Struggling to Get Published?

Okay, so you're tired of dealing with the miss-spelled words, the awkward sentences, the paragraphs that need to be shifted, the chapters taken out, the character's weeded, the setting upgraded, the plot - fixed, and let's see, you're tired of this run-on sentence.

If you've tried and failed to be perfect at your writing and failed, welcome to the club - the Sunshine Club.

The Sunshine Club is for all of those writers who have tried and failed at writing, and may not, as of yet, published a book although it's been roughly 10 years since their writing journey began.

Ten years??

Ten years isn't actually that long. I can honestly say it took me longer than ten to get my first book published. My first article was published eight years after taking pen to paper, and my first book came say, fifteen years after that.

Granted, I did do a lot of journalism during that time (which has really helped me through the years I'll tell you) and I went to college and obtained my degree in Mass Communication. But I had to wait quite a few years to see that first book in print.

I was at the Sunshine Club quite a few years with my fellow writers, struggling to get something published. We would weep on each other's shoulders, talk about the mean and nasty editors and/or agents until our lips were blue, and whined about how hard everything was, how terribly long it was taking.

And then someone quite friendly in the group would say, "Well, you know, you can't expect to get published until you've been through the work."

And I thought, I couldn't help it but I thought, "Well, what about those famous people who have never written a word in their life, who get published right away because of their name?"

Of course I know now that famous people don't count. Not that their books aren't occasionally - good, it's just that they're on a different path than most writers who have to prove something to even get a casual look see.


And, honestly, there is something quite amazing to be said for a writer who has struggled and learned and struggled some more before someone actually sees them.

If you are willing to stick it out when times are tough, when no one will read your stuff, or everyone tells you your stuff is great even though they've probably never read it, or worse, have read it but don't want to hurt your feelings by telling you the truth. If you're willing to stick your neck out and admit that your story, book, or article could be better, and are more than willing to learn from your mistakes. If you're willing to trash an entire scene, an entire chapter, an entire book that isn't going to make the grade...

Then guess what?

You're a writer.

See you at the Sunshine Club.