News

Been fielding a bit of critisim over the writing help blog I put up. So please let me clear up a few things.
First, Laurell didn’t post that, I did, Darla. We seem to have a larger than usual number of requests about being a writer and the steps to take. Laurell does have a piece I usually send to folks about Being A Beginning Writer.
It is intended to help. I only send it to folks who have asked for it. Some folks have said it helped them. Some found the advice doesn’t work for them. It doesn’t match their style and method of writing. Those links are included on the bottom of the piece. I put them up for more people to find and use. Scams especially seem to be on the rise, or at least that is the impression I get from the emails. It was simply offered as a resource for those who wish to use it. I wasn’t implying anyone was not a writer because they don’t submit to a publisher or just never get published. If that was what I wanted to say, I would have stated it as such.
Second, people who emailed are not satisfied with writing for their own pleasure. Are those who write for themselves and no one else writers? Yes. But they do not want to be published. Not being published does not make one less of a writer. But it is the difference between a hobby and a profession. Most folks do hobbies for the simple enjoyment of doing it. If that is you, then go for it. But then again hobbyist don’t write in asking about how to find an agent, how to submit to an editor, heck how to locate an editor to submit to! It is not info they want or need.
Writing like any other art is very subjective: even amongst editors. What one editor will turn down, another would love. If you should end up submiting to multiple editors (do them one at a time!), you may get conflicting statements on what works and what doesn’t. It is simply a matter of taste. And in the case of editors, saleability. This is a business. Publishers are in it to make money. They may love the story and the writing, but if they suspect it will not sell then it is useless to them. Which is why you may get great rejection letters: loved your story, thought the characters were great, sorry not buying it.
The original info was aimed at those who wish to make a profession of it. Who want to see their book on the shelves in book stores. Will they succeed? I don’t know, that is a big maybe. Even being bought and published is no guarantee of success. I can name several authors whose books I like, but it wasn’t selling well enough for them to continue being bought by editors. If being published is your dream, you will certainly fail if you never try.