|
||||||
|
At almost every level, except maybe the upper echelons of bestsellerdom, writers seeking to establish professional relationships face a signal-to-noise ratio so lopsided it’s like pitting a mouse against an elephant. Guess which critter the writer is. The only way to cut through the noise and make yourself stand out is to do awesome work. And once [...] Now you just stand there and think about what you’ve done. [I'm not keen on the idea of reruns, but better that than giving the day a miss. Today, the past couple of weeks have led up to this question: to euthanize or not. I hope you understand. Here's one from 13 months ago that [...] Unless you put your work away where nobody else can see it, writing is an act of risk. People might not get it. People might not get you. The work may not fit present needs. And that’s just the submission part. Publication magnifies all that exponentially … and worse, does so in public. If [...] "What do you mean, why? ANYBODY could’ve sent flowers." Predictability seems to be about the worst charge that can be leveled at a storyteller. After plagiarism, that is. Plagiarism and predictability, the big two mortal sins. It doesn’t matter what you’re writing. It can be the total antithesis of the kinds of tales that, by default, [...] “In my next incarnation I’m coming back as a sprinter. How ‘bout you?” In On Writing, Stephen King mentions an early rejection that was one of the best lessons he ever got. It wasn’t an encouraging letter. It barely qualifies as a note. It was just a formula that some kind editor thought might make [...] Sometimes the most intimidating aspect of tackling a long project, like a novel, isn’t any one thing. It’s the whole thing. The entire monolithic beast. It’s a mountain, you’re at the bottom, and to plant your flag at the top means more climbing than you can possibly imagine. The sight of it, the thought [...] This may be taking much for granted, but I’m going to venture a guess that, as a writer, you have at least one of these end-goals in mind. Even if only at the level of a wistful, wouldn’t-it-be-nice daydream: To be the kind of writer who rewards repeat reading. I once knew a photographer who credited a lot of his favorite work to happy accidents … those creative outcomes you don’t intend, don’t try for, or that come out totally wrong but manage to be just right after all. This was in the days of film, when early digital cameras cost as much as a [...] “What — those little rumors? Do I really look capable of a thing like that?” You’ve heard it all your life: You only get one chance to make a first impression. True enough in the flesh, but then again, there’s whatever people might have heard about you before they have a chance to shake your [...] "Listen, as long as you’re doing it all, maybe you could, umm, try to look like you’re enjoying it, too?" If you were to start combing through the sound bites of current productivity wisdom, it probably wouldn’t take you long to come across a couple of the more oft-repeated nuggets. Without quoting anyone or any version [...] |
||||||
|
Copyright © 2012 Storytellers Unplugged - All Rights Reserved |
||||||
