A Follow Up on Simon & Howard’s Posts

Simon & Howard’s thought provoking posts got me thinking about how subjective this industry is.  I think that’s one of the hardest things about being a writer—there are no clearly defined roads to walk down, no schools you can attend and get a diploma that labels you a “writer” and thus deserving of an agent or publisher.

I’ve had friends who wrote for ten years before landing an agent, friends who have had to fire their agents (or been let go by the agency), folks who wrote their first novel and had it accepted by the first publisher they sent it to…

Sometimes, I wonder about how this all washes out. 

Is your capacity for perseverance really the proof of whether you’re a “true” writer or not?  Does the strength of your determination connect with your ultimate success?

I was watching a documentary with Ted Turner (Oprah’s Master Class) and I found it really interesting to listen to him list off all the things he survived to get to his level of success, and then to know he lost 80% of his fortune (lost his fortune, had a divorce, and had one of his grandkids die, all at the same time) and his determination that he would rise up and be successful again…it made me think about rejections and submissions, the wordiness of fantasy novels and all the other stuff writers slog through on their journey to being published…and I think your perseverance really does determine whether you’re a writer.

Are you willing to write and rewrite and rewrite?

Are you willing to slog though hundreds of rejections?

Is it okay to finally be published then get slammed with numerous bad reviews?

If you answer “yes” then I think you are a writer and Amazon and failing publishing houses and closing agencies be darned.

Write. Write for the joy of it, for the challenge of it. Write because it fulfills you. Write because you’re in love with your story…write, write, write, and let the world catch up to you.