Writing is an insane pastime. You spend long hours alone, hunched over a keyboard, desperately trying to turn the fabulous images and scenes in your mind into words. Yes, we have writing buddies, beta readers, a writer's group, social media friends, but it's still largely a non-team sport. Worse, you have to convince your significant other and family not to bother you. “Why is that computer more important than me?” they say.
Writing isn't as easy as non-writers think. The words rarely come out the way we imagined, scenes fall flat, characters can be wooden. It takes considerable perspiration to get down even 1,000 words that survive the delete button. Then, when you are three-quarters through your masterpiece, you see the huge flaw in your plot. Arg! The first draft is only the start. Now you have to edit, rewrite, massage, edit again. Are you tired of rewriting that scene five times? Are you tired of reading your manuscript a dozen times? Then your friend asks, “Aren't you done with your book yet? Why is it taking you so long?”
When you're finally done, years later, you have to convince others how masterful your story is. Oh boy! It's survived the beta-readers, and the writing group, so that's a start. But that's childs play compared to attracting an agent and publisher. Those folks are professional. They don't know you, and they look at your work with a cold, objective eye backed by enormous experience in the industry. Sigh, here come the rejection letters.
If you're still reading this post of despair and gloom, then fantastic. It means that you share the spark of creativity that isn't easily put out. You can write a book and you can get it published. It happens every day.
Forget everything I said above. Writing is a wonderful pastime. You get to act out your fantasies (well the palatable ones anyway), you get to tell a story, craft something that will give others enjoyment for years to come. Creation is one of the best facets of the human condition. You just brought something brand new into the world that didn't exist before.
Amongst the torment, writing can be extremely rewarding. When that scene comes out better than you hoped, when your narrative imagery flows like poetry, when the emotional impact gives even you goosebumps, you know you're in the groove. Your beta-readers or critique partners gasp at the twists and turns, rabidly turn the page after the cliffhanger, and mutter “I knew it!” at the right moment… Yes! What a great feeling. Those moments revitalize you, and make you recommit to the incredibly hard work that it takes to be a successful author.
Myself, I'm at that nerve-wracking stage of waiting for the ultimate approval – an agent and publishing contract. I've lived that moment vicariously through other debut novelists, and I can't wait. I love writing, and want to spend the rest of my life imbibing this delicious drug.