Today’s writing tip comes from a friend I’ve corresponded with via email. She shared this bit of wisdom and reminded me of something important.
Don’t apologize for your work. Either set out to write a better story or stand behind your story and don’t apologize for it.
I explained to her that this is a good reminder, but that so many authors (like myself) can be insecure. I don’t think authors start writing because they believe their prose is wonderful and that their words are profound. I think a lot of authors start writing out of a need or a desire or an insecurity (or all three). So it’s natural for authors to then be reserved about their work, especially when it gets published and sent out into the big, bad world.
When Sky Blue was published, I think I finally believed that it was absolutely the best job I could do for that work. I’d spent years writing and rewriting it. It’s imperfect but so is every other work of fiction out there. I think I get less “apologetic” with each work I do. That’s why good reviews and fan emails and all that are great–they validate the writing. But ultimately, you need to believe in yourself and your writing.
This is a good reminder to me.
Started readin Sky Blue today. Only 80 pages into it, but the effort and the pain show. It’s good. Really good.
I enjoyed reading Sky Blue when it came out, and I hope you enjoyed the review I wrote for Infuze Magazine before it went kaput last year, because that book was fantastic in a lot of ways.
As a result of doing that review assignment, I have sense acquired almost all the books you have written. 🙂
I think one of the things I enjoy most about reading these stories is seeing the similarities between the themes and styles of your novels and the ones I write as well (currently looking for an agent). It’s nice to know someone else stories in a similar vein.
Brian Palmer
Thanks Brian. Great to know you’ve enjoyed my novels. Best wishes with finding an agent and a publisher. There are a lot of them out there, so don’t give up. Might take you a while but that’s part of the journey.