Blogger: Rachelle Gardner
I heard a delightful interview with NY Times bestselling author Paula Brackston on the Grammar Girl podcast, in which she talked about the writing process and the life of a writer.
“I was one of those overnight successes that takes about ten years. I’d been trying to get a novel published for a long time. I wrote short stories and articles and things like that, and I also did an MA in creative writing. I had small children so I was beginning a family at the same time, and I just kept going.”
She goes on to give more details about how her career progressed, and she stresses the importance of persistence.
“If you give up, you’ll never know. Just be persistent, be passionate, really put your passion onto the page because it shines through in the writing.”
This is the advice we always give writers, but somehow it has more weight coming from a successful author who has been in the trenches. The journey of a writer takes a lot of grit, to use a popular word these days, and not only in the beginning but all the way through.
So—what do you do while you’re waiting for that “overnight success” to happen? It can be hard when you’re sending things out and waiting for responses; when you’re waiting for an agent and/or a publisher to take a chance on you.
Here are some things to do during the waiting:
- Keep moving forward. If you’re submitting queries, then rather than putting all your eggs in that basket, make sure you’re also writing your next book. Don’t let yourself get stalled out on one step of the process.
- Keep learning. Take workshops, get critiques on your work, consider an advanced degree in writing if that appeals to you.
- Keep writing. As Brackston said, write articles, write short stories, find places or platforms that will publish your shorter works.
- Keep growing your platform. Use social media, your blog & website, your email list to gather a reading audience.
- Keep networking. Become a part of one or more writing groups that are right for you. Get to know other authors. Volunteer to read for them, so they might want to read for you. Help them promote their books. Become a part of the writing community.
- Keep building your submission list. Always be looking for more names of agents and/or editors to whom you can send your queries. Maintain a spreadsheet with the names, dates of submission and responses.
- Keep reading. I recommend author memoirs, since they can help you be more open-minded about your path. Read books both in and out of your genre. Read, read, read—it’s the best way to become a better writer. Shoot for 50-100 books a year (which is an arbitrary number, but it’s nice to have some kind of goal.)
- Keep listening. There are so many interesting podcasts these days. Look for podcasts for readers and podcasts for writers. Consider storytelling podcasts, which can help you sharpen your ability to tell a good story. Listen to interview podcasts, in which you can hear from authors, both fiction and nonfiction.
What are your favorite things to do while waiting?
Photo by Eutah Mizushima on Unsplash
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
My life is like a painting,
by Remington, it seems.
“Last Lull In The Fight”, the waiting
for the destruction of my dreams.
But sitting here in cancer’s flames
there’s work yet to be done;
hard duty still remains
from which my heart can’t run.
I must stay true to witness
the blessings born of fire
that serve to prove the fitness
of the God that we require.
In celebration or in deep despair
the Man from Calvary will be there.
If you’re interested, you can see “The Last Lull In The Fight” here:
https://www.paintingmania.com/last-lull-fight-last-stand-181_17757.html
Maco Stewart
A year ago, I changed my perspective from the immediate (hunt/capture agent, get published) to the longer, saner, truer one of continual self-improvement. It was a great relief.
Thanks for this post, Rachelle, and its suggestions. They outline a path that just might prove Suddenly Successful, or maybe better yet, fulfilling.
Jeanne
I have never thought to read author memoirs. What a great suggestion!
In the waiting times, I like to brainstorm, think through, and begin plotting a new story. And, I work on building my platform. And, I catch up on non-writing things that I let slide when I was finishing up the last book.
These are all great suggestions, Rachelle!
Lori Altebaumer
So good! And I really like this as a reminder to stay balanced as well. Sometimes while we wait we tell ourselves that our lack of success is because we haven’t spent enough time on one certain thing, and that may be true at times. But as creatives, I think we can burn ourselves out or dig ourselves down into a pit if we neglect too much to focus to narrowly on just one thing. The waiting is so much easier with a mix of learning, growing, sharing, and doing.
Crystal Caudill
Great recommendations, and I agree with Lori. “The waiting is so much easier with a mix of learning, growing, sharing, and doing.”
I’m currently in the waiting / keep on chugging phase and it has been so much better to keep moving than to sit and wait for an answer.
Shelli Littleton
I have really enjoyed taking pictures and connecting with new friends and writers on Instagram.
Patricia Iacuzzi
Enjoy doing a lot of these while I’m waiting, even though I usually end up all over the map. But it’s part of the good feeling of creativity, and many times I discover something new to work on in the future. Thanks for the reminders, Rachelle.