Sep 1, 2015

Two weeks down and four to go, and what have we learned? How about the difference between means and ends?

My impression is that many, if not most of the writers who have entered the Inkshares/Nerdist contest are making their writing public for the first time (many with their first written novel). They see the contest as an end in itself: win and you’ll instantly become a wealthy and successful writer.

As if.

For those who win, (I presume) there will be months of intense editing. After that, there will be months of intense promotion (reviews, interviews, maybe even some public appearances). All you’ll be winning is the chance to do a lot of hard work.

But, wait. There’s more. Because then you’ll have to produce a second novel (they are notoriously difficult to pull off). Wash. Rinse. Repeat. And, if you’re lucky, more novels will come over time. When I submitted my second novel to my publisher at Elsewhen Press, I said, “Here’s my next novel.” His response was: “Wait until you have several under your belt and you can say, “Here’s my latest novel.” Some people will find the possibility exhilarating (I have, and my experience has shown me that he was right); others will find it the scariest proposition they have ever heard.

What if, as the vast majority of us will, you lose? Do you have a plan for what to do with your novel beyond that? Are you ready to make the rounds of publishers (with all the delightfully soul-crushing rejection that implies)? Are you willing to polish your story until it shines brighter than a star…and then start the whole process again with a new one? If you’re tempted to give up, you probably weren’t cut out to be a writer. That may sound harsh, but I believe it was Richard Bach who said: “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”

For my own part, being in this contest has proven in my mind what great friends and family I have, no small feat in itself given my generally timid and distrustful nature. In forcing me to get outside of my comfort zone and ask others for help, it has pushed me to make contacts which may help me in my career beyond the contest. Finally, my poor showing so far is a reminder that a career in the arts is a long slog full of hard, hard work; there are no shortcuts to success.

My advice would be to remember that the Inkshares/Nerdist contest is not an end in itself, it’s a means to the end of furthering your writing career. I think a lot of the writers here might benefit from that perspective.