Much of publishing is completely out of your control. The only thing you can control is the power of your storytelling and the professionalism with which you deliver it, and that means tuning out the noise, putting your butt back into the chair, and getting better.
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Delilah S. Dawson
Delilah S. Dawson is an American author, primarily of fantasy and science fiction, whose works have been published since 2012. She writes fantasy as Lila Bowen and erotica as Ava Lovelace. 2Career Dawson's work includes the Blud series of steampunk paranormal romance novels, the Shadow series of Weird West novels (as Bowen), as well as several young adult novels and erotica. She has also written Star Wars tie-in short stories, including the 2015 Bazine Netal adventure "Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon", and the 2016 Greer Sonnel story "Scorched", published in Star Wars Insider #165. In September 2017, Dawson released Star Wars: Phasma, a novel chronicling the backstory of Captain Phasma. 2Personal life Dawson lives in Dahlonega, Georgia. 2Reception In 2016, Alex Brown of Tor.com wrote that Dawson is "producing some of the best underappreciated books of the last few years", noting the "difficult subject matter [and] intense imagery" in her young adult works, and her diverse protagonists. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly appreciated that in Dawson's Wake of Vultures, "themes of self-worth, gender, and the complexity of identity are treated with frank realism and sensitivity", as well as her "gritty and well-realized paranormal Wild West". Kirkus Reviews wrote in a starred review of Wake of Vultures that "Bowen has created a fascinating, textured Wild West worl
Reminder: A creative career is a lot like surfing. Most of it is about paddling like hell, trying not to drown, and waiting for just the right moment to stand. The surfing, although exhilarating, is the rarest, briefest part.
Hey, you. You're doing okay. You might be treading water, or you might be floating, but soon you'll want to swim again. Chilling out is part of the creative cycle. The art is in you, waiting to break free at exactly the right time.
Only one thing drives me to write books: OBSESSION. Ferocious love. From the beginning, I've thought of writing as my escape, as this special and important calling. Not drudgery, not *eyeroll* work. I get this fierce, desperate glee as I plan a story. Like planning a vacation.
I feel like the biggest battle writers face is slogging through when the work isn't flowing, when it's hard, when we're unsure. It's so easy to say, 'Oh, well, the mojo ain't there today,' and quit. But even 500 words is more than 0. You've just got to push through.
So the point of a writing schedule is to hold you accountable on those days when the writing isn't easy. You don't need a schedule to be a consistent writer. You don't need a calendar with stickers. You just have to figure out what works for *you*. Whatever works=your process.
In order to write and edit a book and sell it to a publisher, you must be creative and conscientious. WHICH IS A PERFECT STORM FOR DEBUT PAIN. Bc you can imagine grand successes and then feel completely to blame when they do not come to pass. Honey, it ain't you.
Your job is to write the best book you can. Period. Every time. Don't 'save' anything for later. Don't leave anything on the mat. If the idea sweeps you up in its fury, ride the dang wave.
I worry for people whose first book is a wild success. What happens when you have a book that doesn't receive that attention? When you're suddenly not the belle of the ball? It's hard to fall from grace. You've got to be realistic + love the writing + know it's not all you.
Your career isn't over until you stop writing. If your book flops, if they drop your contract, if they don't buy your next book-- it's not over. Pick a pseudonym, switch genres, self-publish, hybridize. It's not over until you are.
If writing sucks years out of your life, why are you doing it? Writing doesn't suck anything out of my life; it adds depth and meaning and gives me something to hope for, something to gnaw on, something to dream about, a way to connect with people. Writing refills my soul.
I mean, publicity is hard. Publicists LOVE books and they LOVE their authors, but... Imagine you've got 30 sled dogs to feed and not enough food. You give each dog the bare minimum to keep it alive and sneak extra food to the strongest pullers. You've got to keep pulling.
The really important point here is that your debut book/series/year DOES NOT PREDICT YOUR CAREER. It's not any indicator of future success. Publishers know and understand this. Just keep writing the best books you can. Keep innovating without fear. Keep that hope.
If I could change 1 thing about my debut year as an author, I wish someone in power had looked me in the eye and said, 'You wrote a good book, and you're a good writer, but we are not pushing your book. There is no way it will hit list. Just have fun.' Truth > disappointment.
The point is to get a pro's eyes on your work. Whether that's a career writer you admire, an agent, or an editor working with a legit publisher, their feedback can often give you the barometer for where you are and what you need to do to level up.
The hard thing about publishing is you need professional feedback to grow your skills, but you can't get professional feedback until you have skills. I feel like this is why so many people lose hope in the query trenches. The solution: Take a class, go to a conf., join a group.
Plenty of people with talent doubt themselves. Plenty of writers I know are deathly afraid they stink. Confidence is great and all, but you don't have to have it to be a good writer. You just have to keep going and committing yourself to leveling up.
Whatever gets the job done and doesn't make you hate yourself or self-destruct is the right way to do it. Whenever I give advice here, I'm speaking to the writer I was in 2009.
- some writers have day jobs - some don't - some writers have a lot of money - some struggle to stay afloat - some writers get huge advances or can live off royalties - some writers aren't there yet Money doesn't make a writer a good or bad person or a good or bad writer.