What a Writer Doesn’t Know May Hurt Them

What a writer doesn’t know may hurt them?

What a way to kick off a blog post! Isn’t this supposed to be a place where writers find encouragement? It is. Keep reading. This isn’t click-bait. It’s essential to your success as a writer.

HOW WILL IT HURT?

The hurt may come in one of several ways:

• Emotional injury for the writer (“I’m no good at this” or “I can’t get this right” when the truth is closer to “there’s more to learn.”)
• Discouragement (setting a project or writing at all aside when the answer is “there’s more to learn.”)
• Lost opportunity (when noncompliance shuts the door that compliance would have kept open)
• Accidentally burned a bridge you may need to escape the island (enough said)
• Delay (which sometimes comes from sending something out too soon rather than gathering the info so when it’s sent, it hits home)
• Denial…as in “not a good fit for us.”

CONTINUING EDUCATION WHEN WHAT A WRITER DOESN’T KNOW MAY HURT THEM

Whether pitching to an agent or an editor, or proposing a new project to your agent, the concept of continuing education is as important for writers as it is for any other profession. Imagine a doctor who doesn’t read medical journals or attend conferences where they learn what’s no longer true about cholesterol levels. Or a car mechanic who knows how to fix older models only, but not models newer than 2010. Or a teacher who doesn’t continue to keep up-to-date with new techniques or concerns while implementing tried-and-true?

The same can happen with a writer who:

• Stops learning, because, after all, how much does one need to know to string words together?
• Learned from one or two instructors and believes no one else could add to the pool of knowledge they offered
• Learned about writing but not about connecting with readers, reader psychology, reader felt needs
• Learned the basics, but failed to study either the agency or the publishing houses
• Was moved by a classic work years ago, and assume that if you mimic that pattern it will work in today’s reader culture

WHAT A WRITER MAY NOT KNOW

What might we not know? That publishing houses sometimes change their emphasis. That editors move from house to house or from publishing position to publishing position. That not every agent represents everything. That agents get to choose what they want to represent. (They’re not obligated to take on your project because you’re sure it will be a hit.) That readers are no longer in love with long chapters and long paragraphs. That the author you offend today may be the editor you’d like to pitch to four years from now.

In one-on-one conversations, you may be a rare person who appreciates having someone point a finger in your chest to make a point. The average reader doesn’t. If you defend your proposal with “but this is what they need,” you may receive a “not a good fit for us” because what you didn’t know about the average reader hurt your opportunity to speak at all.

Your favorite book may have used lousy grammar, but it’s your favorite book, so why should you worry about grammar in your book? Because agents and editors care…and readers may care subconsciously, even if they don’t know why a sentence felt awkward.

WHAT A WRITER MAY NOT REALIZE ABOUT AGENTS AND PUBLISHERS

You may have assumed the agent or editor will remember everything about you and the five minute conversation you had in the hall at a conference, so you can leave your name off your proposal, since they’re bound to remember you as Jim, right? You had it in your email. Why put it in the proposal? What you didn’t know may distance the work from the person to whom you’re submitting. We may have had a fascinating conversation in that moment, but we still need to see your name on your work. (Lest you think that’s an uncommon occurrence, it is not.)

If you don’t know that the agent or the publishing house you’re approaching has a specialty…or specialties…your submitting something out of character for them wastes their time, won’t convince them to try something different than what they like or promote, and reveals that you either didn’t do your research ahead of time or researched but did not care. Or worse yet, thought you were the one exception to the rule. KNOWING what they specialize in or the kinds of things they gravitate toward saves you time, saves them time, and shows you’ve done your homework. If you think you don’t know the kinds of books the agency represents or the kinds of books the publisher produces, check their website or podcast, check their social media, and check the publisher’s catalog.

WHAT’S THE POINT?

Good writers become great writers who become published authors who become accomplished authors by remaining a life-long and certainly a career-long learner.

What do you know today that you didn’t ten years ago about how to reach readers with words? Or how to incorporate story as a convincing tool? Or when to let lyricism take a back seat to clarity? If you’re reading this blog post… or listening to the Books & Such podcast…you’re invested in learning. Way to go!