This business can be hard, let me tell you. As a writer, we dream of getting published, query until our eyes bleed, revise, revise, revise. Everything feels like it should be perfect, but in actuality, the publishing journey is just that—a journey. You will still be waiting, you will still be stressing, you will still feel unsure.
Happy writing! =)
When I signed my contract, I had around 500ish hits a month on this blog, 125 Twitter followers, and 0 adds on Goodreads.
Now, I have 3-5,000 hits a month on this blog, nearly 3,000 followers on Twitter, and just over 2,000 adds on Goodreads, all in less than 5 months. You could say GRAVITY has gotten attention.
But do you know what has stayed the same? The unease, the questions, etc. For a long time I felt lost, unable to control my future at all, then I realized something—something I think you should know.
We hold the power to our future, no one else, because we are the writers. And that’s the element through all of this you should focus on. The writing. Write the very best you can every time you sit down to write. Don’t worry about who just landed a top agent. Don’t worry about who just got a major deal. Don't worry about who your editor is focused on and why that isn't you. Instead of wasting time worrying, just write. And with each book, push yourself to write better, to develop better characters, and to come up with more compelling plot lines. If you do this, really do this, you will always stay in control. So choose: are you going to be a passenger on your journey or the driver?
Happy writing! =)
That's the best advice: Not to compare your career to anyone else's because there are so many definitions of success. Everyone defines success by different standards. Do the best you can, take the path that fits you and what you want to achieve...and know that you're AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteLove this post!!! And something I think we all need to bookmark and re-read, oh, at least once a month :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your upcoming release of GRAVITY--and thanks for the reminders! Write, write better, don't worry about others' successes, focus on your own journey...and don't give up :-) Great advice for all, no matter where we are on the road to publication. Thanks a bunch.
ReplyDelete