HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!
SFFS's first round of snippets went live a year ago today, and in honour of that auspicious occasion, we're going to have a book giveaway. We have selected two books - one from the fantasy genre, and one from science fiction, and they are both included. These are top quality reads, and we are pretty sure that you'd all enjoy reading both of them. The two books are:
Terminal World - by Alistair Reynolds (Print)
Ravenmarked - by Amy Rose Davis (Various electronic formats. Not in Print)
In order to enter the draw, which will be held in a week's time on the 4th June, please drop an email to sffsat AT gmail DOT com, giving us a postal address so that we can get Terminal World to you, it being on offer in print only (this is due to inability to gift a kindle book from amazon.co.uk!).
As part of this event, we decided to invite a non-group author to come and share some of her writing experiences with us, and Amy Rose Davis was very kind to accept. Need we tell you that she writes a great fantasy - you'll find her books on Smashwords. Without further ado, we'll leave you with Amy and her recent writing experiences.
The Best Writing Advice Ever
I’m going to give you the best writing advice ever. This advice will change your life. It will invigorate your Muse and make you long for moments at the keyboard. It will make angels descend from heaven and sing choruses of Hallelujah to you.Okay, maybe not that last one. But it will do the rest.
Are you ready?
Here you go:
Keep your eyes on your own paper.
I re-entered the world of fiction writing in November 2009 after a break of about 15 years. Since starting my novel Ravenmarked during the 2009 NaNoWriMo, I’ve been on a constant roller coaster of highs and lows, and I’ve struggled to find balance in my schedule, my family life, and my work. I’ve read hundreds of writing articles, dozens of writing and publishing blogs, and even a few writing books, and you know what I’ve finally figured out?
I am the most balanced when I am focused on my own stuff and not worried about what other people do.
Writers are an unusual lot. In many ways, we lead solitary lives, because even when we’re surrounded by family and friends and co-workers, it’s the rare “real life” person who understands how we’re wired. I mean, we need those people because they keep us grounded in reality, but they don’t really think the way we think, and they don’t have the voices in their heads like we do. In that sense, our lives are often highly frustrating. My husband, much as he loves me and supports my writing, doesn’t really understand the need I have to occasionally lapse into my story world and tell him what a character of mine would do in a given situation.
Because we long to be with people who understand our wiring, it’s natural for us to seek out other writers. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I think it can be a very good thing, in fact. And in this world of social media, it’s easier than ever to find writers with whom we share some kind of common ground. The online writing community is a wonderful place to make connections.
However . . .
The online writing community is also one of the biggest sources of angst, disequilibrium, and personal frustration I’ve ever come across.
How can this be?
Well, first, writers are chatty when we’re typing. We tell everyone about everything in our writing lives—word counts, excerpts, how many cups of coffee or glasses of wine we’ve had, whether we’re editing or composing, if we’re frustrated with characters, what we think our characters will do, on and on. We also like to share successes—acceptances, sales, publishing nibbles, and the like.
None of these things are inherently bad. I want to make that clear. Share what you want to share. I’m not here to tell you otherwise.
What I am here to say is that it was only when I learned to keep my eyes on my own paper that I started to find some balance in my writing life. It would never fail—when I was having a rough day, stressing about sales or wondering if my work was even worth publishing, I’d see some kind of over-enthusiastic, cheery success story from another author. I do NOT fault any author for sharing successes—I think we should share successes, because that’s the only way to encourage other writers that success is possible. The problem is that we very easily get stuck in the Endless Comparison Loop, and we find ourselves stuck in self-defeating—and perhaps, ultimately, self-fulfilling—prophecies.
“I’ll never find an agent/publisher.”
“I’ll never finish my book.”
“I could never write something that brilliant.”
“My work is dross compared to that.”
“I’ll never make a living at this.”
Too often, such thoughts lead to a visit from the Jealous Fairy of Ill-Wishes and Defensive Attitudes.
“If that crap is what publishers want these days, I’m glad I haven’t found a publisher yet.”
“I guess if that’s what people are buying, I’ll never be a big seller, because I know how to use proper grammar.”
“I’m glad that book got those crappy reviews. Goes to show some people still have taste.”
Yeah, the Jealous Fairy of Ill-Wishes and Defensive Attitudes can be very snarky and unkind. I don’t like having her in my head, and I really don’t like the Endless Comparison Loop, either. The only cure?
Keeping my eyes on my own paper.
I’m not saying isolate yourself. Be part of the writing community. It’s a good place. But when you find yourself heading down this path, take a break. Hang out in the real world with the . . . you know . . . people. Go ahead and “like” or retweet things, but just don’t comment if you can’t speak nicely or if you’re not feeling magnanimous. Step out of social media for a little while. It’ll be there when you come back.
Above all, write. Write some more. Write the best you can. Dig deep. Make yourself cry, laugh, and shudder. Evoke in your own soul the feelings you want your readers to experience.
Your career is your career. Your work is your work. Comparisons can be helpful at times—we can learn from other people, and we can show support for other writers—but when it gets to be too much, remember to keep your eyes on your own paper.
Because really, if you aren’t doing this for yourself, there’s no reason to be doing it at all.
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