There must be some value to all this hurtful no-thanks, right?
Of course there is. It’s a clear sign that you’re on the right track. Why? Because a huge majority of the people calling themselves writers are not sending anything out to anyone.
Sure, if you try, you might fail. And I do. Frequently. But the surest way to fail is to not even try… every day that you don’t try, you have already failed. And the only way to succeed is to put yourself through the risks.
Like every writer (EVERY writer) I get lots of rejections, and they hurt. But it’s worth it. This is a labor of love. Love is always worth the risk.
Pain lets you know you’re alive.
So it turns out I only wrote half the novel I thought I had. Apparently, the other main character needs a whole thread of his own, from his viewpoint.
How did I find this out? My wonderful critique group, Denver Fiction Writers, told me. Well, what they told me was that they did not like the guy (my other main character) at ALL, and thought that what the female lead was doing for him was not at all justified. And they also told me that too much of the novel was happening offscreen.
In both cases, these were things I sort of knew about the story, but didn’t know how to fix, and certainly never put together into writing the other half of the novel in the male lead’s point of view.
This is why we have our work read by others!
So Denver Fiction Writers, my truly phenomenal critique group, is considering doing two amazing things this year. In the summer sometime, probably in late June or early July, we’re planning a writer’s retreat. We’ll sneak into the mountains, rent a cabin, and allow no one else to come. We’ll write, perhaps we’ll shop, we’ll definitely giggle, and the television will stay off.
We might also be trying to get a chance to host a panel at the Mile Hi Convention, in October. Wouldn’t THAT be cool!
