Hahaha I'm laughing at how relatable and true this all is. Oh my young sweet summer naive prepublished self hehe. But you're absolutely right, there are so many joys about being a writer and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Once again, really appreciate the opportunity to see glimpses of the less glamorous parts of a published author's life. When attending book festivals, it's so easy to feel nothing but envy for those of you on the other side of the signing tables, clearly "living the dream." It's helpful to hear your honest thoughts about things that unpublished authors likely don't suspect or never even considered. I appreciate that you've been willing to share these insights, including past emails. Because of your honest insights, of all those I subscribe to, your author emails are the most helpful in this regard.
I'm so glad you find them useful!Thank you for taking the time to read them!
And you're right that "living the dream" is never quite what it appears to be when you see someone online or at an event. There's a lot of hard work and frustration behind the filter of #AuthorLife!
I find this incredibly uplifting and reassuring. Many writers I know are trying to jump right in, expecting their first (often self-published) book to be a success that will solidify their brand, or they’re selecting aesthetics, creating author websites, & building brands, etc before ever publishing a novel or even finishing a manuscript. It all feels a bit backward to me.
I’m trying to take my time and first learn from what I’m producing, but I’ve wondered if I’m doing it wrong. Thank you for clarifying that I’m not.
I appreciate your honesty and your confidence and humility to share this wisdom. There are established writers who wouldn’t.
Kitty gets me every time! And I still don't want to hear this! LOL!
I used to teach Painting 101 to adults at an arts center. These were retirees from super successful careers. That they could not pick up a paintbrush and excel on the first day was painful for them. Because they were skilled in so many things, they imagined painting would be easy. They had forgotten the decades of learning and practice it had taken them to reach success in their other roles.
The more cat pictures there are, the more I assume people don't want to hear it. :)
And yes, being a beginner can be tough! But there's something really powerful about accepting that you CAN make mistakes, and this is the best time to do it, in fact! Shifting that mindset can take effort, though.
Ah, the truths of the author life and the blissful freedom of the writer life! Why must this be so relatable? The time spent writing in the beginning might seem like a waste, but the practice is necessary to become a better writer and author. Thanks for sharing these truths!
The note about the lack of life experience has me going 🫣👀 (like I have *some* life experience—not the fun or particularly useful kind, unfortunately—but I always wonder if it’s enough to actually help make me a decent writer)
Super unrelated to most of the post, but as someone who went on sub with an (essentially) harpy book last year, I was super tickled by the mention of Harriet and so want to know more. I feel like they're super uncommon in fantasy!
I think they are too! And honestly, I wrote my harpy book in . . . 2007? 2008? I don't remember. It's been a LONG time. Harriet will be able to drive soon, if she can't already!
Man that is a lot of books written before publication. And you FINISHED them even! Wild. That is a ton of practice. I would be bitter, too, ahahaha. (I am bitter and I haven't even finished that many. Mostly bitter at myself? Why is writing so hard.)
Hahaha I'm laughing at how relatable and true this all is. Oh my young sweet summer naive prepublished self hehe. But you're absolutely right, there are so many joys about being a writer and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Oh definitely wouldn't trade it!
But I would probably be pissed to hear all this from my future self, so I'm glad time travel doesn't exist (as far as I know).
Once again, really appreciate the opportunity to see glimpses of the less glamorous parts of a published author's life. When attending book festivals, it's so easy to feel nothing but envy for those of you on the other side of the signing tables, clearly "living the dream." It's helpful to hear your honest thoughts about things that unpublished authors likely don't suspect or never even considered. I appreciate that you've been willing to share these insights, including past emails. Because of your honest insights, of all those I subscribe to, your author emails are the most helpful in this regard.
I'm so glad you find them useful!Thank you for taking the time to read them!
And you're right that "living the dream" is never quite what it appears to be when you see someone online or at an event. There's a lot of hard work and frustration behind the filter of #AuthorLife!
I find this incredibly uplifting and reassuring. Many writers I know are trying to jump right in, expecting their first (often self-published) book to be a success that will solidify their brand, or they’re selecting aesthetics, creating author websites, & building brands, etc before ever publishing a novel or even finishing a manuscript. It all feels a bit backward to me.
I’m trying to take my time and first learn from what I’m producing, but I’ve wondered if I’m doing it wrong. Thank you for clarifying that I’m not.
I appreciate your honesty and your confidence and humility to share this wisdom. There are established writers who wouldn’t.
Oh good, I'm glad you do! And I'm really glad that you're taking your time with your work. Enjoy it! This is the fun part. <3
Kitty gets me every time! And I still don't want to hear this! LOL!
I used to teach Painting 101 to adults at an arts center. These were retirees from super successful careers. That they could not pick up a paintbrush and excel on the first day was painful for them. Because they were skilled in so many things, they imagined painting would be easy. They had forgotten the decades of learning and practice it had taken them to reach success in their other roles.
It's so hard to start at the beginning!
The more cat pictures there are, the more I assume people don't want to hear it. :)
And yes, being a beginner can be tough! But there's something really powerful about accepting that you CAN make mistakes, and this is the best time to do it, in fact! Shifting that mindset can take effort, though.
Ah, the truths of the author life and the blissful freedom of the writer life! Why must this be so relatable? The time spent writing in the beginning might seem like a waste, but the practice is necessary to become a better writer and author. Thanks for sharing these truths!
The note about the lack of life experience has me going 🫣👀 (like I have *some* life experience—not the fun or particularly useful kind, unfortunately—but I always wonder if it’s enough to actually help make me a decent writer)
If you're worried about it, the only way to get more is to go out and live your life!
Love the cat and the message ❤️
Super unrelated to most of the post, but as someone who went on sub with an (essentially) harpy book last year, I was super tickled by the mention of Harriet and so want to know more. I feel like they're super uncommon in fantasy!
I think they are too! And honestly, I wrote my harpy book in . . . 2007? 2008? I don't remember. It's been a LONG time. Harriet will be able to drive soon, if she can't already!
So relatable. Thank you for sharing!
Great post!!
Man that is a lot of books written before publication. And you FINISHED them even! Wild. That is a ton of practice. I would be bitter, too, ahahaha. (I am bitter and I haven't even finished that many. Mostly bitter at myself? Why is writing so hard.)
This brought me a lot of comfort.