How to Stay Motivated While Waiting for Publication
I’ve been writing seriously for about five years now pursuing my goal of publication. When I first started out, I thought I’d write a book, send it out and it would be published. Voila. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Boy, did I have a lot to learn.
Back then, my estimate was that it would take me between one and two years to be published depending on how long it took me to write that first novel. I truly believed that my first book would sell without any problems. And if by some fluke no one bought it, then surely the second book would sell. Then, of course, they’d go back and buy the first book.
Have things been different from what I imagined? You bet. Between my expectations back then and reality, I’ve got a divide bigger than the Atlantic.
Right now I’m working on book five, and I still haven’t sold. How’s that for reality?
Writing novels is a tough business. The competition is very talented and motivated. There’s a lot to learn about the craft of writing and about writing a compelling and entertaining story. And that’s just the beginning. Revision may not be your friend, but it will become a very close associate. Writing “the end” doesn’t mean you’re finished with a book or that anyone will buy it. It merely means you’ve finished a first draft. Now the real work begins.
Did I mention writing is hard work?
Five years ago I joined Romance Writers of America (RWA) and attended local chapter meetings where I heard what other writers were experiencing on their path toward publication. At first, I naively believed that that was a problem particular to those writers. Surely, it couldn’t pertain to me. Right?
Somewhere along the first draft of my first novel (887 pages – don’t laugh, okay, laugh, everyone does), I realized this was going to take a lot more than writing to whip this thing into shape. It was going to take a plan, courage, revision, revision, and more revision. After another year of work and the journalistic equivalent of a stomach stapling, my first manuscript was trimmed to around 400 pages. And it still wasn’t good enough to submit.
Discouraged, you better believe it. Ready to give up? Not hardly. But I do wish I’d known some things back then that I had to learn the hard way and I wish I’d done some things differently.
First, I would have signed up for college writing courses right away to sharpen my skills. I would have joined a critique group to get feedback on my work. I would have sought out a more experienced writer as a mentor - someone who would explain to me the realities of a writing career – someone who had made it and was willing to share the war stories.
I would have taken online classes and attended conferences, both at the local, regional and national level sooner. I would have devoured books on writing. And I would have paid more attention to plotting instead of letting my muse out to play. Also I would have treated this like a business sooner than I did and realized like any job, it’s called work for a reason.
About two years ago I went through a particularly bad period. Lots of rejections and although most were personal and offered helpful feedback that I could use in my revisions, it still demoralized me. I doubted my abilities, my talent, my books, my characters. You name it, and I had doubts.
Then after wallowing around in misery and sorrow for a bit, I realized I had to write. I wasn’t happy or content unless I was writing. If I quit I had zero chance of publication. If I continued to write, I had upped my chances by 100%. Those seemed like pretty good odds to me.
What kept me going as a writer especially after this bad period? A strong support system is key. There’ll always be bad days in this business, published or not. Your support system is there to see you through those times.
Another thing that’s helpful is to see people who were unpublished attain success. It makes the dream realistic. If it happened to them, it can happen to you.
Seeing myself develop as a writer, even though I’m still unpublished, is a great feeling. Each book I write is stronger than the last. I learn new things all the time. I’m never bored. My characters and my plots entertain me and make me feel alive. I firmly believe that my passion for writing has sustained me through the ups and downs.
But I also give credit to my writer friends, my local RWA chapter and volunteering – keeping myself involved in writing related activities.
Here are some things you can do prior to publication that I think are important in keeping you motivated.
Entering Contests – Contests are a good way to receive feedback. If you final in a contest it’s a great feeling and a nice credit to add to your writing resume
Volunteering at the local and National levels of RWA or other writing organizations - I think this is key as long as you can keep it in perspective and not let it erode your writing time. You will learn a lot no matter what position you volunteer for. It will open your eyes to the wider world of writing instead of the narrow focus you may have sitting in front of your keyboard. You will network with writers in all stages of their careers. If you’re smart, you’ll learn something from all of them.
Setting goals – I’ve always been a big goal-setter. Each month I plan what I want to happen with my writing that month. Then I keep track of what I accomplish – or don’t. I analyze why I did or didn’t achieve what I wanted to, and I try to learn from this. Each January I make a detailed writing plan for the year. I’m constantly reevaluating my progress and assessing where I am in my career plan. I believe in dreaming big, I always have. If you don’t believe in yourself, who will?
Associating with or getting to know better published authors – I think you have to get to know as many writers as you can. Just like in tennis or chess, you can’t improve your game if you continue to play with people on the same level as you are. I believe you have to associate with those people who can help you improve your game, your writing, by making you work harder, by making you push yourself to the next level, wherever that level may be.
Having a critique group – Starting out, I think it’s very helpful to have an active critique group for the feedback they can give you. As you go along, you may be more satisfied with broader critiques or brainstorming. Whatever works for you at whatever stage in your development is what’s important. Adapt and adjust as you go along.
Having a support group – I’m very high on having a strong support system. Your writer friends can get you through some very tough times. And you can help others through their tough periods. It works both ways.
Attending monthly meetings at your local RWA Chapter – This is very important. Monthly meetings help you hone your craft, allow you to network with other writers in all stages of the process, and give you valuable information on the business of writing. Like any group, it helps you to realize that as solitary as writing is, you are not alone. The commonality is a big help.
Taking workshops- on-line or in person – I’m a huge believer in workshops by whatever method. Education is a key component to success – in any endeavor. If you don’t know, you need to learn. What better way to learn than through classes, workshops, conferences and any other methods of learning?
Attending writing conferences – Writing conferences are about so much more than workshops. They’re about meeting face to face with other writers, with editors, with agents. They’re about networking, spending time sharing information, and making new friends. As a co-vice president and program chair for the Virginia Romance Writers, I’ve used conferences to find speakers to bring to my local chapter to share the benefit of a great workshop with my writer friends who couldn’t attend. I’ve made many wonderful friends doing this.
Having your family support your writing goals – For some people this is extremely important. For me, this is the least important. If my family supports me, fine. If they don’t, does it change my goals? No. Do they understand what I’m up against? I don’t think so. Can they really offer me constructive advice? Not really. Sure, they can feel bad for me when I get a rejection, but do they really understand what I’m experiencing? No. And that’s okay.
During the past five years the other things that have worked to help keep me motivated and keep me pushing forward are the following things. I recommend them to you.
It’s important to stay busy – with writing related things.
Build a website. Don’t know how? Take a class, get some help, pay someone to do it for you, but learn how to update it.
Volunteer. You’ll get more out of it in the long run than you ever put into it.
Daydream. About plots and characters and how you’ll use them for the next book or the book after that.
Read widely – books on writing, fiction (all genres), non-fiction. Dissect the styles of other writers. Find out what worked for them and what didn’t.
Try to stay well rounded while retaining your passion for writing. Listen to tapes of conferences you couldn’t attend. Meet with other writers on a regular basis. Make play dates with writer friends. Meet for lunch or dinner. Visit a bookstore together and talk about books and writers.
Get plenty of rest. If you’re burned out, it’ll show in your writing.
Keep a positive outlook.
Surround yourself with positives and that includes people and things. Avoid negative or toxic people. They will bring you down.
This business is hard enough without introducing more negativity into your life. I keep the business and creative side of my writing separate – literally.
My writing room contains only those items that are positive, satisfying and makes me feel good about my craft and myself. I house all things related to the business end of writing in a separate room, on a separate computer. When I’m in my writing room I’m there to write, to create. When I’m at the business computer, I’m in business mode. This division has worked well for me.
The hardest part about not being published is that I don’t have what I want. All my life I’ve always been a high achiever, okay, an over-achiever. I’m not used to not succeeding at whatever I attempt. This has been hard to deal with. Since a lot of my friends are published writers, it’s that have/have not feeling, as well. The elusive dream. To put all of the hard work, the long hours into each manuscript and still not have the ultimate prize – that’s especially tough.
So if it’s taking you longer than you expected to get published, don’t lose faith. Believe in yourself and in your dreams. Keep writing. Keep submitting. Keep fine-tuning and learn what works for you.
And remember, you must be in the game to have a chance.
Good luck to all of you.
Kathy
This is an expanded article from an interview in RWR magazine.
© Kathleen R. Jorgensen, 2006