We’ve all read the success stories, seen the interviews where writers who succeeded in the publishing world very calmly, and with a small hint
of humor, patiently tell the interviewer, “No, actually this is not my first book...
of humor, patiently tell the interviewer, “No, actually this is not my first book...
I’d been writing for ten years before I finally found success.” Or, “Yes, it’s my first book but I wrote a lot of other stuff before—you should see all the rejections I have, enough to fill a trash bag!” Stephen King had the sturdy nail in the wall where he stuck all of his rejections until eventually the wall couldn’t hold it. Other writers stuffed bags or boxes. For a while I had a folder but found
all the jammed paper too depressing, plus I needed the space. I debated on holding onto my electronic rebuttals, but have yet to do so. Of course there is
my trusty spreadsheet where they are all recorded so… guess I’m holding onto them in that way.
What I hate about these stories is that they are true, writers—famous writers, often have needed to suffer years’ worth of rejections. But oddly, what I
hate is also what I love. Hear these stories and you see that there is hope. We all know that with more practice one gets better, so it makes sense that writing year after year regardless of publishing success will make you a better writer. What is required is patience. It’s not going to happen in a month. It might not happen in a year. Might not even be ten. Most creative writing graduate students are told to expect a seven year wait. I’m on ten, but then again I’m not a graduate student, and I admit my earlier writing years were spotty at best.
A writer also needs to have faith—in themselves, in the project. You need a backbone too, because few people who are not artists will be able to understand the amount of time you put into your pieces and ‘why you haven’t published already?’ You can try to
explain it to them, but often it is a hard thing to explain to yourself. Sometimes it’s enough to say, “I’ll get there eventually.” Or, “I just need to give it time.” One of my favorite hope inducing analogies is the one about the train. I forget who said it and to paraphrase, ‘If you get on the train and stay on it, eventually you will make it to your destination, but if you get off you will never make it there.”
Be Buddha like in patience, keep yourself writing, reading and observing. Stay, writer, on the train.
all the jammed paper too depressing, plus I needed the space. I debated on holding onto my electronic rebuttals, but have yet to do so. Of course there is
my trusty spreadsheet where they are all recorded so… guess I’m holding onto them in that way.
What I hate about these stories is that they are true, writers—famous writers, often have needed to suffer years’ worth of rejections. But oddly, what I
hate is also what I love. Hear these stories and you see that there is hope. We all know that with more practice one gets better, so it makes sense that writing year after year regardless of publishing success will make you a better writer. What is required is patience. It’s not going to happen in a month. It might not happen in a year. Might not even be ten. Most creative writing graduate students are told to expect a seven year wait. I’m on ten, but then again I’m not a graduate student, and I admit my earlier writing years were spotty at best.
A writer also needs to have faith—in themselves, in the project. You need a backbone too, because few people who are not artists will be able to understand the amount of time you put into your pieces and ‘why you haven’t published already?’ You can try to
explain it to them, but often it is a hard thing to explain to yourself. Sometimes it’s enough to say, “I’ll get there eventually.” Or, “I just need to give it time.” One of my favorite hope inducing analogies is the one about the train. I forget who said it and to paraphrase, ‘If you get on the train and stay on it, eventually you will make it to your destination, but if you get off you will never make it there.”
Be Buddha like in patience, keep yourself writing, reading and observing. Stay, writer, on the train.
