Comments on: The Only Way to Know If You’ll Be a Successful Writer

By: Jane Friedman

Jane Friedman — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:13:56 +0000

@Grandma Zelinka – I don’t think there are any shortcuts, BUT you can always go independent and get your work out there without a publisher or agent. (E.g., publish an e-book using Amazon’s Digital Text Platform).

You may not have the validation of being selected/edited by a traditional publisher, but you can still have something specific to send people to.

You might also consider posting your wisdom as a series of blog posts, using a free blogging service like WordPress.com or Blogger.com
.-= Jane Friedman´s last blog ..The Beauty and Tragedy of Endings =-.

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By: Jane Friedman

Jane Friedman — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:05:01 +0000

@Mishell – I don’t think the desire to make money writing is a bad thing, or that writers should NOT try to make a living from it.

But it is tough to make a living by writing alone, and most writers I encounter aren’t looking at writing as a BUSINESS.

Writers who are motivated to write by the idea of earning a living from it may become quickly frustrated (and quit fast) when they realize there’s very little money to be made — OR very little money to be made writing what they truly love.
.-= Jane Friedman´s last blog ..The Beauty and Tragedy of Endings =-.

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By: Roberta Zelinka

Roberta Zelinka — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 20:16:19 +0000

Hi Jane. I guess my career as a writer is over before it begins. I am floored by the news I just read in your article about knowing if you are a writer,etc. I was hit between the eyes upon reading “to get going in writing takes ten years”. Oh my, I was hoping to be the Grandma Moses of writing. What a blow!! You see, I am seventy-nine years old on the 6th of July and in all probability will not live ten years. Never the less, writing is what I do. I have some great things to share which I have seen and experienced over my lifetime. I have a collection of stories that have been applauded by my writer’s group. Everyone says I must get published but I never dreamed of such. Is there anyway to find out if I even have a chance by speeding things up a bit? I hope to hear from you. Until then, I will keep on keeping on. Sincerely, Grandma Zelinka

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By: Dana

Dana — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:57:12 +0000

Interesting post, Jane. Thanks. I think that the desire to be publishes is wonderful for many people. However, for others, I believe it can be downright pathological.

For some, instead of spending ten years trying to write something that will earn the recognition of agents and editors, they would be better off spending a year in therapy trying to discover why that need for recognition/validation is not being met in their daily lives and personal relationships.

Compulsive behaviors are often the result of un-processed traumas. Terrible things happened, they become secrets, they eat away at the person silently while the person puts on a smile and goes on and seeks to salve the wound through a variety of pathological behaviors, such as drinking, drugging, Internet addiction, or through compulsively working to earn the recognition of some glamorous editor and the resultant adoration of thousands of fans.

There is another way. A person might be able to work through some of their problems, might be able to find a way to award themselves acceptance and therefore free themselves from the need to be accepted by agents and editors.

At this point, if the person is still interested in writing, she will be less likely to loathe her work, her writing will be less needy, and the place it comes from may feel better and more authentic.

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By: Ernie Zelinski

Ernie Zelinski — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:34:09 +0000

Mark Twain, a successful writer in his own right, once advised, “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living; the world owes you nothing, it was here first.”

So, don’t expect any financial or other help from anyone and you will get much, much further than the majority of wannabe successful authors who suffer from a severe sense of entitlement along with the world-owes-me-a-living syndrome. These are the people “waiting to be discovered.”

Trust me, you will experience much more satisfaction when you succeed on your own efforts and without any aid from anyone.

Three other very important quotes come to mind:

“If you want to be a writer — stop talking about it and sit down and write!”
— Jackie Collings

“A professional writer is an amateur who refused to quit.”
— Richard Bach

“I read my own books sometimes to cheer me when it is hard to write and then I remember that it was always difficult and how nearly impossible it was sometimes.”
— Ernest Hemingway

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By: Joanie

Joanie — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:50:51 +0000

Jane, thank you for the reassuring words. I write everyday, especially when I doubt myself. Just today, the director, at a local hospital, loved my humorous Father’s Day article. She told me she wants more of my high caliber writing! Wow…that statement made my day as I continue down my writing road. Joanie
.-= Joanie´s last blog ..Human knot =-.

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By: Margo Gremmler

Margo Gremmler — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:46:41 +0000

Jane, thank you for such a lovely reminder. What makes us great writers is being in touch with our most human facets – which sometimes, let’s face it, doesn’t jibe with a particularly “ambitious” streak.

I also wanted to second your kind words about @jeannevb. I also met Jeanne on Twitter a number of months ago, and I heartily agree – she epitomizes the warm writer community I’ve met there. Go, Jeanne, go!
.-= Margo Gremmler´s last blog ..Eight FUN ways to help save libraries =-.

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By: Debra Marrs

Debra Marrs — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:06:14 +0000

Jane, you nailed it. Writers who are most successful and will be published are tenacious. They are willing to put in the time to hone their craft. The best ask for and listen to constructive feedback, then apply it to their own manuscripts. They take instruction, read how-to books, attend conferences, soak up everything writerly to become the best. They don’t make excuses.

Writing is a process of immersion. And yes, writers, that means immersing in your writing projects for as long as it takes to get them right. Two years, rarely. Ten years, common.

Congratulations to Jeanne Veillette Bowerman for understanding what it takes. I’m glad you two met because every writer needs a mentor.
.-= Debra Marrs´s last blog ..STOP Procrastinating Tip #2 – Eat A Frog Every Morning! =-.

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By: carin dupin

carin dupin — Mon, 31 May 2010 17:22:36 +0000

poignant, passionate, persuasively potent. for that matter why do anything? my advice to myself: would i survive if i stopped writing? how many times i wished i could! my advice to anyone wanting to be a writer: if it is at all possible, try to do something else! of course if you’re a talented self-marketeer, if you are good at figuring out what the market wants and delivering it, if the “business of writing” comes easily to you, than by all means proceed but then that is no guarantee that you’re a writer. 10 yrs to make it? how about a lifetime? the thing is, the world doesn’t need another book let alone another writer. a stroll through any bookstore confirms that. and if a book is truly original it will take the book 10 yrs to be noticed let alone the writer. and whether or not a book is good won’t be known until at least a century after the writer is gone. so why would you want to write? why wouldn’t you prefer a simple honest job, a good life, or better yet devote your creative energies to the ten thousand critical issues which demand our attention today. the thing is that there are no end to reasons as to why you should put your pen down right now and do something else. i plead with myself everyday to do just that. why do i keep on writing? because i know if i stopped i would die. if you could stop writing and go on living than the most sane and intelligent thing you could do is give it up.

thanks jane for a stimulating prod…
.-= carin dupin´s last blog ..Money & the Meaning of Life /3 =-.

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By: Allie Dillon

Allie Dillon — Mon, 31 May 2010 14:22:44 +0000

Yippee-i-o-ti-a. I’ve been “riding” for at least 8 of those 10 years and my fire is always lit at the end of each day on the trail. Finally taking the time to share those campfire stories, so your post is one to loop my reins around. I’ll be back to pick up my horse.

Kind thanks,
Allie in Austin, TX

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