Those of you who have been following this blog a while will know that
I have been at this writing game for quite a while. In fact, I've been
at it most of my life. I've been writing novels since I was 11 years
old. I've been submitting my work since I was 17. I am now 45. I will
leave you to work out for yourself just how many rejections that equates
to, with the added note that just because I have stuff published DOES
NOT mean I don't get rejected any more. Nor does it mean those
acceptances are any less sweet.
Anyway, when I got to thinking about just how long I've been at this game, it made me realise just how much I've learned along the way. And maybe I can pass on some of those things I have learned over the years to others, who may be just starting out on the whole writing/submitting/rejection carousel.
I will emphasise that I don't have all the answers. The thing about writing is that you never stop learning about your craft. And the publishing world is a whole lot different than it was when I started out, when there was no internet and no email, and submissions had to be sent by post, with a stamped self addressed envelope, and markets had to be researched and the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook was the must-have publication for getting hold of publishers' details.
No, I am by no means claiming to know everything about writing. If I did, I'd be making a great deal more money from it, and would be getting a lot more acceptances than rejections. But there are things I've learned along the way. Things that I wish I'd have known when I was starting. Things that might have led to that novel contract arriving a bit sooner than it did.
For the next few weeks, I am going to run a regular feature on this blog, featuring my version of the Ten Commandments of Writing. I am not claiming to be Moses, and unlike his mine are not written in stone. These will just be things I've learned along the way, that might help someone else as they try to negotiate the thorny path to publication. These will otherwise be known as the "Writer, Thou Shalt Not" rules.
Join me here at the same time next week for more information about the first commandment: "Writer, Thou Shalt Make Time to Write."
Anyway, when I got to thinking about just how long I've been at this game, it made me realise just how much I've learned along the way. And maybe I can pass on some of those things I have learned over the years to others, who may be just starting out on the whole writing/submitting/rejection carousel.
I will emphasise that I don't have all the answers. The thing about writing is that you never stop learning about your craft. And the publishing world is a whole lot different than it was when I started out, when there was no internet and no email, and submissions had to be sent by post, with a stamped self addressed envelope, and markets had to be researched and the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook was the must-have publication for getting hold of publishers' details.
No, I am by no means claiming to know everything about writing. If I did, I'd be making a great deal more money from it, and would be getting a lot more acceptances than rejections. But there are things I've learned along the way. Things that I wish I'd have known when I was starting. Things that might have led to that novel contract arriving a bit sooner than it did.
For the next few weeks, I am going to run a regular feature on this blog, featuring my version of the Ten Commandments of Writing. I am not claiming to be Moses, and unlike his mine are not written in stone. These will just be things I've learned along the way, that might help someone else as they try to negotiate the thorny path to publication. These will otherwise be known as the "Writer, Thou Shalt Not" rules.
Join me here at the same time next week for more information about the first commandment: "Writer, Thou Shalt Make Time to Write."
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