Hi everyone. This is my first blog for the CWG and, since it is the first Tuesday of the month, it is supposed to provide information and inspiration for beginning writers. Okay, let me begin by saying that the word, inspiration, immediately intimidated me and I froze. (Like how am I supposed to inspire a bunch of writers?) It took four days to thaw out and then, as my blood began to recirculate, all I could do was doodle. So I doodled all over almost every piece of paper that was nearby including a prescription which I inadvertently voided by drawing the neatest little trapezoids which turned into spaceships and were dashing this way and that all over it. I was promptly inspired to spend half a day getting it replaced. Onward and forward.
It was also suggested that I write about my “journey” as a writer up to having my first book published. Well now, let me say this right away, on this journey of mine I did not use a GPS. No siree, not me. I just started going. (Hey, I’m a guy–who needs directions) Let me tell you, I got dizzy from going in circles, drove into more ditches and gulleys than I can remember, and hit dead-ends all over the place. But–I kept scribbling. I think that it is some kind of disease writer’s have called paragraphobia which is the urge to keep on writing stuff no matter what. Finally I stopped, turned off the engine, and picked up a few road maps for direction; writer’s manuals, magazines, and other various tutorials. They did help me start going in a straighter direction. I did learn to be careful with these self-help publications. No matter what I did it was never good enough and my only hope was to buy some new self-help book (at a discount) that would help me even more because I always needed help. So, there comes a point when you have to realize when to believe in yourself.
Anyway, doodle, scribble, write and suddenly I was doing newspaper commentary for several local publications. That lasted about five years and ultimately, they all went “belly-up”. (I swear to you, it was not my fault.) I had also submitted a children’s book to a MAJOR publisher (I won’t say who but they were BIG) and a few months later I received a call from their office in Florida . A sweet lady with a bubbly voice said, “Hi, Mr. Peterson, welcome to the —-family.”
I was stunned—WHAT! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? HOLY MOLY! One of the biggest publishers in the world and they were going to publish my book. Two weeks later I received a letter in the mail from the publisher. Oh wow–maybe it is an advance. Not really—it was a standard rejection letter from their office in California. Can’t be! No way! Must be a mistake. So I called the nice lady in Florida who had even given me her personal number and she apologized over and over and over. She had a miscommunication. Imagine that. Anyway, one person on the editorial board out in sunny California decided against it. OH well–that was that. Talk about being smacked upside the head.
I know this. Once you have created your brilliant piece of work and have rewritten it a half dozen times and polished it and honed it and are sure you have nailed it there is one final step. DA-DA—submission. This is when you expose yourself to the insensitive, uncaring, publishing piranhas who, more likely than not, will devour you. They won’t tear your flesh from your bones, no, they will gently filet you you with “no thank you” and” good lucks” and the like. Well, better get over it. It is simply part of the business. They have a job to do and what you presented them with was material that would not help their company. Hey, it might have been the greatest piece of writing since Shakespeare or it may have been just plain lousy, they are not going to tell you that. If they give a bit of a critique that means you piqued their interest. That is a good thing.
Okay–lessons learned by me: a) Be prepared for rejection and DO NOT take it personal. It is the “nature of the beast”. Learn from it and move on; b)Be tenacious—like a pit-bull holding onto a hunk a raw meat, you have to hang on. You love to write, don’t you? So—write; c)learn from rejection. Editors want quality stuff that fits their needs. You may have picked the wrong market for your work or maybe it needs improvement. You have to decide; d) finally, believe in yourself. You should know in your gut when you have it right. Then, run with it.
To finish up this “inspirational” discourse le me say that the book that was accepted and rejected sat on a shelf for more than 15 years. I finally picked it up again, re-wrote it, changed the story line and now it is published as “Slippery Willie’s Stupid Ugly Shoes” you can find it at www.slipperywillie.blogspot.com in case you want to check it out. I also have a novel at the publishers at the moment and when I hear something back, I’ll post about it.
The best advice I can give anyone reading this is to, foremost, trust in God and give it all over to HIM. And remember that there is no time frame in HIS world and that HE always has your back.
