I want to change. And to change we must act. In my journey for changing, I stumbled upon Marianne Elliot's blog. And I'm hooked. Marianne is not just about changing. She declares herself as a "change-maker". She proposes that everyone needs support and confidence to do her/his unique work in the world. Hmm.. totally agree. We all need that support, don't we ?
And, in my mission to be more useful for my society, I really want to write & publish a book. Yes, a book (don't tell me that I'm kidding). I don't know how, so I asked. I asked and asked so much to many competent writers, and Marianne is the first among them who answered my call. Here is her answer about "Choosing between traditional publishing and self-publishing :"
And here is her answer on my favorite "three reasons" quest :
Three reasons to start writing
1. Because you love writing. Right? And you love reading, right? We write because we love it. And because even when we hate it, we still love it.
2. Because getting started is good enough. Sometimes even those of us who love writing get stuck. Most of my experience of 'writer's block' can be boiled down to one thing, my inner critic. My inner critic is very quick to tell me that my writing isn't good enough, and will never be good enough. So this is my response: just getting started is good enough.
3. Because there will never be a better time. It's very, very easy to keep putting off our writing while we wait for our children to grow up, our jobs to get better, our homes to get tidied. The perfect time to write never arrives. Start now. Start small. Just start.
Those are amazing statements, Marianne. I will print it and put it on my cubicle, so I can read it day by day.
If you want to know more about Marianne, read her About Me page, and her insights about writing. You must also read this interview by Alexis Grant
Marianne's precious articles on writing :
- How she got her agent
- How to write without writing
- Her agent’s tips for finding an agent
- Why Twitter is a writer’s tearoom
- The Yoga of Writing
To recite what Marianne say "Just start"
And, in my mission to be more useful for my society, I really want to write & publish a book. Yes, a book (don't tell me that I'm kidding). I don't know how, so I asked. I asked and asked so much to many competent writers, and Marianne is the first among them who answered my call. Here is her answer about "Choosing between traditional publishing and self-publishing :"
This depends a lot on why you want to publish your writing and what you hope to get out of it. If like me you have a story which you believe is important enough to want it to reach the widest possible audience then you'll make your choices depending on which route is likely to get you the best access to your audience.
If you are a professional writer, and need to make a living from your writing, then you'll be paying careful attention to the financial advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Traditional publishing is unlikely to make you very much money unless you've written a surefire bestseller which a large publishing house is going to want to snap up with a big advance (unlikely in my case and statistically unlikely for most of us). Self-publishing, done right, offers the chance for the author to enjoy more of the profits of her own work. But it also requires her to be a publisher, distributor, publicist and accountant for her own book as well as author.
If your main goal is to complete a personally meaningful creative project, then your criteria may be different again.
Whatever your motivations, the overall changes in the publishing sector which apply to both traditional and self-publishing are probably more significant than the difference between them.
Whether you choose traditional or self-publishing, if you want your book to reach its audience you are going to have to take responsibility for creating and then connecting with that audience. Traditional publishing may offer you certain help along that path - if you sign with a major publishing house they may provide you with a publicist for example - but you are still going to be the most passionate and qualified advocate and salesperson for your book.
Being the author of a published book - whether you follow the traditional or self-publishing route - involves a lot more than writing these days. My best advice is to embrace all aspects of this path. Rather than feeling intimidated by the idea that you have to establish a 'platform', why not enjoy the process of building an online community of people who are excited about what you are writing?
Publishing, whichever route you choose, is about claiming your story: stepping up to the world and saying "What I have to say is worth reading". It's a scary process, and you are going to need lots of support and encouragement along the way so start building your community of support now, find the people who are hungry for the stories you have to share!
And here is her answer on my favorite "three reasons" quest :
Three reasons to start writing
1. Because you love writing. Right? And you love reading, right? We write because we love it. And because even when we hate it, we still love it.
2. Because getting started is good enough. Sometimes even those of us who love writing get stuck. Most of my experience of 'writer's block' can be boiled down to one thing, my inner critic. My inner critic is very quick to tell me that my writing isn't good enough, and will never be good enough. So this is my response: just getting started is good enough.
3. Because there will never be a better time. It's very, very easy to keep putting off our writing while we wait for our children to grow up, our jobs to get better, our homes to get tidied. The perfect time to write never arrives. Start now. Start small. Just start.
Those are amazing statements, Marianne. I will print it and put it on my cubicle, so I can read it day by day.
If you want to know more about Marianne, read her About Me page, and her insights about writing. You must also read this interview by Alexis Grant
Marianne's precious articles on writing :
- How she got her agent
- How to write without writing
- Her agent’s tips for finding an agent
- Why Twitter is a writer’s tearoom
- The Yoga of Writing
To recite what Marianne say "Just start"
Images credit : Marianne Elliot
Great interview! I want to write a book, too, and I found this post incredibly insightful!
ReplyDeleteHello Brandy !
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see you here! Hope this interview would be helpful