In between cannonballs at the recent Partner Meeting and Pool Party 2014, we discussed, among other things, an author who has essentially put a promising WIP on indefinite hold due to the fear of it not being liked by everyone.
Let’s consult Nick Hornby for a second:
This is a perfectly normal part of the process, and I’m sure most of you have felt the same at one point or another. With that in mind, here are some tips and things to keep in mind when you start to become discouraged:
Don’t read your reviews.
FFS, don’t read your reviews. There will be 200 glowing ones, and the one that shows the slightest bit of criticism will make you want to swear off the written word and assume the fetal position in your closet for the rest of your days.
Don’t respond to reviews.
OK, let’s say you read the reviews. You’re an artist; you’re used to breaking a few rules. Unless you want to sabotage your career before you’ve even given it a proper chance to blossom, do not engage the bad reviewer. If you do, you’re only alienating your readers, and frankly looking kind of dickish in the public (and everlasting) forum that is the internet. If that’s not bad enough, every few years, something like this will go viral. Remember the author who made those weirdass self-praising YouTube videos? Or remember that one who would use “go to hell” or “STFU” seemingly as punctuation on her blog? Or the one who insulted the intelligence of a few online avatars who ended up being acquisitions editors?
Side note: Anyone remember those writers’ names?
Realize where the negative thoughts are coming from.
Regardless of whether these crippling thoughts happen as the result of a bad review or just the fear of a bad review, in the end, you are the only one responsible for them. People can say whatever they want, but it only ever makes you feel bad if you let it. You ultimately have control over how you let these things affect you. Own that power.
Know that you will never please everyone.
Writing is a solitary act, but publishing is very much a public one. If you choose to put anything out into the world (and especially if you ask people to pay money for it) there will be folks who don’t really like it. That’s why there are multiple writers and multiple books. Every reader is a person with their own unique preferences and eccentricities. And writers should follow suit. John Cleese said, “Nothing will stop you from being creative so effectively as the fear of making a mistake.” Don’t let that fear in, and don’t let it stop you or alter your behavior. Be creative with conviction. Write in the moment. Free yourself up to be yourself, and let the dominoes fall as they may. You’ll eventually find your audience. It won’t be all of the people, and that’s OK.
Know that you have the power to improve your manuscript.
I have a client whose debut is now out in hardcover from a NY publisher. It was 11 years in the making, and she estimates that about 5,000 words of the original manuscript made it into the final 90,000 word book. I’ve never read the original draft, but I’d expect it to, like all first drafts, be pretty effing terrible (ask Anne Lamott about that). But she put the time in, fixed the manuscript, and it ultimately landed her an agent and a book deal. These things happen.
Know that you have the power to improve as a writer.
This is a process. Nobody has the first 90,000 words they’ve written become a bestseller or NBA winner. Malcolm Gladwell said you have to put 10,000 hours into something in order to become an expert. Myriad successful authors have said that you have to write a million shitty words before you can write any good ones. And often times, they’ll honestly cite their newest book as their best or their favorite. You will grow. You will improve. All of the greats were once where you are right now.
Get a writing partner or critique group.
This is yet another reason why you need other writers to have your back. If you get all hysterical and worrisome, these are people who will help talk you down (and address the underlying issues within the manuscript). Here’s a bit from a client’s Acknowledgements page in which she thanks the person she often refers to as her “literary life partner”: “Thank you for your friendship, your unceasing creative insight and encouragement, and your willingness to read those same four or forty or 400 pages just one more time. You guided me through the labyrinth of this book when all I could see before me were dead ends.” Seriously, though. If you don’t have that kind of presence in your writing life, fix that.
Realize what is important.
This is something you want to do. You love writing, so love it. Celebrate your creations, and keep creating. Keep moving forward. It’s up to you to make this happen.
What are your own tips for maintaining a positive state of mind as a writer? Comment below and share this with your writer friends on Twitter #AuthorPepTalk. Let’s give a boost to those who could use it.
