I’ve been writing fiction for 39 years. It took me 23 years to get published.
I thought I would always write crime fiction. Now, after five novels out in one mystery series, I have a regular old novel coming out on January 1 from Lake Union. It’s called The Fireballer.
Of course I have no idea how it’s going to do, but I think it’s a click up from what I’ve written before.
(Key word: think.)
So allow me to pass along some reflections. That is, if the insights from a slow learner might help you.
Here are fourteen things I did right:
- Kept writing.
- Kept learning.
- Kept reading—lots. Of every variety.
- Built an ever-expanding circle of writer friends.
- Joined writing groups.
- Started teaching what I’d learned about writing. (It’s amazing how teaching something helps you organize your thoughts. And helps you take your own work more seriously.)
- Attended conferences.
- Made friends.
- Took leadership roles in writing organizations when it worked, which added to building the ever-expanding circle of writing pals.
- Rooted for others whose careers were getting off the ground. And veterans, too.
- Celebrated their success.
- Wrote reviews of nearly every book I read. (It’s amazing how writing reviews will help you read more critically.) But did not trash a book I hated.
- Judged contests when asked to do so.. Again, any chance to deploy your critical faculties is a good thing.
- Listened when a nifty idea for a novel fell into my lap four years ago. And, because of all those steps above, felt like I could take it on. Had I not been prepared , I wouldn’t have been ready to hear the idea. Or do anything with it.
Five things I could have done better:
- I should have written more.
- I should have made a serious point of learning more—earlier. I should have been more analytical. What skills did I need to improve? Dialogue? Structure? Character development? I should have made a list of things to improve and I should have worked on those skills.
- I should have treated writing fiction less like a hobby and more like a profession. I landed a good literary agent for my first novel but I still don’t think I took it seriously enough. I landed a good literary agent for my second novel but I still don’t think I took it all seriously enough.
- I should have joined writing groups much earlier. I bet it took me 15 years. I didn’t really understand their power. Or the benefit of volunteering.
- I should have made a point of going to conferences much earlier, too, to really immerse myself among friends who cared about writing. Sure, I made a few writer friends without going to conferences, but it was hit-and-miss. I had a mentor who was well-published. He was great, but it wasn’t the same thing as developing a whole network of like-minded folks.
Final thought: Are you signed up for Colorado Gold? Hmmm? Sept. 9 – 11. Why not?
(And … sorry I’ll miss you. I’ll be at Bouchercon, a conference for crime fiction writers and fans, in Minneapolis that same weekend. It was a very difficult decision. I’ll miss being at Gold for sure.).
Great post!