Insecure Writers Support Group is already upon us for the month of October. Can't believe that it's almost time for Halloween! Wow. #Timeflies Special thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh and this month's co-hosts, Kristin Smith, Elsie, Suzanne Furness, and Fundy Blue!Today IWSG members are contributing to The IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond which an incredible undertaking to help writers learn from other aspiring and published authors. I thought long and hard about what I could contribute, and sadly I didn't come up with much. Still there are some important and elemental lessons all writers need to remember at every stage of their career.
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| Be Bold and Never Give Up! |
On Writing: Lessons for the Bold
Looking back on my experiences, I can undoubtedly tell aspiring authors what's worked and what hasn't worked for me, but the truth is every writer has difference experiences. What works for some, doesn't necessarily work for others. Luck also plays a big role in a writer's success. Alas, no one can predict that. No one can predict why an agent will respond to one query letter, and another one won't. Or how one book gets published, and another one is rejected. Or why one book sells more than another. Everything varies and in this still somewhat tumultuous publishing time, where publishers are fighting among themselves, the group that it affects the most are the writers.
The two things that I've learned that perhaps are the most valuable lessons are to be bold and to never (EVER) give up. Be bold in your writing. Be true to yourself. Be bold in your submitting and be bold when you publish. Do the work now and when it comes time remember..."Fortune Favors the Bold!"
Those are my words of advice and in fact, not being bold enough has been a debilitating insecurity I've dealt with for the last year. Now that I've expunged this cowardly demon inside me, I can move forward boldly with greatness. Right? Damn straight!
What about you and your insecurities this month? Have you been bold enough in your writing? What about in life? What type of advice did you give for the IWSG book?
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Mina Burrows
Bio: aspiring author and lover of wicked literature
Blog: minaburrows.blogspot.com
ISWG has my permission to rebublish this post.
Mina Burrows
Bio: aspiring author and lover of wicked literature
Blog: minaburrows.blogspot.com
ISWG has my permission to rebublish this post.
15 comments:
Love your advice! I've often wondered if I should hold back in my writing because some people may not like it, but then I think why the hell should I? Watering down the story or the writing style is just going to make it weak.
Awesome advice! It's often all in the timing. We can't control that, but we can control us.
Thanks for contributing to the book.
You're absolutely right that not everyone's experiences are the same. "Never give up" is always my tip for aspiring writers. :)
Outstanding advice, Mina. I need to take a dose of bold with a shot of courageous.
Fortune favors the bold. I love that Mina. I think I might seriously write that on a sticky note and tape it to my desk!
Never ever give up, looks like we were on similar wave lengths today. Be bold, now that's something I totally have to work on..... I need to do more ROAR and less meow.....:)
Good point about what works for one might not work for another. It's a different experience for every one.
Inspiring advice! To be bold...love it! Absolutely adore your social media buttons... :)
Best regards,
Donna McDine
Award-winning Children’s Author
Ignite Curiosity in your child through reading!
Write What Inspires You Blog
Being bold for me this month means putting myself out there at events where I am speaking as an author ... including a few that are out of my comfort zone. I'll be making presentations at library conferences and driving to places I've never been before. (I know the driving thing doesn't sound like much, but it's HUGE to me, especially driving after dark.)
I suffer from not being bold enough, in my writing and in my life. I tend to hold back, be cautious. Not sure I can change that in my life but I can certainly let go on the page, especially in early drafts. :)
Boldness is something I could stand to work on. But things will end better if I'm persistent. Good post.
I like the bold statement.
Good to hear you've upped your game on the boldness front. I need to work on that myself. If we can't be confident about our own work, who else will be?
Fortune favors the bold - I need to push the boundary even further...
Onward and upward! (but it does get scary...)
I love how we're all different. Good advice - I need to be bolder in many things. Great meeting you on Alex's blog.
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