Writing is full of lessons and surprises. No one day is ever the same as the next. What was easy one day, could be impossible the next. Your “million-dollar” idea could quickly fall flat. Your characters could morph into completely different people. Once your creativity gets flowing, one book can expand into ten. A writer can never predict what will happen or what they will discover along the way.
The Huffington Post recently asked some successful and acclaimed authors what surprised them the most about writing and their careers. Their answers were refreshing, putting them on the ground level with every other writer, instead of flying high in the clouds above everyone else. We can learn from them, we can relate to them, we can sympathize with them, and sometimes we can even laugh about them. Here is what they had to say about the crazy life of being a writer:
-Being a writer forces you to be an extrovert. You need to communicate with your fans and get out there to market/promote your books. Other people won’t start talking unless you are talking too. [Sue Grafton]
-You will experience humiliation. Bad reviews, awkward interviews, poor showing at marketing events can be embarrassing and hurt your self-esteem. You quickly learn how to handle these situations. [Linwood Barclay]
-Different genres have different chemistry among authors. With a certain prestige comes more friction. [Sara Paretsky]
-Writing is therapeutic and balancing. [Louis Begley]
-Success still enables you to live a normal life. [Harlan Coben]
-Writing never gets easier. [Lisa Gardner, Faye Kellerman, and Ian Rankin]
-The writing world quickly and constantly evolves. Pay attention to the trends and appreciate it them while they are here- in a few years you will need to adapt to new ones. [David Morrell]
-Authors have become their own marketers due to social media. [Jayne Ann Krentz]
-Writing is universal and heard around the world. [Michael Connelly]
-The high of a successful writing career never goes away. [Dennis Lehane]
-Success is always a surprise. [Clive Cussler]
Write On.
Wow! So many authors said that writing never gets easier. That’s really surprising to me. These authors have written so many books, and they are really famous. They make writing look so easy.
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