Writers Don't Want You To Write
For about 9 years now, since I was 11, I’ve been writing this story. Seems unique to me, my characters I know are one of a kind, yet I still feel weary about sticking with the piece, and finishing it. I’ve done it again, and again DOZENS of times, with no remorse after tossing it in the can. I’ll do some research, hoping to be reassured that my time is not wasted, but what I see instead, is article after article telling me how much I suck, why I shouldn’t get into the writing business, how big of a waste it is. How even if I write, I’m still not good at it, because for some reason they feel comfortable grouping everyone in the same category.
In that case, every famous author can’t wright. Sorry Lord of the Rings, you aren’t as good as people think you are! If you dive into the comment sections on some of these articles, you’ll see a few people actually being honest. It’s not about you. It’s not about the industry. It’s about them, not wanting the competition.
But this is the time to write! This is the era where people trust medical bloggers more than their doctors. Where we read self-help crap instead of seeing therapists, where instead of going to the salon, we google how to do our own hair, and our own makeup! Most of all, it’s the time where finding a good novel is nearly impossible online. This is the time for good writers to rise up out of the muddy waters full of people who barely know how to speak English. If you’re good, you will stand out. On Wattpad, or any other platform for writers, there is story after story that is just utter garbage, making it’s way to the top, getting publishers attention because they have built in fan bases, and a good idea. These are stories, novels, where people use the word “she/he, and then, but,” about 5 times every sentence. No depth, just telling a story for the sake of telling a story, and it is so painfully obvious. But it’s the idea they keep coming back for. They want to read about a werewolf princess, and that’s the best they could find, despite it’s many mistakes, and run-on’s. If you have a good plot, and manage to get a fan base going, guaranteed within a year, you will have offers lined up.
If you want it, now is the time to get it, if any time was. Not last decade, not last century, but now, when you have the entire world ready at your finger tips. When you have guides available for free, dictionaries and thesauruses bookmarked! Publishing company’s are listed, marketing tips are there for you if you only take the time to do the research. Literally hundreds of opportunities are there for you, and that’s what scares most writers. They’ll never give you good advice, because they don’t want to you succeed.
Now, they’re right about a couple things. You more than likely will not become rich and famous through a novel alone, but who doesn’t want to mix it up, anyway? You’d be amazed at how much free lance writers make. Anywhere from 20,000 to 100,000 a year, just for doing what comes naturally to them. Second, if you write solely to become rich and/or famous, you will be disappointed. It is very possible to make a living as a writer, but much less so to make it to the top, like Stephen King, or that chick who wrote Twilight. Keep your expectations in check.
Let’s face it, the world is one big business. The average Jane’s and Joe’s are left with the crap jobs nobody really wants to do, while the ones who either got lucky with their position, or worked hard for it are hoarding their opportunities, telling everyone that it’s not possible to be like them. That you should just continue doing what you’re doing, because, well, someone has to. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Our digital age made ways for amazing authors to actually shine, and that, sir/madam, is why the internet is telling you otherwise. Because they want it for themselves. Yes, it may be hard, and you may be painfully rejected before you are accepted, but when it’s over something you love, it’s worth it in the end. Don’t listen to the ones who tell you that you’ll never make it, because that’s what they’re hoping for. Less competitors=more money for their greedy pockets.
The internet, in my opinion, is starving for writers who are actually worth their salt, compared to way too many authors who aren’t even worth their pepper. Remember, that even if you do fail, that’s what success is made out of.