An Author's Goals

[Teresa Edgerton]

Two things you need to keep in mind:

1) When someone says that only (picking a number out of the air) .0009% of aspiring writers will ever get published, that doesn't mean that everyone (or in fact, anyone) has a .0009% chance of getting published. It means that the vast, vast majority of books have 0% chance of getting published (the writing simply is not good enough and it lacks that indefinable spark that allows readers to forgive a certain amount of bad writing), and every book that doesn't fall into that dismal category has (depending on the quality of writing and how well it fits into the current market) chances somewhere between pretty darn good and not likely, but maybe. And while not likely, but maybe might not sound encouraging, it's a whole lot better than .0009%.

Of course some of the people in the 0% category might pull themselves out of it by working very hard at improving their writing, but only the tiniest percentage will have enough desire and gumption to do so. Just as, among those who really are good enough, many will give up after a few rejections or will never write another book.

2) There is nothing wrong with admitting you want to be a published writer. It's like the child who says "I want to be a teacher (or a policeman, or a fire-fighter, or whatever it might be) when I grow up." Many people choose a career because they believe they have an aptitude for it, because they know they have an affinity for it, and no one thinks them presumptuous for doing so. Even other artists can state without embarrassment that they want to pursue a career as a musician or a dancer or a painter. Why shouldn't it be the same for writers?

Just like any other career, if you want it you have to go after it. You have to admit (at least to yourself, if you can't bring yourself to admit it to anyone else) that it is an important goal of yours, and that you will do everything in your power to achieve it.

All the published writers I know wanted to get published, they really wanted it. Not for fame or to make a lot of money (they had done enough research on the subject to know the chances of that), and not just because they wanted other people to read their books, although that was certainly a factor. They just felt that it was the right career for them, even if it was only a second job. And they went out and pursued it with dedication and persistence. Because just like talent and skill, these are factors that will play a part in your success or failure.

[Ursa major]

Very well put, Teresa.

[Tobytwo]

Yes, I completely agree. The odds only look terrible if you start with the assumption that all writers are of equal publishability. I am sure that there are a few categories that would take up a reasonable percentage of submitted material:

* rants by the paranoid, deluded, insane etc
* things which are self-evidently bad to the point of being unreadable
* ideas which are well-executed but unsuited for mass publication (I once knew a linguist who wrote a book in 3 languages)

Also, you do have to consider the attrition rate. Many people will give up very quickly, as it is pretty grim to have your masterpiece sent back by 30 agencies with the same rejection letter - no matter how good your writing is. The "million-pound deal for 1st novel" stories are freak exceptions or include terms and conditions that the story decides not to mention.

[Lilmizflashythang]

I write because I enjoy it. Sure, I'd like to be published. But that just ain't gonna happen yet. First, I have to write the book. Then, I have to E-L-A-B-O-R-A-T-E it. That was the only problem I had with English class. I would always see that on my papers.

I don't do it for the fortune. As for creativity, crocheting is so much easier to do.

[Leisha]

I write because I have a story to tell. I write because my characters chastise me if I don't. I write because I want to honour my characters and tell their tale. I write because it gives me hope. I write because I would love to have my novel/s published and to talk with fans about my work. And I write for the love of writing, for the love of creating that which would otherwise remain unknown.

I write because I couldn't not.

[Tobytwo]

Good point. It sounds really odd, but I sort of feel that I owe it to my characters to write about them. Although they're all completely imaginary, I do feel gratitude to Capt Smith on occasion for being there to write about!

I am otherwise quite normal.

[Lith]

I wonder if there is any qualitative difference between the work of the "driven" writer and the "hobby" writer?

Quantitative- they have more books published, usually. Qualitatively- prolific authors tend to be better as a whole than in individual works because they never spend that extra little bit of time to make it perfect, but are on to the next idea already. But even so, differences can be negligible. (Asimov was often asked how to be a prolific author, and he said it wasn't enough to want to write- one also had to like to do not much else- which is where a lot of us fall down- life's interesting in so many ways. And there's nothing wrong with that, but it does have the inevitable result of leaving us with less written.)

Some writers will say you just are a writer, or aren't. I used to think that meant you either had talent, or you didn't. It isn't that simple, but at the end of the day, you write or you don't, no matter what other people say, either in praise or in criticism.

And from personal experience, the drive to write isn't that definable- I couldn't say that I go into a euphoric state all the time and the words just flow out, or that I don't have to just make myself do it as often as not- it isn't joyful, exactly, and yet the enjoyment is there, hanging around the corners of the piece, never quite where I am looking. And yet the stories are always with me, and if I don't write them down, they will die when I die, and no one will ever hear them (of course, they change so much in the telling, it's difficult to say that anyone ever does hear them.

[chrispenycate]

I tend to agree with Leisha on the "can't not" although I did not for many years (sublimating with music?).
It is now improbable that I will get my writing up to a publishable standard (I am getting better but oh! so slowly) but posting it here and people reading it (well, I assume they do; they look at it, anyway) is always a good ego lift.

[glandowski]

I write to tell a story and I enjoy the process of producing a solid book that can be held in your hands ( I do the cover art too...). I do it for me and if I happen to make some money from doing ti great - but it ain't my day job. If people ask me what i do for a living I say "I live to write, but I do web consulting to pay the bills...."

[Mammon]

Originally Posted by SquishyB

As a new aspiring author, I was wondering how other author's keep focused, or why they do it?

I don't think there are many aspiring writers that only write beacuse they want fame and money. There are easier ways to get those:P. Of course there are many who dream that they are able to live a rich life by writing.

I personally write because i often get ideas, visions and explosions of creativity. At first I just startet writing or working ideas out and then stopped lost the notes over time. Now I write down all ideas visions and explosions of creativity and keep them safe. I might need them one day or want to work them out. At this moment I have about 7 of these 'projects'.

So I write to not get crazy of these 'explosions'. There was a time that I stopped writing and taking the notes and I really felt like my mind was rushing with ideas and not taking any rest.

Originally Posted by SquishyB

Also, on a side note, I have be dabbing around in Contemporary Children's Fantasy. What is an ideal word count for books like these?

What age of children are you aiming at? If the children you aim upon are a bit older(10+) then it wouldn't really mind. Harry Potter had many pages and it is a child book. If you are aiming at younger children then I would write too much pages. 100-200 would be much. I really hated reading books when I was young I hated the beginnings. It took too long before something I found interesting happened. But when I read through my first book(about 80 pages) I felt really proud somehow:P

[Threddy]

I write because I want to be a pulished author for 2 reasons:

1. I want some money
2. I think that what i write about is an awesome idea and I can't believe no-one has written about it yet.

[Selati]

I write because I enjoy it. I love the feeling you get when you become lost in the story & the feeling of achievement when you look back over completed pages.

There's nothing quite like it.

[Leisha]

I love the feeling you get when you become lost in the story & the feeling of achievement when you look back over completed pages.

Most definitely! For me, that's one of the highs, as is seeing your work come alive over the weeks and months. I sit back and think, "I've made a complete world. I've brought to life a whole bunch of people."

[MetalJon]

I would also love to have some work published, but the main reason I write is that my head is filled with daft stories that I have to put down before I forget them! The problem is thatI get my most interesting ideas when I'm at work...

Anyway, if I don't get published, I'll just force my friends and family to read my creative output instead, and then tell me how amazing I am (otherwise risking friendship/family status!) :-)

[MetalJon]

Originally Posted by Threddy

I write because I want to be a pulished author for 2 reasons:

1. I want some money
2. I think that what i write about is an awesome idea and I can't believe no-one has written about it yet.

Obviously, I get that as well...