Writing Tips for Beginners

Have you ever felt that what you are trying to achieve is impossible?  Well you are not alone.  I was recently listening to an author who gave his bio and it was very depressing.  He was first self-published and then after years of trying he finally landed an agent.  Which of course led  him to becoming traditionally published.  Not everyone is that lucky though.

I read an article by Writers Digest called “Why Am I Getting Rejected?” and it made some interesting points.  One question said, “How many rejections slips do you consider the cutoff point- where I should give up completely?”  I don’t know how many times I have asked this same question to friends and family members.  Here was the answer given in the article:

If you put a lot of time and effort into a project, don’t abandon it too quickly.  Look at the rejection slips as bits of advice for improvement, or as patters of criticism.  Rejections, if used properly, can be a lesson to improve your writing.

If you’ve been sending the same magazine query (or book) around for many months, your idea may have grown stale for you to keep circulating it.  If you’ve been attempting to sell a book manuscript, and have had some near misses, then your timing or your luck may be off; some books circulate for many years before finding the right agent or editor.  As long as you feel passionate about the work, you shouldn’t give up on it – even if it means returning to the manuscript a few years down the road.  Some ideas and manuscripts have to be set aside because the market isn’t ready for them.

When I feel down and out about my pile of rejection notes I turn to authors who know my pain.  I love reading Nathan Bransford blogs  and here is one of my favorites:

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/03/ten-commandments-for-happy-writer.html

Of course he has many more insights on how to format your manuscript, write a query, edit your novel and so on.  There are many great blogs out there and lots of good advice.  Just go sample the variety of flavors and stick with a favorite.

The one thing I just have to keep reminding myself is to write, write and write.