It's first Wednesday and time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group! But first some newses.... On Saturday I am flying to Oregon for some time with my childhood friends. I haven't had a girlfriend vacation in ages and I am so excited. Not to mention I miss Oregon like crazy.
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| Astoria, Oregon at the mouth of the Columbia |
So now for this month's question... What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?
Don't rush.
It is so exciting to get that first book done, but that first book is NOT going to look good ten years from now if you don't slow down, get lots of feedback, go through the hoops of either querying a publisher or paying an editor... I know my first 5 books will never see the light of day unless they get total overhauls. I loved those stories, but I had to find my voice and my grounding. I'm glad self publishing wasn't really a thing yet at that point. Or they might be out there.
Take your time to learn the craft and get a feel for the industry. It's okay. It's not a race.
Okay, so that is my wisdom for the day and month... Now you should go visit some other insecure writers!
12 comments:
Learning the writing craft is huge. I want to keep learning and - hopefully! - improving. :)
Have a great trip!
My first book got a total overhaul and it was badly needed.
Safe travels!
It's probably not a tragedy my first book never got published. I'm almost scared to reread it now.
This is great advice! There are so many books on the market now that really needed to sit a bit, and go through some more revisions before being published. I cringe when I reread some of my earlier (thankfully unpublished) work.
Writing from years past remind me of my hairstyles from years past. Maybe you shouldn't revisit. But for sure, if you think they are worthy, old manuscripts should be rewritten, cut and restyled. :)
Teresa
Enjoy your stay in Oregon. I bet it will be a lot cooler there. At least not humid.
Good advice! Rushing to publication to soon is never a good idea, but I sure wish I were faster with the writing end of things.
Practice is the only way to become better at something. When you return to those other books with great skill, I'll bet you find ways to make them marketable. I tell myself that about a few manuscripts in the "drawer."
Good advice. There are so many books I've started and decided, nope, and never for that author. I'm sure they were just newbies who needed more experience. Ah well...
I've seen a lot of authors self publish a book every three or four months, and they truly are "milled". Pacing is good advice.
Have fun on the trip.
Don't rush is a great tip, especially in this day and age when publication of your work is just a few impulsive clicks away. Do you think you'll ever go back to any of those five books and attempt to shine them up and make them pretty enough for publication? Thanks for the post, and happy writing to you!
It's so tempting to rush to publish your first book and we've probably all been there. You're right, best to treat it as a rung on the ladder. Have a great holiday!
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