People familiar with the Myers-Briggs Personality test know that the writer is the INFJ. This person is introverted, intuitive, feelings-oriented and judgmental.
So, what happens when an extroverted, intuitive, thinking and perceptive (ENTP) inventor tries to write a novel? For one thing, it takes more than 35 years to finish. The story is never quite right; it always needs tweaking. And, lo and behold, when the ENTP finally does complete a manuscript, he/she will come up with another idea, brilliant of course, which requires scrapping and rewriting three chapters. Unfortunately, once scrapped and rewritten, left-over references to long-gone characters or events somehow live on in the word processor's memory and mysteriously reappear somewhere in the manuscript. It drives all readers, editors and wives especially, mad.
Even if the ghosts are exorcised from the page, the spouse or whoever else is doing the editing won't necessarily forget them. Their memories are harder to erase. Only the truest of friends will be willing to read your twentieth revision, and only the most intelligent will be able to assimilate the newest additions at will.
But somehow it finally is finished. Then it turns out that finishing the novel was the easy part. Trying to get it published is another story entirely. What you hope to be an easy jaunt to the local mailbox to find an agent turns into a Homeric voyage, with hundreds of rejection letters floating in its wake. As every writer knows, authors are uniquely at the mercy of others to bring our work to public attention. A painter or sculptor can usually find a coffee shop or gallery to exhibit their work. The diligent composer will eventually find a local quartet or civic orchestra to play his or her work. But the author alone must rely on the judgment of the publishing professionals, gatekeepers who want to know what makes this manuscript worthy to be included in the approximately 100,000 new books that will be published in the coming year. Quality doesn't even matter. Even if it is better than 95% of the books in print, the question an agent must face is why should a publisher add this particular manuscript to his list? Who will buy it? After all, this writer is unknown. Then comes the cruelest question of all. Why should I even bother to read it? Most of the time they don't. According to Curtis Brown, on average, a known agent will get 50 to 100 queries a day. Of this number the agent will read as few as one percent of the total number of proposed manuscripts they receive in an average year. Only one manuscript in three will be accepted.
The sad fact is that there are more writers seeking publishers than the total number of books ever published. Jay Leno's All Stars could have written many of them, but even if you have talent, the numbers are still staggering. Potential novice writers can find a writing class somewhere in the country nearly every day of the year. If they don't want to attend one in person, they can always find one on the Web. Legitimate writing professionals lead most of these classes, but far too many are only meant to separate prospective authors from their cash. Either way they will sooner or later be looking for a publisher.
So, knowing all this, why did I persist? Because I could not do otherwise. The urge to write is as deep in my being as a smoker's desire for the next cigarette or an alcoholic's for the next drink. I love words and I love thoughts. The idea that someone 100 years from now might read and like the book outweighs any negative criticism or public indifference that I may run into in my lifetime. My advice to anyone who has such the same urge is simply: write. Forget the odds and don't be discouraged. When you have a product that you know is your best work, try to get it published. Finally, don't feel like a failure if you have to publish it yourself. Quality will tell, even if only your friends are aware of it. Believe me, it's worth it.
John Anderson wrote The Cellini Masterpiece under the pen name of Raymond John. He is a historian who has sold stamps and other collectibles and a former Military Intelligence Specialist with the US Army Reserves. He is now working on his sequel to The Cellini Masterpiece, entitled Language School. The first chapter of The Cellini Masterpiece is available for available at http://www.cmasterpiece.com. Mr. Anderson can be contacted at the website.
Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareWorking on my first humorous novel, I started with a... Read More
Chaos and confusion come when established rules and procedures are... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?I have said above that if a... Read More
~TYPES~You Want Us to Write What? Understanding the Task AssignedWhich... Read More
I've seen it time and again. One of the most... Read More
I call it cheap therapy. That gushing, near-religious, poured-from-the-body stress... Read More
Your computer is a writing machine, a word processor, a... Read More
Next time you're tempted to use italics for emphasis... STOP!"Why?"... Read More
As a student of Spanish, my goal was to think... Read More
Structure in the form of frameworks, work processes and goals... Read More
Before you even begin writing your novel, you need to... Read More
People want information, they want it quick, frequently in short... Read More
Most writers are familiar with first and third points of... Read More
ELICIT, ILLICITElicit means to extract or draw out; illicit means... Read More
We writers are a powerful lot. We control time. We... Read More
There is no specific formula for children's fiction. There are,... Read More
Communication is effective when we follow certain rules. These rules... Read More
And a dreadful thing from the cliff did spring, and... Read More
The writing community is a strong one, with many new... Read More
Op-ed articles, also known as opinion/editorial articles, are a great... Read More
Peter Abrahams is the author of thirteen novels, including "The... Read More
Writing is a muscle that needs exercise to stay in... Read More
There's a little known secret we writers like to keep... Read More
Virgil, the great Roman poet, wrote "Practice and thought might... Read More
Suspense novels, unlike any other genre, need fast starts. Fans... Read More
Antigo wedding limo ..Write Right - You have an all important business letter... Read More
Every morning I excitedly get out of bed. Just a... Read More
Short Story Writing Tips -We've established what a title should... Read More
Originality emerges from structure. Once you have a story idea,... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?Your theme has to be something you... Read More
William Faulkner, the great Mississippi writer, said, "The tools I... Read More
There is a psychological nuisance so powerful that can deflate... Read More
I've been in the communications business a long time?over 25... Read More
I am sure that at in some era, at some... Read More
Good writing requires self-examination. Why is one writing? What part... Read More
* Scanning and Skimming Practices *Whether you're writing e-mail messages... Read More
Writer's forums are bustling with debate over whether or not... Read More
Every hero has a seminal insight - the apotheosis. Once... Read More
People can't believe I did it, but I did. I... Read More
Most books aren't rejected because the stories are "bad." They're... Read More
As a professional copywriter, not only do I do a... Read More
You have just completed a draft of an article. It... Read More
No matter what you are writing, the first priority is... Read More
I owe the completion and success of my book to... Read More
My article this issue is an excerpt from a book... Read More
As an editorial professional, I'm sure you're aware of the... Read More
1. What Is A Premise?A premise is the point you... Read More
Great business writers combine narrative skills with sound judgment to... Read More
Winning writing contests can provide several advantages to writers. For... Read More
Creating incredible characters can be easy if you know of... Read More
Writing |