WWDPD: (What Would Dorothy Parker Do?)

“Writing is so hard.”

“I’ve reached about 80,000 words of the first thing I’ve ever written and I’m doubting myself massively. I haven’t done any edits of the writing, bar changing a few spelling mistakes and descriptive words in the following paragraph.

What do you think? Pack the laptop away and go back to crochet and card craft?”

Alle sez:

I hope you keep writing, so it is time for some tough love! We all feel doubt about our writing. Your attitude at this juncture will:

• separate you from the zillions of people who start novels and don’t finish; and
• toughen you up for the massive amount of rejection we all get when we approach agents, or decide to self-publish and no one pays attention to the book.

BUT: If you don’t keep at it, the book never gets published or (if self-published) goes nowhere. There is power in this statement. You have some control: how hard are you willing to work?

Publishing is far from an easy industry. We have to be our own engine.

Dorothy Parker said:

“If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.”

Ignore her. I hope you keep writing.