Get writing, damn it!
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“One day, I’ll sit down and write that novel…” As famous last words go, that’s up there with the best. Likely you’ve heard it said at least once. Possibly even uttered it yourself, while not really believing it will ever happen. Unfortunately, when it comes to procrastinating, modern man seems spectacularly adept at finding new and ingenious ways of avoiding writing that dream novel, article or screenplay so beloved of our inner creative voices. The same voices we so easily drown out with the trivialities of everyday life. There will always be a “one day”. Very rarely do we allow ourselves to see it. Upon hearing these words most writers will offer a wry and understanding smile. They are all too aware of that old adage that writers hate writing, but love having written. They know well the perils of distraction, the barriers that often prevent great ideas in the swirling vortex of the mind from being plucked out and presented to the world. If ours was a story, the internet would be villain-in-chief — its empire so vast you could wander it for a lifetime and not see all the temptations it had to offer. Its minions would be televisions, XBoxes, PlayStations and DVDs. Even the written word would play its part, although it might flit from side to side, both helping and hindering our hero, the writer-to-be. Yet in the end, during the inevitable plot twist, the true villain of the piece would be revealed. A-ha! It was fear all along — our long-standing femme fatale! Rather irritatingly, that wily wench always knows what makes us tick. For centuries she has lurked in the shadows, waiting for us to find our voice and dare to bear our innermost thoughts, before leaping out and poking us in the eye with a firm: “Nobody will like it, you miserable worm. You’ll be a laughing stock!” Of course, to her it’s just a game. Praying on the weak of spirit and generous of procrastination, she has broken many before us. Yet there is a simple cure for her poison. You see, the hero of our story can learn to ignore her. He can realise the internet is actually a friend who will help spread his voice far and wide — that’s how you’re reading this, after all — and that those devices of distraction can engage our emotions and inspire us like at no other time in history. Most importantly of all, he can discover that to write, all you really need to do is write. Pen on paper. Black on white. Whatever you like, however good or bad you think it is. Get something, anything, down on that crisp, clean sheet of paper — virtual or otherwise. One word or several paragraphs, it doesn’t matter. Once you start, the rest will follow. Would-be heroes, tonight is yours for the taking. Start that novel, plan that script, propose that Daily Proposition! Use the voice you’ve been dying to share and stupefy that femme fatale with your written word. She’s asking for it. |
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12 Comments
Nice! I have been inspired. The femme fetale won’t know what’s hit her.
So it’s not simply the lack of real ability which has prevented so many books from popping up?
Only nine months until November!
http://www.nanowrimo.org/
Regardless of ability, there’s no way of knowing if you really do ‘have a book in you’ or not until you try (the vast bulk, of course, are never published). You get to say you’ve written a novel and, since most people have precious little time for creative pursuits, it’s a valuable investment of time in something many would like to do, but don’t get around to.
Well lack of real ability is of course a factor; it’s called the ‘slush pile’ for a reason. But what about the fact it’s incredibly difficult to get published in the first place? More than once has a hugely successful book been knocked back - Harry Potter, etc.
Then there is also the economics of publishing. The bigger publishing houses are very reluctant to take on new authors because they aren’t guaranteed to sell well enough to cover the costs involved in production, and the smaller publishing houses can only take on a few new authors at a time aside from their money-making regulars.
On top of that, you have many publishing houses only accepting manuscripts from agents, who are just as picky as publishers on who they take on. It’s a chicken and egg cycle; you might need an agent to get published, but you generally need to have already been published before an agent will take you on.
I’d be delighted if anyone could contradict any of this…
Siobhana, you tell us you’d “be delighted if anyone could contradict any of this …” I can’t see myself really transporting you to a state of delight, but I want you to know that I am trying:
1. I can’t contradict your ‘slush pile’ comment, because I don’t move in such high-level literary circles as to enjoy such exciting experiences — - and I don’t know what they are anyway.
2. Contradict your belief that it’s “incredibly difficult to get published in the first place?” If it really is so difficult, I’m puzzled about the number of poor quality books which seem to be proliferating at rates we once were spared. Let’s put that one down to your sheltered existence?
3. So “successful book” figures denote quality? I’d best do some research there, because so many books I’ve thought were trash have done exceptionally well, which means — - if you’re right — - that I MUST be hopelessly misled re what quality really entails.
4. As for the “economics of publishing” problem, see point 2 above.
5. But horror of horrors!!!!! Agents can be “just as picky as publishers”. I’m aghast. Then again, doesn’t that also link back to point 2?
6. Your chicken and egg analogy needs some thought. I worked out the fallacy it entails as a youngster, so I’m sure (if you apply yourself) that you could too.
Wow, the publishing industry does sound dire then, doesn’t it? But Norman, I didn’t conflate ‘successful book’ with quality; I simply said that even books which turn out to be enormously popular and huge financial successes have been turned down by publishers. You can’t deny that money is an overriding factor in the publishing industry, like all profit-driven industries. Publishers will publish what sells (which can be tripe a lot of the time), but it also means they can make a loss on worthier projects. Without the pulp fiction, less of the better-quality books can be made.
So I’ll specify what I meant about it being ‘incredibly hard to get published’. It’s often difficult for the very good books to get published because they won’t sell. You also haven’t defined what a ‘quality’ book is, which makes it difficult for me to defend myself. Patronising comments (my ‘sheltered existence’, ‘if you apply yourself’ etc.) are pretty uncalled for. If your argument is sound, then you shouldn’t need to resort to treating me like an idiot.
I agree with Michelle: it’s very difficult to know if you ‘have a book in you’ until you try, and even then deeming a book ‘publishable’ is a very subjective process. Different editors have different tastes, and that means there’s opportunity for all types of literature to get published. But it’s wonderful when the good stuff finally comes through! And publishers in the industry always seem like they have their heart in the right places; they understand how the business works, but I think they’re also on the writers’ side. I still won’t give up hope that soon I’ll have something that might interest a publisher!
Siobhana, regarding the chicken and egg cycle, it certainly seems that way most of the time. However, these days there are more avenues than you think with regards to the game of ‘getting published’. Take this article for example, and then check out websites like The Punch and the National Times. All accept submissions from as yet unknown writers who may have something to say and a readable way to say it.
Even if you think you’re more a novelist than journalist, give it a go, treat it as a short story if you want. After a while you might be able to build up a small portfolio of online published pieces, THEN you can hit that publisher or agent with your first book, armed with samples of your writing that other people have already enjoyed. I guess if you’re extremely lucky the publisher or agent might already be a fan!
Yet in the end, the key to success is that old cliche of writing for yourself. If you like what you’ve written, chances are others will too. Getting the others to realise how wonderful you are is when the games begin - some bad writers are good at it, some good writers are bad at it. Hence there are a lot of crap books out there and a lot of good ones we’ll never get to read.
And to answer an earlier point, about the lack of ability, I’d suggest that’s true. But not how you think.
I started out as an ok writer and hope I’ve progressed to good. I aim for great. But the only ability I ever needed was the ability to put fear in her place and get on with it.
Set the standards low enough, and anyone can ‘succeed’ at anything. Look at current ‘education’.
Great piece here. Got no idea about the dynamics of the novel game, thankfully I don’t have any plans to write one, though I would like to pen a compelling history of strata title.
Even if the novel is you’re thing, goes without saying the first thing is to get started on it. But as Dan here suggests, I’d highly recommend gunning for some quick wins as well, which are eas(ier) to do, boost your confidence and help motivate you for the bigger, and let’s face it on the numbers, riskier projects. I’m a complete unknown, yet over the years through periodically subduing the ‘femme fatale’ I’ve had all sorts of writing, long and short, published in all sorts of places - from the Griffith Review and The Chaser to giveaway community newspapers.
Of course, opportunities come and go - a decade or so ago the Chaser was a physical newspaper and would accept unsolicited submissions. Not so anymore, but there’s always new openings, not least of which is the Daily Proposition. You might get caught up in the news yourself - Crikey’s shown a preparedness to accept personal accounts on the big stories (witness recent accounts from the state of disaster that is Qld).
The beauty of the web too is you get the opportunity for real feedback from real readers, which is enormously fabulous of course if it is positive, and generally instructive if not. Plus your clippings don’t go yellow.
You might get paid, you might get contra, you might get nothing. The satisfaction is enormous, and keeps the pilot light of creativity alive in the shit blizzard of the everyday.
Dan, you’re totally right. I’m happy to write a bit of everything (I’m not novel-centric), and it’s funny you mention getting a portfolio of online published pieces, because I already write/review for some online publications. I figured it was also logical to keep it all together and archived in one blog. It’s heartening to think I’m on the right track.
Also, I hadn’t thought about the fact that if you like what you’ve written, chances are someone else will as well. It’s easy to forget this - more often than not, the good old writer’s crisis of confidence kicks in!
Thanks for your article and I look forward to seeing more of your work.
Remember the white male sydney taxidriver who wrote a novel which got rejected and was told that white middle aged male writers wouldn’t get published in Australia? The bloke who converted his protagonist into an assimilated female Koorie woman called Wanda Koolmatrie who was overseas and therefore couldn’t pick up the prizes she was awarded soon after it was accepted and published . The only thing aboriginal about the book was that she’d heard a didjeridoo on a recording in a Bondi flat. Two years after it had done the rounds and was even on the NSW year 12 booklist, the publisher suddenly got wise and the author came out in full confessional mode on the front pages of the press. He handed back the prize money but copped much outrage. Much of the flack was fair. He had taken advantage of a press dedicated to encourage indigenous Australian writing. However, lots of the outrage pointed squarely at the notion that if you’re not a member of the right group, you might as well procrastinate even though you’ve got a pretty good book in you.
You’re not supposed to talk about this sort of thing. Even on Fawlty Towers.