Toni's Scary Writing Tips
(No sugar-coating included - read at your own risk.)
By Toni Blake
©2005 Toni Blake. All Rights Reserved.
1. Don’t be afraid to write. I frequently encounter people who tell me they’ve always wanted to write, but they’re afraid to – afraid they won’t like what they produce, afraid it won’t be any good. But it’s this simple – if you don’t write, you’ll never know.
2. Learn craft. Why? Because 99.5% of people simply don’t intuitively understand the craft of putting together good, effective, flawless writing without a little instruction. Taking the time to attend some classes and take some workshops and read some books can only make your work stronger.
3. Don’t be afraid to submit. Over the length of my career I’ve encountered lots of people who’ve written a book yet are terrified to submit it to agents or publishers. Because they’re afraid of rejection. They want to bask in the joy of having written a book, and they don’t want to find out it’s not good enough. That’s great if this is a hobby – but if you seriously want to build a career, you MUST submit. And submit. And submit. It’s like the lottery – if you don’t play, you can’t win.
4. Expect rejections. Unless you’re one of the .5% of geniuses above, rejections will come. Chances are there will be a lot of them. They hurt, I know. But brace yourself – because it takes some thick skin to make it in this business. And when you receive criticism, weigh it, learn from it. Use it the next time you write.
5. Understand the market. Not only because it gives you a better chance of selling, but because if you don’t sell, there’s a reasonable chance that you’ve written a perfectly good book but that the market just isn’t open to it at the moment. For years, people wrote paranormals and had door after door shut in their faces. It didn’t mean the books weren’t good – it just meant the market wasn’t favorable for them. Now paranormals are flying off the shelves.
6. Persevere. You don’t want to know how many unsold manuscripts I possess. Really. It would depress you. Instead, though, it should cheer you up. Because if someone with as many unsold books as I have can make it into the ranks of the published, you can, too. All you have to do is never give up. If you really want to make a career of writing, if you really, really want to see your books in print, keep trying. If you give up, your failure is guaranteed. I’m a firm believer that if you truly never give up, you will sell.
7. Rest assured that, despite my warnings above, there are writers out there who sit down, write a book, and sell it in a snap. I know people who have experienced this good fortune and it could happen to you, too. But if it doesn’t – if it turns out that the above experiences do apply to you – be brave, don’t let it get you down. Because the rewards in this business are too numerous to count. Even if you never sell. Writing, when it comes from the heart, is its own reward. Remember that first, above all other things, and whatever happens, you’ll do just fine!