I imagine some out there think the writing life is simple and fun. The writer gets an idea for a story and pounds away until the story is down on real or virtual paper. Then the story is shared with the world and the writer lives happily ever after. Unfortunately, there’s a little more to it than that.
Sure, for some, the writing is a matter of getting the words out. Sometimes that happens all the way through, and sometimes it happens in bursts with the in-between time filled with indecision, deep thought, and revision. I’ve seen aspiring writers on the edge of giving up because they lacked the confidence to get those words out and then lacked the confidence to let other people see them, and I’ve tried to lead the charge to encourage them to stick with it, not just by words alone but by editing and providing samples of how I might convey their scene. I hope I’ve made a positive difference for them. But even when you finish the story, you’re not done yet. Now you need to get it out to be seen by others, to be appreciated. The goal is to have people come and ask for more. And that can be the hardest step of all.
There’s a wealth of information on the internet and elsewhere detailing what’s needed to get the word out. If you’re new on the scene, you may not have an exact direction to follow. – you just want to make people aware of your work. The first best way to start is to enlist the help of friends and family, have them tell their friends who’ll tell their friends and so on. In the ideal world, those friends will be the start of something wonderful. Sadly, in some cases, if the friends decide not to help for whatever reason, the whole process grinds to a halt and the writer quickly finds himself in a very dark place. Having folks come back and lecture at length as to why they won’t do the absolute least they could for me on top of that made things worse.
In such a situation it’s critical to remain calm. I tweeted for someone, anyone, to help me figure things out, and one of my Twitter contacts stepped up to the plate loaded for bear with ideas, shining like a torch in the darkness, and it’s made all the difference on many levels. Too many people haven’t a clue how important some very simple gestures can be – they seem prejudiced to the idea that a request for help is code for “hold my hand or, better yet, do it all for me.” I’m constantly amazed at how little help I need but how vast a difference a little help can make. Thanks Lynette.
Lynette Benton (@LynetteBenton) writes, coaches writers, and edits their work. She likes tweets about writing, is the author of Polish and Publish, and has just finished the first full draft of her upcoming memoir: My Mother’s Money. Read her blog at: http://lynettebentonwriting.com/
