As I mentioned last month here on the blog, I think more writers should consider the traditional publishing option.
I won’t list all my disclaimers each and every time, but please know that I fully realize you might make more money and might find readers a whole lot more quickly if decide to self-publish. I get it. I really do.
Maybe I’m writing this for 5% or less of writers out there today, but I believe the traditional route is doable.
Steep odds?
Maybe?
Can you improve your odds?
Yes.
It may not be a fast process. It might be frustrating. Agony is a likely. Rejection is guaranteed.
But there’s value in the traditional route.
First, you won’t have to run your own business.
Second, once you land a deal, you’re likely to encounter a whole team of experienced, professional, knockout editors (maybe starting with your agent) who will make your story better.
And, third, you can focus on writing.
And only the writing.
The process starts with a commitment to making the words better.
Sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, chapter by chapter, novel by novel … better.
What is better?
Nobody knows.
Just kidding—of course we know. You do, too.
And getting there involves developing a mindset. A singular focus on getting better. No different than learning guitar. Or cooking a meal. Or playing golf. Or being an archer.
Practice.
Go through the books you love. Find a chapter that pulled you in. Immediately. Completely. So good it made the world out there disappear. Magic.
Look at the prose. Drink it in. Savor it. Sit with it. Read it. Read it again.
Imagine writing a couple of pages of a story and imagine that every single time you show it to a reader (friend, stranger, critique partner, anyone) they say something along the lines of, “holy crap is that good” or “when can I read more?”
Every single time.
Your prose. Your words. Your ideas. Your images. Your characters.
Imagine those two pages are the promise of the novel and imagine the rest of the novel delivers at the same level.
Does your current work-in-progress accomplish that? Is it cliché-free? Is it full of fresh imagery? Does it draw readers along with a fresh voice—your voice?
So how do you get better?
Nobody knows.
Just kidding—of course we know.
We practice. And test. We practice. And test some more.
You can practice with scenes. You can practice with a page of description. You can practice with a chapter. Heck, you can practice with a 100,000-word finished novel. What do your beta readers say? Do they say something similar?
Put your practice pages down. For a month. Or five. Pull them out again and read them with fresh eyes. What needs work?
Write every day. Doesn’t matter—write every day. Fifteen minutes, great. An hour? Even better. When you’re done putting words on the page, tell your subconscious to keep thinking about the scene you’re working on. And tell your conscious mind to scour the day for details you can steal from the real world. The way somebody speaks. The way light looks on a snowcapped mountain. How the forest smells at dawn.
Take classes. Join writing groups. Read other writers’ pages. Or books. Show your work to them. Get good at taking feedback. And if the feedback is all too cheery, too upbeat—question it. At least, ask yourself if the feedback is giving you what you need to know to improve.
Read books about writing. Read books about anything. Read books about writers. Read book reviews. What’s being celebrated? What’s being criticized? Write book reviews detailing the things you liked. And didn’t lik. Spend time in the library browsing the prose of writers you’ve never read before.
Write a novel. Show it around, get feedback, rewrite it, show it around again.
Write another novel. And repeat.
Was the second novel better than the first? Why? Figure it out. What worked, what didn’t? Make a list of things that worked well. Dialogue. Character descriptions. Suspense. Plot mechanics. Intrigue. Transitions. The big fat mushy middle. What comes easy? What gives you fits?
Are you ready to turn pro?
Is your work good enough that you think somebody will offer you a contract? Offer you an advance?
There’s one way to find out.
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Photo by Niklas Tidbury on Unsplash