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I don't know if you're like me. I wanted to
write almost from the time I can remember. I wasn't
one of the precocious sort who composed short
masterpieces in Math or French class, but I did
tell my friends wonderful stories of the adventures
our stuffed animals shared, or grabbed my notebook
and jotted down bits and pieces of Tony's story
(he was a young fellow swept up into a world of
magic in rural England.) I had dreams - dreams
of writing, of being published, of being the youngest
ever award-winning author.
But my dreams were just that - dreams. I had
no idea how to make those dreams a reality. So
for many years my dreams faded, moldering on the
back burner of life as I tried to find a "real"
profession for myself.
But in spite of my search for normalcy, I kept
writing. I couldn't help myself. The words spilled
over onto paper, or onto the computer, almost
without my volition. The times in my life when
I didn't let the words spill forth, I was someone
others really didn't want to be around. And because
of my need to write, I've learned a lot about
the craft and the profession of writing. From
a myriad of people in a myriad of ways, I've learned
how to make my dreams of being a writer real.
For the most part, it has to do with turning my
dreams into goals.
Goals, as we all know, are attainable. They aren't
airy-fairy tales of fiction. They are concrete
steps towards an achievement. So I learned to
set goals around my writing. I took steps towards
my goals, and learned to review my movement in
relationship to my goals and make adjustments.
I finally got that just by taking these steps,
I make big things happen. Simple? Maybe. If you're
like me, though, simple is not always obvious.
And simple bears repeating. So here are some of
the things I've learned about goals, and about
making big things happen.
First off, get clear on what you want. Do you
really want to write? If you answer yes, then
make sure you do write. If you're like me, it
's not always the easiest thing to do. But if
you're like me, you will be working towards what
you want. (An added bonus is that the other people
in your life will likely thank you.) You can write
five minutes a day or five hours; half a page
every two days or 20 pages daily. It can be pristine
prose that flows onto the pages magically, or
a fight for every word. It doesn't matter how
much you write or how good it is. Just make sure
you write. Remember, something is always better
than nothing.
Next, get clear on what you want to do with your
writing. Do you like writing just for you, or
do you crave an audience? Both mean writing, but
in very different ways. If your drive is to write
the stories just for you, then go for it. But
if you want more than anything to be published,
don't sell yourself short. Even when I was scared
to let my best friend read my work, deep down
I knew I wanted an audience. Writing my stories
down, while fulfilling and exciting, was not enough.
I also knew that I wanted to make a living through
my writing. (Maybe I'm deluded, but that's a different
topic.) In my reality, it is possible to make
a living writing. But in order to have a chance
of realizing this goal, I have to get my work
out to publishers and agents.
Now, again, I don't know if you're like me, but
I hate sending my work out into the world. I love
to procrastinate. I love to edit and re-edit.
I love to tell myself that one query or partial
or whatever out on an editor's desk is sufficient.
After all, only one person has to like me enough
to want to publish me. But you know what? I'm
not helping myself reach my goals, or fulfill
my dreams, by telling myself those stories. That's
another thing I've learned. I only help myself
reach my goals by reviewing what it is I want
and making sure my actions are in line with the
goal. If I want to be published and I'm not sending
my work out in a consistent way, I'm probably
not going to find the editor who loves my voice.
To put it in a positive form, the more I send
out my babies (my work), the more likely I am
to find that editor and/or agent who thinks I
am the best thing since, well, you can fill in
your own blank. I'm sure you get the idea.
The other thing is to be clear on is what do
you want to publish. Do you want to write long
or short pieces? Do you want to be published in
one area, or do you want to be published no matter
what? Does it matter? I've realized that I don't
care if I'm published in long or short form, in
books or magazines. What is important to me is
to get my name out there. And to get my name known,
I have to send my work out.
And related to this is my next point - this business
is mostly a numbers game. Ask anyone who has spent
any time in this business and they'll generally
agree. The number I've heard bandied around the
romance industry is seven years. That's seven
years of submitting before being published. And
I'm pretty sure it's not seven years of writing
and one submission. It's seven years of submitting
and submitting. Seven years of rejections.
So, how do we deal with rejections? Most of the
tips I've heard from published and unpublished
writers involve lots and lots of chocolate, and
occasionally kicking something (preferably something
that a) won't kick back, and b) won't lead to
some sort of police intervention.) The other thing
I have heard, and finally learned to do, is to
take the rejection on the chin. To me, that means
immediately sending out another query. I have
spent far too many hours sitting by my computer,
stuffing in the chocolate, fretting, and beating
my chest, and not making another move. While I
think this is a perfectly natural response, it
has not led me to my goals. Strange
as it seems, the publishers don't seem to realize
that it is my right - and their privilege - to
see my work in print. They aren't knocking down
my door. They don't seem to know that I've had
enough of rejections and know that now it's my
turn. In short, they don't know that I want more
than anything to be published. And unless I get
query letters and partials and full manuscripts
out to them, they aren't going to know. It shouldn't
be so, perhaps, but there it is. Real life sucks
sometimes.
However, not getting published sucks even more.
So I keep my goal firmly in mind and keep sending.
Do I get discouraged? You bet. Do I ever want
to crawl into a hole and never come out? Yes,
of course. Am I going to stop doing what I'm doing?
Well, that's where it gets difficult.
You see, I could find myself a non-psychotic regular
office job and leave the land of rejection letters
behind forever. But when I contemplate a life
without writing, I start getting antsy. I can't
imagine a life where I never write again. I want
to write. I have to write. And you know what?
If I'm going to write, I might as well go for
it all.
So I keep my end goal in mind. That clarity is
my power. It's where I find the strength to keep
doing the things I would rather not do. And it's
the way I can reach my goals and make my dreams
come true. And after all, isn't that what our
industry is all about?
Katherine Cook is a member of GVC.
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