Perseverence
“You fail only if you stop writing.” Ray Bradbury
This is, at heart, the truest thing I’ve ever heard about writing. In reality, very few people make it right away. Yes, people do. People get repped in five minutes and end up with their manuscript at auction the next day and become the next big thing and stay there. But most of the time, the road is long and filled with obstacles.
And sometimes when you hit a lot of obstacles at once it can be particularly dark and hopeless. You begin to wonder if you’re ever going to make it. You watch your friends get deals, you read Publishers Marketplace and see all those deals and a constant refrain in your brain is, “Why not me? When is it my turn?”
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
Okay so to get to the moral of the story - Monday of last week I said to a friend - “you know, I’m just so sick of being on the verge of breaking. When do I reach the point where I accept it isn’t going to happen and just be happy with what I have?”
I hit this spot where I wasn’t necessarily sad, but I just felt sort of bleh and uninspired. I usually feel so passionate about writing but I think I was just in a big old rut. I was consistenly hitting my word goals and as the week went on I had a moment when the book shifted and I really learned who my heroine was and by the time Thursday rolled around I was golden again.
And then on Thursday morning I got the call from my agent. I’ve sold over twenty books but I’ve never gotten “the call” even for the anthology since it was four authors we all just emailed. Anyway, I’d sold a two book deal to Berkley Heat and suddenly, all I’d been working for had come together in that “right book, right editor, right time” sweet spot.
My head is still spinning and I keep giggling at random moments. I have a heck of a lot of work to do. But I will. I can and I will.
It can happen. It does happen. But it can’t happen if you quit.
November 16th, 2007 at 8:08 am
I try really hard to remember that. And stories like yours do inspire. If I don’t consistently keep my butt in the chair, I’m not going to get where I want to be.
Thanks for the reminder. I needed that.
November 16th, 2007 at 8:33 am
It rarely happens overnight. For most of us, it takes a really long time, and that time is fraught with disappointments, rejections, and lots and lots of waiting, waiting, waiting…..
And unfortunately, a lot of people do give up. Anything worth having is worth working hard for, and waiting for.
And congrats again on the Berkley deal, Lauren!
November 16th, 2007 at 10:30 am
Lauren - Congratulations on your Berkley deal! Remember to do something totally awesome to celebrate…um…besides the head-spinning thingie. Although, that sounds pretty spectacular.
Thanks for the inspiring post!
November 16th, 2007 at 10:40 am
I’ve felt so close to quitting lately, so this was what I needed to hear. Thank you. I’m posting that Ray Bradbury quote somewhere I can see it every time I sit down to write.
November 16th, 2007 at 10:52 am
Congrats to you and THANK YOU. I also really needed to read this today and be reminded.
November 16th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
Mechele - thank you. Sometimes it seems like it’ll never happen, I’ve been there, I’ll be there again I’m sure. But we just need to hold on.
Jaci - thank you very much! Gah on waiting. I hate waiting. But I suppose a silver lining is donig this has forced me to be more patient. Or, really, to appear to be more patient, LOL.
Elen - thank you. Right now I’m dealing with deadlines, which, aside from being sort of stressful, make me happy because I’m weird. My husband brought me flowers and swanky champagne and we had dinner/date night to celebrate.
Mary - everyone I know has been there at least once. Hang on, it’ll happen.
Vanessa - thank you!
November 16th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Huge congrats!!
I love stories like this, because there is always hope. Hey, it springs eternal, but it’s still a lovely feeling knowing that one day all your hard work will be rewarded. It’s not all in vain. I love writing, but I’d be lying to say I don’t want the icing on my cake.
November 16th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
Pretty much, if you have an image of who you want to be in your mind and work toward making it real, you will…eventually. There will be some wrong turns and dead ends, but as long as you keep at it, it’ll come.
November 16th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
Yeah, Lauren, that’s excellent news! Woot! 8^)
This business takes us on the bumpiest roads, doesn’t it? I’ve been doing it a while, finding moderate successes and plunging failures, it can make a writer cynical. But mostly it thickens our skin. Take it from this rhinocerous, I know.
Lately, there’s been a lot of focus on pitches and queries, making them perfect. I’ve seen group author blogs posting the query letters that got them their agents, and they’re awesome. And Bookends has a pitch workshop on their blog. A good writer friend of mine emailed me today about how discouraging all this is. She wonders about these winning queries, and how agents are so quick to dismiss the one that isn’t “just right.” It makes her want to stop writing.
I’ve been where she is a few times in the past, but right now I’m riding the wave of optimism, and will take it as far as it goes.
November 17th, 2007 at 11:10 am
melissa - that’s what gets us through - the hope. And IMO, there’s not a darned thing wrong with wanting the books you work so hard on to get purchased and distributed so others can read them.
Anya - you needed to add - and friends who support you when you’re low and cheer you on when you succeed
Karen- thank you! And there’s a lot of pressure to constantly evaluate ourselves, to worry and obsess over what’s going on behind doors we have no control over. I know I’m guilty of that too. But you’re right - you hold on to the positives to get you through, LOL.