Lessons I’ve Learned before my First Novel

I’m on a few panels and teaching a few workshops in the coming months, along with releasing Lady and Grimm Retold with Spec Pub, so I’ve been thinking a lot about my journey as a writer (gag I hate that term but it fits here) and how I’ve gotten to where I am. I think I’d like to share a few things I’ve learned, in case it can help anyone else.

Let me start by making one thing clear. I learned everything the hard way. Every path I took was the long one and the one with the most rocks, pot holes and obstructions. If you read back on my archives you will read a lot of posts where I was barely keeping it together. Where I was writing to force my own perspective to change enough to keep going. Because writing is hard and there is a lot of advice out there that isn’t as good as it sounds when you don’t know what you’re doing.

So let me see if I can break this down.

1. There’s no way around the work but through it.

There are no shortcuts to learning how to write well. Some people are just naturally better at it, but even natural talent only takes you so far. There is no way to avoid rejection when you are trying to get published. There will be no point in your career where you are just done learning. There is no way to streamline your editing process unless you’ve already slogged your way through it a hundred times. There is no shortcut to this. You have to put in the time and energy and tears.

2. Publishing is the point

God, if I had a nickel for every time I was shamed or shamed myself for wanting to see my work published! Write for the joy of the work, sure! Don’t be a writer if you hate writing! And please do not think I am saying writing can’t be just a hobby. You can write for fun, but a serious writer should be writing with the goal of publication, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it can be liberating.

If your goal is to write as a job, even just a side hustle, then you have to stop being so precious about your words. You are writing for an audience. You might love your 5 paragraph tangent about the texture of your girlfriend’s hair, but for a quirky opinion piece that is competing for a 2000 word slot, it’s gotta go into your archives.

Don’t feel bad that you want people to read your work. Don’t feel entitled to their attention if you haven’t written it for them.

3. Rejection isn’t personal, except when you make it personal.

There was a time that I half suspected I had irritated every agent in the industry so much with my queries that they were just deleting my emails as soon as they came in.

Admit it, you have had the same thought at some point in your career.

Now, as an editor, I can occasionally read this between the lines of certain submission and it makes me so sad because I remember how bad those first 500 rejections hurt me. I think if I knew then what I know now I would have saved myself so much pain. No one was annoyed by me. No one remembered me. No one noticed me.

Because I was giving up too soon.

Agents and editors notice the stories that are right for them and the authors who are absolute assholes.

They do not have time for everything else. It doesn’t mean your work sucks. It just wasn’t what they were looking for.

Think of all the books in the library. You go in there in the mood to read romantacy. You’re not sure about anything else but that subgenre, but immediately you have eliminated 99% of the library. If anyone offered a war drama you would turn it down immediately without even checking the summary. If they tried to sell you on an epic adventure fantasy, you might check it out briefly to see if it had a strong romantic plot line. You might even make a note to check out that author again when you were looking for something more to that genre, but its not what you want now.

Then, even when you get to the romantacy, you’re going to rule out most of the books right away because they’re just not sticking out to you, at that moment.

That is what it is like to be an acquiring editor or agent. It is not personal. It is just what is sticking out for the situation at hand.

Now, that doesn’t mean an author can’t annoy an editor or an agent. The first way is to ignore guidelines or suggest that they don’t apply to you. I would never blacklist someone over this, but I definitely notice their name if they do it more than once.

But when they insult me, well, just call me a petty bitch, bro. I will make a point to never read a word you write.

Learn to accept rejection gracefully. It is part of this job. And it is not personal.

If you, by chance, do encounter a bad player in the industry, by all means, protect yourself. You do not have to be quiet about abuse. You do not have to endure it for the sake of your career, but protect yourself.

And remember rejection and constructive criticism are not abuse. You emailing an editor back telling her she’s a bitch is.

4. Instant success is not the only way

I have so much to say about this, it’s going to have to be it’s own post. I really want to share with you how LADY came to be published only after I let go of preconceived notions about what a first novel publication had to look like. I wasted years spinning my tires trying to find into the prescribed path of get an agent to get a traditional publisher to get a big debut to get a success book to get a contract for your next book and get a big enough advance to be a full time author.

But it doesn’t work like this MOST OF THE TIME. The people who hit that first book jackpot are unicorns and we can all be wildly jealous of them, but we mere mortals need to try multiple paths to publication, and if you have novels and short stories building up while you wait for that perfect placement that pays professional rates, consider that you could, actually be building your bibliography and audience during that time instead by getting your stuff out there rather than waiting for the rainbow.

5. The time to publish is when you can accept the criticism

This is a new lesson to me and maybe it doesn’t apply to everyone, but it certainly applies to some people because I have been seeing a lot of authors try to discredit, micromanage and even attack reviewers recently. It is appalling and those people do not belong in the industry until they learn how to behave themselves.

Do you have to like that someone published a review calling your blood sweat and tears absolute garbage? Of course not. But you have to accept it. And if you can’t you don’t belong at this table.

If you are at a place, however, where you can accept that not all people will like your work, that maybe even most people won’t, but you’re putting it out there for the people who do…

well then. You have arrived my friend. Keep putting your weird ass shit out there. Wave your freak flag, and don’t read the comments. Find your people and give them your crazy shit and be an author.

Best of Luck to all of you.

Also, if you are in the area and interested here are my panels and conventions. I will make a new post of just these.

Creatures Crimes and Creativity Convention – Columbia Maryland. 9/13 – 9/15

Panels : Friday 12:45 : The Female Protagonist – Moderator, Friday 3:45 – Why Breaking Stereotypes Makes Stronger Characters, Saturday 9:00 am Synopsis v. Blurb

The Doylestown Library Writing Workshop Series: Just Write with LCW Allingham – Sunday, October 6, 2024 from 2:00 to 3:30 pm in the Pearl S. Buck Room

LCW Allingham will lead an interactive workshop that includes a free-write session followed by an interactive discussion on craft with time left for revision. All ages and writing levels are welcome. The Focus is to help discover your voice and show that good writing is accessible to everyone. Please register for this and the following sessions at friendsofdoylestownlibrary@gmail.com

World Fantasy Convention, Niagara NY- October 17 – 20

Panels not yet announced