This pill might be a little hard to swallow, but as a writer you need to be ready for rejections. If you're not ready, then write and keep your writings within the confines of your own little world--ok, J. D. Salinger did this for the remainder of his life after his tremendous success with Catcher in the Rye but that had nothing to do with rejection. But if you've ever dreamed of publication, you have to be ready for the onslaught of rejections.
If you're ready, you are in great company: Stephen King, J. K. Rowling, John Grisham, and the list goes on. Because each and every writer has been rejected at one time.
Don't take it personally. Rejections can range from an overworked editor or literary agent to the quality or layout of your work. But plow ahead fellow writer. Perseverance is the key to winning in life, including being a published author.
Why did I name this blog "Welcome rejections"?
If you get in the mindset to welcome rejections, you won't be surprised when it happens, and then you can move on to someone who will accept your work.
For those who have read Stephen King's On Writing (and for those who haven't, I strongly suggest you pick up a copy of this book immediately), you'll note a time in Mr. King's life when he would tack his rejection letters on a nail in his bedroom. And when those rejections became too numerous, he replaced the nail with a spike. And King is one of the most bestselling authors in the world. Remember that next time you get a rejection from a literary agent or an editor. Welcome it, and move on. Persevere, fellow writer.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
I Am A Writer
I am a writer.
Plain and simple.
I am proud of that title.
I am not an aspiring writer or one who dabbles in writing - I am a writer.
What are you?
Be proud of what you are, even if others snub their nose at you. If those others are your friends, I think it's time for some new friends. If those others are relatives, sorry you can't just up and unfriend them (okay, maybe in Facebook world you can - and I have). But you can ignore them and feel sorry for their ignorant ways.
I recently found a very cool podcasting blog just for writers: www.writingexcuses.com I found this website by pure accident. I was on Wikipedia, looking up a fantasy author that I like named Brandon Sanderson. Anyway, near the top of the page it said he participates in a weekly podcast called Writing Excuses. Wow! I felt like a kid in a candy store (not to overuse a very overused pun but it's the easiest way to describe it). I've downloaded several podcasts so far and they're great. I even saw a few Youtube videos of theirs, one of which featured a guy who called himself "an aspiring writer." He was talking about how he loved the podcasts and all, but in the end one of the four writers who participate in this weekly show Howard Taylor advised the guy to call himself a writer, not an aspiring one, and be proud of that title.
What are you? A writer. A painter. A carpenter. A quilt-maker. A mother. A father. A pastor. A speaker. A street sweeper. A lawn cutter. A landscaper. An auto mechanic.
Most of us are more than one of these, but for your life's work, one defines it. Sure, most of us will be mothers or fathers, husbands or wives, but the title of your work you should never be ashamed of. Don't let anyone tell you to just get a job like everyone else. That will inspire no one. Be inspiring and be what you are made to do.
And, as always, do it today. Right now.
Plain and simple.
I am proud of that title.
I am not an aspiring writer or one who dabbles in writing - I am a writer.
What are you?
Be proud of what you are, even if others snub their nose at you. If those others are your friends, I think it's time for some new friends. If those others are relatives, sorry you can't just up and unfriend them (okay, maybe in Facebook world you can - and I have). But you can ignore them and feel sorry for their ignorant ways.
I recently found a very cool podcasting blog just for writers: www.writingexcuses.com I found this website by pure accident. I was on Wikipedia, looking up a fantasy author that I like named Brandon Sanderson. Anyway, near the top of the page it said he participates in a weekly podcast called Writing Excuses. Wow! I felt like a kid in a candy store (not to overuse a very overused pun but it's the easiest way to describe it). I've downloaded several podcasts so far and they're great. I even saw a few Youtube videos of theirs, one of which featured a guy who called himself "an aspiring writer." He was talking about how he loved the podcasts and all, but in the end one of the four writers who participate in this weekly show Howard Taylor advised the guy to call himself a writer, not an aspiring one, and be proud of that title.
What are you? A writer. A painter. A carpenter. A quilt-maker. A mother. A father. A pastor. A speaker. A street sweeper. A lawn cutter. A landscaper. An auto mechanic.
Most of us are more than one of these, but for your life's work, one defines it. Sure, most of us will be mothers or fathers, husbands or wives, but the title of your work you should never be ashamed of. Don't let anyone tell you to just get a job like everyone else. That will inspire no one. Be inspiring and be what you are made to do.
And, as always, do it today. Right now.
Monday, October 17, 2011
A Little More About The Mud
An additional quick note about the mud.
The mud is also an old project, something that seems to be going nowhere.
Try write something new. Something different.
Even if you're in the middle of a grand epic fantasy novel and you feel like you're losing traction, mix it up and try something new for a little while. Because if you work on something long enough and it isn't finished, you can start to get bored with it and the passion that you once held towards it starts to fade. When this happens, stop, save that file, open a new one, and do something different.
Who knows? Maybe this new thing will be the story that breaks you into the publishing business. And if you really liked that old story, you can always come back to it. I have five completed novels at this point, and one day I plan on going back to the first two (these need a lot of work when compared to the rest at this point) and re-working them.
But not yet.
The mud is also an old project, something that seems to be going nowhere.
Try write something new. Something different.
Even if you're in the middle of a grand epic fantasy novel and you feel like you're losing traction, mix it up and try something new for a little while. Because if you work on something long enough and it isn't finished, you can start to get bored with it and the passion that you once held towards it starts to fade. When this happens, stop, save that file, open a new one, and do something different.
Who knows? Maybe this new thing will be the story that breaks you into the publishing business. And if you really liked that old story, you can always come back to it. I have five completed novels at this point, and one day I plan on going back to the first two (these need a lot of work when compared to the rest at this point) and re-working them.
But not yet.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Quit Standing In The Mud
At what point does one stop working on their current project (one they've been working on for several years) before they should move on to the next thing?
"But Mark," you say, "I know this is a great story. If I can just spend the next five years, I know I can get it right."
Sometimes we have to let go and set aside what we're working on and go forth with a new and fresh idea.
The same can be said about writing the first draft of your novel. When I wrote my very first novel (a 1,000-page horror story I wrote back in college) I remember writing the first three chapters. Each chapter introduced a different character. Then, when I finished with the third chapter, I went back to the first one and expanded it. And expanded it. And expanded it.
Did I say that I expanded it?
My first chapter ended up to be 50 pages long. Holy cow! There were two or three flashbacks, even. Not a good thing. But I couldn't get past it until I thought it was perfect. Then, I made an amazing discovery. I needed to just write the story, right to the end, without going back and perfecting anything. So, I spent the next 18 months doing so, spending a lot of late nights and missing (I'm sure) a few parties along the way. But did I mind? No way. I learned a lot about that process, about setting a goal of finishing that first draft without looking back.
What are you waiting for? Quit standing in the mud, squishing your feet into the wet earth, and get moving.
Write! Write today! Don't wait . . . because if you do, you'll get stuck in the mud. Make the commitment to get out of the mud, because it's nothing but a stagnant pool of failed dreams and lost potential.
"But Mark," you say, "I know this is a great story. If I can just spend the next five years, I know I can get it right."
Sometimes we have to let go and set aside what we're working on and go forth with a new and fresh idea.
The same can be said about writing the first draft of your novel. When I wrote my very first novel (a 1,000-page horror story I wrote back in college) I remember writing the first three chapters. Each chapter introduced a different character. Then, when I finished with the third chapter, I went back to the first one and expanded it. And expanded it. And expanded it.
Did I say that I expanded it?
My first chapter ended up to be 50 pages long. Holy cow! There were two or three flashbacks, even. Not a good thing. But I couldn't get past it until I thought it was perfect. Then, I made an amazing discovery. I needed to just write the story, right to the end, without going back and perfecting anything. So, I spent the next 18 months doing so, spending a lot of late nights and missing (I'm sure) a few parties along the way. But did I mind? No way. I learned a lot about that process, about setting a goal of finishing that first draft without looking back.
What are you waiting for? Quit standing in the mud, squishing your feet into the wet earth, and get moving.
Write! Write today! Don't wait . . . because if you do, you'll get stuck in the mud. Make the commitment to get out of the mud, because it's nothing but a stagnant pool of failed dreams and lost potential.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
A Call To Action, Part 2
The fictional world J. K. Rowling created has done some fantastic things to the real world. Especially the writing world. Simply put, she's revived it. With her well-crafted stories, she made it fun to read again. She made it fun for others who haven't read a novel in their life enjoy the magical world of Harry Potter.
I have met countless people who I never took for readers, but who've read the Harry Potter novels, only to fall in love (metaphorically) with Rowling's world she's created. And you know what else happened? Those non-readers started reading other stories.
I will be the first to admit there's a lot of junk that's published nowadays. Especially now when it's so easy to actually publish something in the way of self-publishing. But us true writers, lovers of the written word and the story, have to push forward, honing our skills to create our own masterpieces. And we will continue what J. K. Rowling started, by issuing into the world more and more readers. Because readers are sorely needed.
Readers . . . are leaders.
But that's for another blog. And another time.
I have met countless people who I never took for readers, but who've read the Harry Potter novels, only to fall in love (metaphorically) with Rowling's world she's created. And you know what else happened? Those non-readers started reading other stories.
I will be the first to admit there's a lot of junk that's published nowadays. Especially now when it's so easy to actually publish something in the way of self-publishing. But us true writers, lovers of the written word and the story, have to push forward, honing our skills to create our own masterpieces. And we will continue what J. K. Rowling started, by issuing into the world more and more readers. Because readers are sorely needed.
Readers . . . are leaders.
But that's for another blog. And another time.
Friday, October 14, 2011
A Call To Action
I am in competition.
All writers are in competition.
Not with each other though.
Far from it, although one may tend to believe this. But why? People buy more than one book. Hell, some people's homes look like a mini-library. I know mine does at times. Oh, who am I kidding? I have shelves upon shelves of books, many of them discarded from the local library and bought for mere pennies.
Who am I, and every other writer, in competition with?
Illiteracy, of course.
You see, the better our books, the more fantastic our stories, the more people will read. One target is the youth, because the youth are open to new ideas and are willing to take those grand journeys of the mind, deep in their own imagination. The youth are not afraid of shouting from the mountaintop the next greatest thing.
Let that next greatest thing be your stories.
So, I issue at this time a call to action: we writers need to be on a mission, a mission where our enemy is illiteracy. Write the best stories that you can, take your time to craft just the right words, and capture more and more readers into our nets.
All writers are in competition.
Not with each other though.
Far from it, although one may tend to believe this. But why? People buy more than one book. Hell, some people's homes look like a mini-library. I know mine does at times. Oh, who am I kidding? I have shelves upon shelves of books, many of them discarded from the local library and bought for mere pennies.
Who am I, and every other writer, in competition with?
Illiteracy, of course.
You see, the better our books, the more fantastic our stories, the more people will read. One target is the youth, because the youth are open to new ideas and are willing to take those grand journeys of the mind, deep in their own imagination. The youth are not afraid of shouting from the mountaintop the next greatest thing.
Let that next greatest thing be your stories.
So, I issue at this time a call to action: we writers need to be on a mission, a mission where our enemy is illiteracy. Write the best stories that you can, take your time to craft just the right words, and capture more and more readers into our nets.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Death of the Great Innovator
I walk into the grocery store and pick up a jar of peanut butter. Do I know who the CEO of that company is? Nope. Not a clue.
What about the CEO of Coca-Cola or GM or Hewlett-Packard or countless other products? Don't know the CEO there either.
Most of us do not have a clue who the CEO--let alone founder--of many of the companies that line the stores today. Sure, we know Sam Walton started Wal-mart and Bill Gates started Microsoft, but most we are clueless.
What about Apple? Steve Jobs, of course.
Ironically, I happen to be reading Start with Why by Simon Sinek, who goes in great detail as to why Apple is so recognizable nowadays (along with other great innovative companies such as Harley-Davidson and Southwest Airlines) and why people buy from them.
Steve Jobs was the Great Innovator, for lack of a better title. Someone tonight, after the announcement of his death, compared him to Thomas Edison. But I think Steve was much more than that. He transformed the way businesses operated and got people excited for their many products, even if there were flaws. Now, I have to say that I do not own an iPhone or an iPad . . . hell, I don't think I own one single Apple product (more for financial reasons than anything at this point in my life), but I'm boggled at how many people absolutely love their products. One day I will too, but at least I knew who Steve Jobs was. Do I know who the CEO of Ford or GE or 3M is? Not a chance.
What also brings this closer to home is that Steve Jobs had pancreatic cancer at one point, even though we may have died from a tumor. My wife has acute myeloid leukemia, a blood cancer, so when I see such a young person like Steve Jobs (who was 56) die from cancer, I know that we have a long ways to fighting this awful disease.
Thanks, Steve, for the great innovation you've given the world. Rest in peace.
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