots of hard work, brilliant writing and most importantly patience.

Well, now I’ve got that off my chest after a wasted morning yesterday I better get  back to my keyboard and cut my wrist and bleed.  Hey, don’t worry about me I love writing, it’s my job. 🙂

Have a great day,

Paula R C