So you wanna be a riter?
By Guest | October 9, 2010 |
Therese here. Today’s guest is author Colin Falconer–a historical novelist who has written over twenty books. His next novel–the first in a three-book deal–will come out next year in the U.K. When he approached us and asked if we’d be interested in featuring a post full of inspirational quotes for aspiring novelists, of course I said “yes.” Enjoy!
SO YOU WANNA BE A RITER?
This is a tough business. Agreed. But then there are single mothers holding down two jobs to feed their kids so let’s not cry about it. No one asked any of us to write for a living. We chose to do it.
But no, it’s not easy. After publishing almost two dozen novels I ran into a brick wall about four years ago. My personal life went into free fall, and my agent retired. I couldn’t write. So in the last twelve months I had to start all over again. And it reminded me just how tough it is out there without the buffer of some sort of recent track record.
If you’re finding the going tough, here’s some advice that might help. It helped me.
‘You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you’re working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success – but only if you persist.’ – Isaac Asimov
This isn’t science fiction. Persistence is the key to any sort of reward. But I don’t think Isaac meant that you should just keep making the same mistakes over and over. If a story doesn’t seem to be working – try to figure out why. Finding and fixing problems can teach you more than giving up ever will. Which is why the author of Jurassic Park said this:
‘Books aren’t written, they’re rewritten. Including your own. It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasn’t quite done it …’ – Michael Crichton
What he touched on here is one very crucial question; do we want to be writers – or do we want to learn how to write really well? Being a writer can look quite glamorous; TV talk shows, book signings, even rampant alcoholism – which many authors are quite justifiably famous for – attracts more than a few to the business. But actually sitting down and writing, and writing well enough to keep readers turning pages, is plain hard work. But you don’t get one without the other.
Do we want the glamour – such as it is – or do we want to do the work? Unless we’re already famous enough for the publisher to hire a ghost writer, we’re stuck with the work. Damn.
‘Anyone who keeps working is not a failure. He or she may not be a great writer, but if they apply the old-fashioned virtues of hard, constant labour, they’ll eventually make some kind of career for themselves as a writer.’– Ray Bradbury
From Ray, something very true this way comes. So many new writers get anxious at the beginning. Am I good enough? Do I have talent? And the answer is often – yes. So don’t be shy. Give it a go. But how much talent do you have? No one really knows. That’s the hell of it.
‘Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.’ – Henry Ford.
Obstacles? If Stephenie Meyer knew the obstacles she may not have bothered to submit her first book for publication. She didn’t know the odds against having her book discovered through the ‘slush pile’ and she didn’t know the importance of a good query letter. But she sent out fifteen submissions anyway – letters she now claims “truly sucked”. Of these five are still unanswered, nine brought rejections, and only one brought a positive response.
She shouldn’t have even got that; the agent’s assistant who read her query was new to the job and unaware that at 130,000 words the manuscript was way over the agency’s strict 75,000 word limit for YA novels. So she just read the book on its merits – wild and reckless as that may seem.
The Twilight series has now sold a hundred million copies around the world.
‘I went for years not finishing anything. Because, of course, when you finish something you can be judged… I had poems which were re-written so many times I suspect it was just a way of avoiding sending them out.’ – Erica Jong
If you, too, have a fear of flying, remember that at some stage, you have to let go, and allow your manuscript to meet its doom or its destiny. And when you do, be prepared: for you will be judged. So don’t send your manuscript out till it’s ready. But don’t wait too long either.
I’ll leave the last word to ‘Damon’ – real name Dennis R. Miller. He spent twenty-five years completing his novel The Perfect Song. “Life,” he said, “is what happens to a writer between drafts.”
The book was self published in 2004 and disappeared without trace. I think there’s a lesson in that somewhere. But I have no idea what it is. I might think about it between drafts.
Have a quote you go to whenever you need a hit of inspiration? Show-and-tell time.
Thanks for a great post, Colin!
Readers, you can learn more about Colin at his website/blog here. Write on.
Many thanks to today’s guest.
You can read more WU guest posts by visiting this link.
Loved the post – witty and well stated.
Thanks for sharing these. Writing IS a tough job, and it requires a certain blend of persistence and talent and blind faith.
But I liked your reminder that there are others with harder jobs. :) It’s good to keep in mind the blessings of this one.
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This is great!
One of my fave quotes is from Richard Bach: “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”
Loved the selection of quotes (and the punny commentary ;P). All these kinds of inspirational quotes DO motivate me, but I think what works best in the long run is reminding myself of how much I love writing, and thinking about my favorite characters, and looking around at all the people in my life who are supporting me in this endeavor. I’m doing it for all of us (the characters included!).
I guess two short but sweet ones are:
– Go big or go home.
– Live strong.
My favourite writing quote isn’t by a writer . . .
“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”
– Pablo Picasso
I also like . . .
“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.”
– Anatole France
. . . and if all else fails . . .
“The first draft of anything is shit.”
– Ernest Hemingway
Like the selection of quotes, a real cross-section of writers.
These words help me to keep a perspective on writing, when those rejections arrive.
Thanks for adding to my file of encouraging words!
Patricia
https://pmpoetwriter.blogspot.com/
Great post.
I think Benjamin Disraeli said something along the lines of ‘When you want to read a good book, write it’..always worked in motivating me.
“Writing a novel is a terrible experience, during which the hair often falls out and the teeth decay.” Flannery O’Connor
I would also add that the bills don’t get paid or the house cleaned. Hardly inspirational, though. I do like this one:
“Imagination grows by exercise, and contrary to common belief, is more powerful in the mature than in the young.” W. Somerset Maugham
This is SUCH a wonderful post! Full of excellent reminders and good advice we all need to hear from time to time. Colin, can you give any details about your upcoming books? I’m so curious to know more them!
Congratulations on successfully restarting your career, and thanks for the push. I’ve got a few short stories chewing their heads off in a drawer.
When I’m groaning under the weight of revisions, I remind myself:
What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.
Samuel Johnson
Thanks for the inspiration. I love good quotes, and have a few on my wall to keep me going. My favorite might be this one from Joseph Campbell: “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” A good one for writing the tough scenes.
This post was great!
One of my favorite quotes is one of Ray’s as well- “You must stay drunk on writing, so reality cannot destroy you.”
This is quite possibly one of the best blogs I’ve read all year- thank you so much!
I think the lesson of the last author is in detachment–the ability to let go of this thing you’ve worked on for so long, even if you’ve poured your heart and soul into it, to STOP working on it and move on to other things, and to not give up.
Great post – right up there with Donald Mass.
Is that the Damon that worked with Holly Lisle for so long, supporting her online writing community? He has another quote I love;
‘I don’t have parents. I sacrificed them to the muse and got 5000 words. Not a bad deal.’
So many good quotes in there! Thank you for this. A few of my favorites, which aren’t necessarily inspiring, per se, but mirror my experience:
The perfect is the enemy of the good. ~Voltaire
A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.
– Thomas Mann
When writing a novel that’s pretty much entirely what life turns into: ‘House burned down. Car stolen. Cat exploded. Did 1500 easy words, so all in all it was a pretty good day.’
– Neil Gaiman
Colin, I had to check out your blog after reading this. Then I had to subscribe to your blog. Thanks for visiting Writer Unboxed!
Great post! Sometimes it’s a matter of taking life lessons and applying them to your writing. Take me for example I didn’t give up and crawl in a hole when I went deaf. The same thing applies to my writing – as frusterating as it gets at times, I’m not willing to bow out that easily. (Hugs)Indigo
Your blog good. The comments almost as good. Great quotes all around.
On persistance: An artist (including writer-type artists) must get in their thousand strokes a day. Consistently, compulsively WRITE.
Excellent blog post. Am going to share. :)
Love the quote by Isaac Asimov. Thanks for the inspiration.
I love how you wove in those inspiration quotes. What a great way to start the day! Great post!
This was quite a “heads up” so thanks! One of my favourite quotes is writing is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration! Not sure who said it, but I think it’s spot on.