Insecure Writers' Support Group (IWSG) is a really awesome meme that you should be doing along with the rest of us writers. Unless you truly are happy with your writing and don't feel the need to vent about your insecurities because they don't exist for you. But, really.... Don't they?
IWSG is hosted by Captain Ninja Alex at his blog, Alex J. Cavanaugh.
In terms of your writing career, where do you see yourself five years from now, and what’s your plan to get there?
I'm back from the dead, as I usually am every few months on this blog, to answer the IWSG question. This question gets harder and harder for me to answer each passing year, but I see myself a published author with a book or two under my belt. But, as each year passes and I have nothing to show for it, that becomes a harder vision to see. Maybe I'm never going to publish anything.
My only idea for a plan to get there is to actually finish something I start and self-publish it. That would be easier than seeking a publisher, when it comes to actually publishing a book. At this point, that's all I want to accomplish because it would mean I finished a novel-length manuscript. A girl can dream!
All I want for Christmas is a finished manuscript! Anyway, knowing me, this will probably be my last blog post of the year, so Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to everyone! Hope you all, myself included, have a wonderful Holiday season.
Did any of you think of giving up on your dream of being a published author before you actually succeeded in accomplishing it?
Some days, I think me giving up on being a published author is just something I do every now and then—just part of my process. Never sticks, though.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a wonderful holiday season!
I hope my own feelings like that never stick, too. They, in fact, don't and that's going on 20 years.
DeleteHave a great Holiday!
A finished manuscript for Christmas would be a great gift. Good luck to you and your endeavours.
ReplyDeleteIt would! But, I only have three weeks to do that and it's not looking good right now. Maybe next Christmas?
DeleteThanks and good luck to you, too.
Even now I sometimes think about giving up on publishing anything more because it's not an easy process. There are so many obstacles in the way and recently I've been a bit down in the dumps about my complete inability to write romance. But then I think about what life would be like without writing and it makes me sad. So I will continue and I hope you will too! Perhaps maybe start off with novellas if writing a full manuscript is too much for you? I know they're more massive sellers or anything but they can be a good jumping off point!
ReplyDeleteGiving up writing would be sad and just not possible. I would write even if I never published and kept everything to myself. Can't not write stories. I write them everyday in my head because it's just how my brain works. It's like thinking for me. You make a good point about writing shorter works. I might just have to start off publishing that way, as long as I can write something decent.
DeleteIf you keep plugging away at that manuscript, it will eventually get finished. So don't give up. And if you want to go the self-publishing route, there's nothing wrong with that at all. Keep writing!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ken! We both need to keep going because the only sure way to fail is to fail to keep going. Good luck with your own manuscript, too. ;)
DeleteI have a good friend who has published cozy mysteries - one series self-published, one series by traditional publisher. She said she made far more money on her self-published series, and maintained complete control over the process. So find some trusted beta readers and a good editor if you decide to go self-pub. Ken is right - just keep writing!
ReplyDeleteThat's great to hear, Lee! I love hearing inspiring stories about self-published authors. I will get all those people together, provided I can finish something for publication.
DeleteThanks for stopping by and Happy Holidays!
I hope you're able to finish one soon!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Alex! Happy Holidays to you. ;)
DeleteI'm a published author, too, and I think there's solace in knowing we all feel that way! I have manuscripts on sub, but that fear is still there. "What if they reject everything I send for the rest of time and this is ALL my career will ever be?" Deep down we know that won't happen as long as we keep writing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting! We have to keep writing because the only sure way to fail is to quit and the only sure way to succeed is to keep writing.
DeleteI never write anymore but when I did I always had the hardest time finishing a manuscript. I think it's because if you finish you have to edit it and look at it critically which is just one more step to actually trying for publishing. It's all so scary. I chickened out. I hope you don't.
ReplyDeleteI like the editing process, but I'm still too scared to actually finish anything because of the publishing part. It IS all so scary. I hope I don't chicken out, too. Thanks!
DeleteHappy Holidays! And it's easier to get published if you finish a project. I'm wishing you a finished manuscript too! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cherie! I appreciate that and could very much use it. Here's wishing you a great new cover artist to replace your first one! Happy Holidays to you, too. ;)
DeleteI don't remember thinking about quitting so much before I'd ever published. Now that I have 2 books out, I think about quitting a lot more often. When you expect that publishing will be the be-all-and-end-all, you kep trying. When you realize it's just another step up the gigantic mountain of trying to be sucessful, you get discouraged. (In fact, maybe you start thinking you're crazy to have signed up for this "author" crap to begin with...)
ReplyDeleteThat makes so much sense. I only fear that if I'm this discouraged now, how much worse will it be when I get as far along as you? Thanks for commenting and here's to hoping you figure out your own road to success!
DeleteI hope you had some awesome holidays and that your feet are back under you! Time to hit the pavement running, eh?
ReplyDeleteI do think it is time to hit the ground running! I had a great holiday season and I am ready to get the writing going from now on. I think I can finally do that, now.
DeleteHere's hoping. Just popping back in to say, "Go, go, go!!!"
DeleteGood luck with your novel. I hope that you manage to finish it and that next year this time, you will have something to show for the year. Rooting for you.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! I recently self-published and it's a highly motivating goal. Go for it! Christy
ReplyDelete