March 21, 2008
Ten Ways to Short-Circuit Your Writing Career
1) Obsess, and focus all of your energy on ONE MS because you’re sure that’s THE ONE that’ll make your career, and refuse to write anything else in the interim.
2) Let all those glowing reviews, compliments, and sales go to your head.
3) Let those bad reviews, snarky comments, or numbers get inside your head.
4) Analyze every single form rejection letter until your eyes begin to bleed.
5) Forget where you came from.
6) Don’t write. Someone’s sure to come a-knockin’, begging you to pen the Great American Novel because word of your talent is floating around the Heavenly Ether, just waiting for the right someone to find you.
7) Don’t submit. Someone’s sure to come a-knockin’, begging to read the Great American Novel you’ve stashed in your pajama drawer, just waiting for the right someone to find it.
8) Allow the Publisher’s Lunch sales announcements to depress, rather than encourage, you.
9) Base your writing on every rumor of every market trend you hear about. With luck, you may catch one before it peters out.
10) Completely ignore your rebellious Muse and stick strictly to all preconceived plans. You do know best, after all.
This is not a closed list. Please feel free to add on. 
I’m very guilty of slacking in the ’submit’ category.
However, if anyone comes looking, they’ll never find it!
Great list, Raine; but on number four, it’s hard to obsess over my usual rejection letter of ‘Not for us’. :)
4) Analyze every single form rejection letter until your eyes begin to bleed. Becuase writing with bleeding eyes is damned hard!
2) Let all those glowing reviews, compliments, and sales go to your head.
Well, if you say so.
Well, crap. But they make me feel as warm on the inside.
This is what I’ve learned the hard way.
11) Don’t polish your MS within an inch of it’s life. When you think you are done and ready to send it out, wait a week and read it again.
Great list. Oh boy, but a hard one. I like to obssess *blinks*.
However, if anyone comes looking, they’ll never find it!
You make me want to storm your house with a search party, Bernita, lol!
it’s hard to obsess over my usual rejection letter of ‘Not for us’. :)
You could, if you really put your heart into it, Bernard.
Becuase writing with bleeding eyes is damned hard!
*Snicker!*
I meant to say, Do polish your MS within an inch of it’s life. I posted way too early in the morning for coherence.
But they make me feel as warm on the inside.
That’s good, Mel. They should! But I’ve seen people get beside themselves about buying into their own promo. It does something to the size of the head…
11) Don’t polish your MS within an inch of it’s life. When you think you are done and ready to send it out, wait a week and read it again.
High five on the idea of setting it aside to read after a few. A fresh eye.
I like to obssess *blinks*.
I don’t see that, lol.
I’ve read your work, woman. You’re fabulous.
I’d only add the obvious: when you get on your pc, you spend more time surfing the web or answering email, then you do on your word doc./mss.
Great list, Raine!
Vanessa, THERE’S a big fault of mine. The web’s a big temptation.
>>Do polish your MS within an inch of it’s life. When you think you are done and ready to send it out, wait a week and read it again.
now see, i disagree…….I think you should only edit a certain number of times or you polish the life out of it
CeCe, I’m talking for typos. I’m one of those wonderful writers who inserts “the” and “an” when they aren’t really there. And for some strange reason leave “women” instead of “woman”. Also “your” and “you’re”. I know the difference, but when I’m reading it back….
But otherwise I don’t change the MS after that week.
GREAT list - and I’m guilty of every one.
Sorry, I just HAD to use that one!
1, 4 , 6 yep
