Tag Archives: #fictionwriter

Overcoming Writing Excuses: Start Your Book Today

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You have an idea for a novel/nonfiction book/stage play/screenplay/book of poetry/book of essays/etc. but you haven’t been able to actually do anything with it.

It sits there. An idea. Going nowhere.

If you don’t activate it soon, you’ll lose interest in it and enthusiasm about it.

You may have any number of excuses for not moving forward and developing your idea. Some of the most common excuses are:

  1. I don’t have time to write.
  2. I don’t know how to write or, I don’t know how to do this kind of writing.
  3. I’m not good with spelling and grammar.
  4. Other people whose works I’ve read are really good writers. Where do I get the nerve to even think that I can write in their space?
  5. This will take me such a long time. Is it even worth it to start?
  6. What if I finish it and it doesn’t get published?
  7. What if it turns out to be awful? I’d be so embarrassed.
  8. What if it gets published or I self-publish it and no one reads it?

Most of these excuses are bullshit, and badass writers don’t indulge in bullshit. Acknowledge them for what they really are: AN EXPRESSION OF FEAR.

  1. I don’t have time to write. There are ways to squeeze writing time into the busiest schedule. I’ll recommend some in another post. But this is probably about you being afraid. If you write TEN MINUTES A DAY, you’ll put it more than an hour a week. You can accomplish a lot in an hour.
  2. I don’t know how to write or, I don’t know how to do this kind of writing. You learn. You learn by doing and by reading about writing. There are MANY resources available to you (including some I offer).
  3. I’m not good with spelling and grammar. Then you write what you want to write and either hire an editor/proofreader or get that smart English major friend of yours to correct your masterpiece for a few beers.
  4. I’ve read books like the one I want to write by really good writers. Where do I get the nerve to even think that I can write in their space? These writers inspired you to write! And keep in mind the fact that they didn’t start out being really good writers. They probably started out feeling just as doubtful about their ability as you do now – BUT THEY DID START.
  5. This will take me such a long time. Is it even worth it to start? That’s something you need to decide. However, wasting time thinking this way will not get you to the finish line any faster.
  6. What if I finish it and it doesn’t get accepted by a publisher? Then you self-publish it. (SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION ALERT: See my course, How to Self-Publish Your Badass Book on Amazon. It’s on Teachable.com.)
  7. What if I self-publish it and no one reads it? You will have to promote the hell out of it. I cover how to do that in the above-mentioned course.
  8. What if it turns out to be awful? I’d be so embarrassed. There is no limit on the number of times you can revise it. You can continue to improve that. You can hire a co-writer or an editor to help you improve it.

There. There is no excuse for the excuses you’re using to excuse yourself from writing what you want to write.

Get to it.

Why You Should NOT Pitch Your Work as Unique

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This is going to be a hard truth to swallow, so brace yourself. Even though you’ve written something you’re convinced is a one-of-a-kind piece – and it may well be – that’s not the way you want to sell it to literary agents and publishers.

The literary industry is, first and foremost, an industry. It exists to make money. Sure, it does so by managing the work of authors, which is pretty great. But it is, essentially, a profit machine.

Profit machines are not designed to take risks. On one level, agents and publishers are looking for the next fresh voice. They love books! They love reading and they love authors and they are always on the hunt for writing that speaks to them in some new way.

However, they must be reassured that there is some precedent for whatever it is you’re submitting to them – especially a precedent that sold well.

Name Dropping is Not Only OK…

When composing your query letter, you’ll make a stronger case for yourself if you place your book into a recognizable context. For example: “My thriller, Miles to Go Before I Die, explores territory familiar to readers of David Baldacci and Harlan Coben, but with a surprising main character: a flight attendant with a gambling addiction who finds herself thrown into a world of global intrigue.”

Damn. That sounds good. Maybe I should write that book! But note what I did in that description. I invoked the names of two best-selling authors, thereby associating myself with them and hinting that my writing is as good as theirs. Hinting. Then I drop a twist into it, by telling them about my main character. A flight attendant with a gambling addiction? If nothing else, it should make them curious.

The book does not have to be just like those written by Baldacci and Coben. The phrase “explores territory familiar to” is sufficiently vague.

What I’ve done here is to let the agent or publisher know that there is an existing readership for my book. Baldacci, Coben and other successful authors of thrillers have laid the groundwork for it and built up a community of readers who love thrillers. In other words, I am telling the publishing industry that my book is likely to make money. Is that guaranteed? Of course not – but the people I’m querying already know that. What they want to know is that profit is likely.

(Note: I’ve used a fiction example here, but this strategy can be used with nonfiction as well.)

Send a Signal

In the example above, I’m also demonstrating that I have some understanding of how the publishing industry works. I am sending a signal that the agent or publisher will not be dealing with some amateur who is trying to sell them a poorly written book.

The point of a query is to get agents and/or publishers interested enough to request your manuscript. They cannot afford to waste time and energy on a book that will probably not appeal to readers. Even if what you’ve written is unique, dropping names and mentioning genres will place your book in a recognizable – and intriguing context. It will increase your chances of having your manuscript read by decision-makers in the publishing industry.